Furniture construction question

[Jason Morgan]

I have a question about a project I am in the middle of. I guess you could say this is where you get when you start a project without a plan.

Im building a pair of shaker/Thos. Moser type night stands based on their “side table” design. I am putting a drawer in and am not sure how to make the drawer support and slide assembly. I want to stick with all wood and try to be as “traditional” as possible. Do these tables have bottoms? Do I just make a series of rails to “trap” the drawer (Im thinking 2 on the bottom, 1 on each side and two on the top)? My original idea was to make a sort of wooden slide, but Im not liking that idea the more I sit with it.

Any advice?

[Jason Morgan]

Martin,

I just saw your posts. How did you build your drawer housing?

Thanks a ton (in advance)

[Martin Shupe]

See if you can find the book "Practical Design, Solutions and Strategies" by the Taunton Press. In that book is an article by Will Neptune, "Engineering a Table with Drawers". It tells you everything you need to know. The book is a compilation of old FWW articiles, but I have no idea which issue the original article was in. If you could find out, you could just buy that back issue on ebay, although the book is full of useful information.

The short answer is you build L shaped brackets which go under the drawers and screw into the sides of the table. Then you install a rail over the top of each side of the drawer to keep it from tipping down as the drawer comes out. I think I actually glued the brackets on this particular table, but I think it is easier to screw them in, just make sure your screws aren't too long!

I also make a small swivel catch that goes in the middle of the rail and keeps the drawer from being pulled all the way out. Important with drawers that are not very deep, so you don't pull them out too far and drop the contents on the floor.

When building the drawer, the tighter the tolerances you make, the nicer the drawer will slide. You need to leave a little space for expansion in the vertical dimension, but you can almost (if you are better than I am) leave nothing between the sides and still get a really smooth action.

Here are a couple pics which may help explain it.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask, and be sure to post pics when you are done with your project.

[jeremy levine]

I'll peak in my Thos. Moser "Buliding Shaker Furn.. " book.

[Jim Becker]

Moser shows the runners (albeit not terribly clearly) in Section HH-HH on page 271 of his Measured Shop Drawings for American Furniture. Martin's pictures show what you will end up doing.

I've built this table both with and without the drawers...it's really nice...and so far the only project that I've actually built a dedicated jig for future efforts. (for tapering the legs)

[Jason Morgan]

Thanks for all of your help guys!

The L brackets look like just the ticket. I knew I needed something on top to keep the drawer from tipping down, but I wasnt sure what to do about the sides. That will work great.

Ill have some pics up as soon as I get the camera out.

Thanks again.

[Ron Fritz]

Hello Jason, I have also made a few of these tables. I agree that you will need to use drawer runners and guides but I have mortised and/or dadoed the runners into the front & rear rails rather than attaching directly to the case sides as this might restrict the sides from moving. I believe Martin suggested screwing the runners to the sides which is better than gluing to the sides. I also use only one 'kicker' on the top to keep the drawer from tilting down too much. Rather then using side guides, I like to use a center guide (on the bottom) and build mini rails under the drawer to act as a track for the center guide. I like the center guide better because it glides smoother with less side play. Good luck.