One More Question on Drawer Construction

[Mike Goetzke]

I'm having fun making half-blind DT drawers for a shop cabinet using my Incra positioner. I made DT's at the front and back of the drawers.

My question is - should I cut the back of the drawers short so I can slide/nail the bottoms in (probably the easiest) or should I leave it the same height as the sides/front and trap the bottom in?

Thanks,

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I've done both with success based on use. Desk drawers don't carry much weight or take much abuse. Shop drawers get the dado all the way around.

[Jules Dominguez]

I try to avoid making a job any harder than it needs to be. I'd let the back sit on top of the drawer bottom, rather than to have an assembly job that's a little more awkward. If you think the drawer needs more support at the back, you can put one or two screws up through the bottom into the back. If the aesthetics of this bothers you, dado the back.

[Bruce Page]

Mike,
I ran the dado all the way around on my bench drawers, some of them carry a lot of weight. I haven't had one fail yet. I figure, why take a chance? It's a lot more trouble to fix later.

[Tim Quigley]

I just finished doing 14 drawers for two shop cabinets myself. I did the dado all the way around for the bottom (though I didn't use dove tails for the sides). I figure if you are ripping down all the parts all at once, it's easier if the backs and sides are the same height. Just rip them all to the same size and then dado all the parts 3/8" or so from the bottom like an assembly line (after doing a test or two to make sure you get the right width given the thickness of the ply you are using on the bottom).

Good luck.
Tim

[Kristian Wild]

I second Bruce's reccomendation to go with the dado all the way around. I've made more machine-cut dovetail drawers at work than I care to remember, so I feel I can say it really doesn't make the assembly any harder. You simply are adding a small step midway through. Since you'd glue the front and back of the drawer box to one side first anyway,it's simply a matter of sliding in the drawer bottom before applying glue to the tails on both ends of the other side and attaching it.

If the fit is snug or if the bottom is a bit warped you may have to wiggle it back and forth a bit while setting the taild of the second site so that it enters the groove properly. I assume you're using 1/4" ply bottoms? If so about 1/16" total gap front to back and side to side is usually adequate. If for some reason you're actually using solid drawer bottoms you will need to leave the back open to allow like you originally mentioned for wood movement. (make sure the grain runs side to side on the drawer bottom!)


Kris

[Jim Becker]

Personal preference, IMHO. I've made them both ways. If you are using slides, that can also affect the decision as the "short" method eliminates the notching that some slide would require otherwise. What is most important...that the drawers be square!

[Jim Fox]

I run mine all the way around the drawer carcass. Just takes an extra second when assembling, but not a big deal.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

My preference is to fully capture the drawer bottom - especially for shop drawers as I'll be tossing heavy stuff in 'em.
Another benefit of fully capturing the bottom is that it forces your drawer square if you make the tolerances close.

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for all the help. I once again learned about more things than I asked about. I think I will cut the groove all the way around and trap the bottom completely.

Mike

[David Giles]

Spray finish those drawers with the bottoms installed and you might decide to leave the bottoms loose the next time. I have trouble finishing where two corners meet, let alone three. And don't get me started about sanding an assembled drawer. So here's a vote for installing the drawer bottoms after the drawer box is glued and finished.

I'd still rip them all the same width to begin with and dovetail them, then rip to match the final bottom thickness.