First, a little "backstory", if you will. Long time ago( about Norm's first or second season) I started out in a 2-1/2 car garage shop...started making the usual hope chests/toy boxes, porch benchs, tables....then someone asked IF I could build a chest of drawers? I hadn't, yet, but gave it a try. Got to the point, word of mouth, and I was building about one a week..delivered. Had to find a few ways to move things along quicker....
So, I developed a few ways to quickly build a 4 or 5 drawer chest of drawers...IF everything was in the shop on a Saturday morning...I was able to have something standing there, awaiting a finish on Sunday. Got pretty good at changing saw blade set-ups, too.....Throw in the other items people were wanting me to build....got to be too much like just a job, and I already had one, Had sold and delivered over 130 chest of drawers....was getting a bit much.
later, I toned things down, mainly just friends and family orders. Thought I could, with this next project, go over some of the things I did to build a chest of drawers...won't be any deadlines to meet, no real "Delivery" date. Basically, I took Norm Abram's 3 drawer chest of drawers, changed a few details. Instead of glued up panels for the sides, I made a frame & panel side. Instead of a glued up panel for the top, I designed a frame & panel style. One of the old selling points, I could climb up and sit on top of any of the chest of drawers I made. " 'ell fer stout".....So, if nobody minds, this next project will be about a new, improved version....
I start with a trip to the lumberyards. Usually, I pick through, getting the best #2 Pine they have. Used to involve 2 x 4s, and 1 x s....A 1 x 8 x8' plank was enough for one drawer. 2 x 4s...needed four corner posts, the other 3 out of the 5 were ripped down into 1 x 2s. Webframes, kickers, rails for between the corner posts...plywood for the panels. Plus for the back of the case, and into a frame around the top. Used this sort of construction on the dresser I build for the Dungeon Shop a while back....
I had a note pad in the shop....I needed to lay out the drawer spacings, and other details....wasn't a "formal" plan...well, today..I drew up a modern version of that "plan"
plan 1.JPG
Shaky hands don't work that well, this is a view from the side of the case..
plan 2.JPG
A view from the front....bottom rail may get a bit fancy...older ones were just straight across
plan 3.JPG
IF you were to look straight down the side panel, this is what you would find. The rail sits in rebates into the corner posts, rail also has a rebate to house a plywood panel. Posts are 1" thick, rails are 3/4" thick. Usually, a cove , or round-over detail between them. All these cuts were done at the tablesaw.
Lumber has been bought, most of it...so, today I hauled a few 1 x 2s to the shop...goal was to crosscut parts for the webframes...and maybe have them assembled by this weekend. Not as fast as I used to be...
all done.JPG
Needed 12 stiles, and 12 rails, the two "extras" are for the 17" long kickers. Stiles got a groove milled on the tablesaw, just like the old days...
webframe stiles.JPG
These are 24" long. Set up the fence, and made a couple passes, to center the groove..
groove cleaner.JPG
usually had a thin strip running right down the center....old days meant a quick adjust to the fence...now a days, I use a thin chisel( Has an Arrow logo) Plane is for leveling things a bit, flattening out a few curves/hills
junior shavings.JPG
Junior Jack, Millers Falls No. 11, Type 2. First half are done, second half is waiting their turn. Reset the fence and blade on the saw, and made a test tenon..
tenon test fit 2.JPG
Once I get this to fit the way I want, I can run the rails through. 4 rails, though, will need to be a tad thicker on the tenons...will do all that..tomorrow..back was having issues, and the Laundry ( i was on Laundry Detail) was done, I swept the floor, and hauled the clothes upstairs...that be enough, for one day..
Stay tuned...7 days since surgery....trying to get moving around a bit better...