Chest of Drawers: Episode 3
Posted 22 February 2017
This is an episode in a paid series. Want to watch it? You just need to sign up as a paid member, and you can enjoy this video and many other videos we think you will love.
Using the prototype and the drawings as a reference, Paul talks us through the unique aspects of the project, such as the frame details and rear through tenons. With the stock prepared, we’re ready to layout and cut the stopped housing dado.
Great instruction! Thank you.
Watching this video makes you realise the amount of work that has gone into the design, and the care taken in building the prototype.
Great tuition, and fantastic value at £10 per month! Keep ’em coming!
John B
Every day, every video, we learn a little more . Thank you !
When supporting the chisel on the edge on the other side of the mortise, do you ever round over the sharp corner? It seems like the bevel will try to force the flat side of the chisel downward and onto the corner, much like moving the knife wall when chopping.
@joeuu, it is something to be conscious of, but it is dependant on the hardness of the wood and it shouldn’t mark or round the edge unless there is a lot of force applied. Hope that helps.
Great instruction, crystal clear path of progress to a superb finish product.
Perfect, Love it , as PS would say.
You’ve mentioned shrink wrap several times as a way of keeping prepped panels flat. I am presuming you have some specialist equipment to do this which would not normally be an option for hobby woodworkers. How important is this an is there a compromise alternative?
To me it looks like Paul is using “stretch wrap”, much like “saran wrap” but thicker, which you can purchase in office supply or any of the big box stores. It is used for shipping and packing pallets. They also make a smaller 5 or 6 inch wide roll with a handle which is easier to handle or wrap up the wood. I have a few rolls of each in the shop and use it occasionally.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Doffice-products&field-keywords=strech+wrap
Ted
Thanks Ted.
in one of the Q&A Paul has also mentioned using an old blanket to help reduce/slow the moisture exchange to prevent warping.
You can use a big plastic trash bag, too, which has the advantage of being reusable. That’s what Paul had us use in class. The trash bag is so quick that you can toss your work into the bag when you take a break.
Thank you for the lesson.
Just a quick comment on tooling. Found the Stanley 049 on Amazon for $2.99. Same price as the replacement blades.
Man I just love watching Paul work…I would not want him to take this the wrong way but he works the way someone once described my grandfather to me, he said “your grandfather only does things one way…the right way!”
I’m afraid I just do not understand the design of this piece. If the drawer frame tenons are all glued, and if the through tenon at the back is tight, then the through tenon and the dovetail between the front of the frame (to the case) will form a rigid constraint on the side of the carcase. This is true even if the drawer frame is not glued into the housing. The carcase sides will not be able to expand and contract between the through tenon and the front dovetail.
It seems you have two choices. Either cut the mortise for the through tenon big to allow movement (which will look sloppy), or, simply do not glue the tenons in the drawer frame. Leaving the tenons unglued will allow the movement that is needed yet will not weaken the drawer frames. It would be adequate to leave just one pair unglued, e.g., at the back. Perhaps I misheard Paul saying that all of the tenons would be glued?
The other thing I do not understand is the top. I really don’t know one way or the other, but I am surprised that a simple housing will be strong enough if someone tries to lift the dresser by the edge of the top to carry it while full (which is certain to happen). Are the housings enough, or maybe there are some turnbuckles that will be added?
As far as your first question, my understanding is that the side divider rails will be glued to the front divider rail, but not the rear divider rail, and they would be glued withing the housing only the first couple of inches. The shoulders of the side divider rail are 1/8″ short of the rear divider rail. Combined, the sides can expand and contract, and the side divider rails will move with the front divider rail.
That said, I’ve been struggling with is how the 1/8″ was determined, and it if would vary based on the material used in the case construction.
As to the top, I’m curious as well – I don’t see any mortise for turn buttons in the drawing.
Thanks, Frank. I just found that, at the start of Episode 5, it becomes clear that the rear M&T are loose, not glued, to accommodate movement.
So, that just leaves the question about the top being housed.
Concerning the top, those long housing dados are certainly strong if tight and glued. Not sure about moving it when full, not something I would plan to do purely from a weight of lifting point of view.
I see Paul often uses two routers when cutting dados- one that is set to the final depth and one that can be backed off and slowly adjusted to keep the depth of cut to a manageable level until he gets close to the final depth. Then he switches to the other router to finish the dado. I only have one router but it has an adjustable depth stop ( it’s a Veritas). Is it okay to set the depth stop to the final depth, then back the cutter off and slowly work my way down until I hit the depth stop? Or does Paul get a more precise result using the two routers?
Paul uses two routers as he has them out of convenience. One thing you can do to help guarantee that depth is have a piece of wood where you mark the final depth, and always use that to set your router to for the final pass once you have worked your way down.