Drawer fronts thickness

[Alex Berkovsky]

I am at a point where it's time to start making drawers for a dresser. I am looking forward to making the drawers and using the PC 4212 DT jig. All are firsts for me.
I would like to make raised drawer fronts like the ones made by Brad Schmid (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=358735&postcount=8). In fact, I am making the same dresser. Here are my questions:
What should be minimum thickness of the drawer front be if I raise it? I am afraid that I may run into a problem since the DT jig can handle stock thickness up to 1 1/8". I guess I can always make a through DT and glue a false raised panel front.
Another problem that I am facing is the drawer opening... the left side of the opening is a 1/16" wider than the left side. Does that mean that I have to go with lipped drawer fronts?

[Tim Sproul]

If you look at his drawers, they are laminated. The 'raised' portion of the drawer was probably applied after the dovetails were cut....at least that is how I'd do it if routering the dovetails and laminating the fronts.

"Another problem that I am facing is the drawer opening... the left side of the opening is a 1/16" wider than the left side."

I have a hard time understanding this.

[Nancy Laird]

Alex, the majority of the furniture that LOML and I make has the drawer boxes made of 1/2" 9-ply "apple ply" with the front fabricated of the "master" wood and attached with "drawer front" screws (put the pull on the drawer front before attaching the front to the drawer). The majority of the drawer fronts we make are approximately 5/8"-3/4" and they are "lipped" over the face frame of the piece (that would conceal your opening measurement problem). You can get the same effect for fronts that fit the drawer opening (I can't think of another way to describe it) by shortening the drawer box a bit front-to-back. But that type of front is usually made to look like a continuation of the piece and not raised. If you're using a raised-panel-type of front construction, you should probably plan for overlay fronts.

Just my .02.

Nancy