I'm actually following a Hand Tool Course by Rob Cosman and the guiding pieces are built into the frame. Easier to show than explain.
Screen Shot 2018-12-14 at 10.24.28 AM.jpg
[OP]
Contributor
I'm actually following a Hand Tool Course by Rob Cosman and the guiding pieces are built into the frame. Easier to show than explain.
Screen Shot 2018-12-14 at 10.24.28 AM.jpg
Contributor
IMO in that case you’ll want a close fit since you are relying on the drawer box to align itself. If the height of your box is too small the front of the drawer will droop when you open it. The top of the drawer box hitting the kicker is what keeps the front from dropping.
---Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny---
Member
Try for a nice piston fit. If it ends up too tight it's easy enough to fix. Usually you size each component to the carcass, planing everything to fit snugly. Fit each piece individually prior to cutting the dovetails.
In Memoriam
Height must have enough space to allow for seasonal movement.
This is quite difficult to calculate, since you need to allow for seasonal changes of humidity.
Another issue is the movement data for the timber used for the front. Also is it quartered or plain sawn? Quartered will move about half as much as plain sawn,
Finally what humidity level do you have in your workshop?
Fitting tight on the height is likely to be disastrous.
Width fitting can be as close as possible, clearance of a tenth of a millimetre or two is possible.
David
Contributor
The design looks odd to me without a rail in the front along the bottom. Like David mentions careful selection of the wood for the sides is good practice. Quarter or Riftsawn will give you good time to work and not bind up when the seasons change.
Aj
Member
You will need to leave a 1/16 to 1/8” at the top of the drawer all around for seasonal expansion. Yes, this means when you look at the finished piece you will see a tiny gap between the top of the drawer and the upper rail. The sides of the drawer front shouldn’t have any slop.
That said, looking at your photo, I think you will need to add an additional spacer to the inside of your side skirts (aprons) because they are short of the legs on the interior – if I’m understanding the sketchup plan correctly.
P.S. – just found this from Cosman, which seems to answer your question. Go to about 2:25:
[OP]
Contributor
Another question about drawer bottoms... for those that insert through a groove but are not captured on the back, how do they stay in place?
Member
I think you kind of HAVE to capture in the back with SOMETHING. I use a small screw in a slot. See the above Cosman video at about 3:something and he shows a picture of the bottom. That's exactly how I do it.
Contributor
Usually I add a screw, or three ( depending on the width of the drawer)
Have you heard of something called a "kicker"?
drawer tune up.jpg
Guides along the drawer sides do not need to be very tall. The drawer's back rubs ( barely ) along the underside of the kicker...so, when you pull the drawer out..
kicker works.jpg
The kicker keeps the drawer from tipping down..
Member
John, Great project to test this stuff. You can glue the front of the bottom and allow it to expand to the rear, or more commonly, drive a screw in through the bottom, to the rear drawer wall. You need to make the hole in the bottom a slot and put the screw in to allow for that movement. Or, you can do as I often do... use plywood and just let it float inside four grooves.Also, I want to advise you to test fit often. It astounds me how a single swipe of the plane can remove enough to dramatically change the slop in the fit. Less is more. Like the barber always says... "it's easy to take more off".
In Memoriam
Solid drawer bottoms are usually glued just at the front edge.
This stabilizes what would otherwise be a flexible parallelogram!
Some support is provided at the back edge by the use of slot screws. i.e. slots in the drawer bottom.
best wishes,
David
[OP]
Contributor
Originally Posted by david charlesworth
Thank you, David. After a bit more research, this is exactly what I came to and my plan for giving this a whirl.
Friend of the Creek
Typically a small pin nail or countersunk screw through the drawer bottom into the drawer back piece. As someone above said, dry clamp the entire table up. Then fit the drawer font. Use the drawer front height to determine the sides. Mill the sides and test fit. Mill the slot for the bottom, then let that determine the height of the back piece. Dovetail it all together, dry fit and lightly hand plane the height of the drawer front and sides to fit, if necessary. Then glue it up and retest.
You table looks great, by the way. Nice job.
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