3 drawer console table pland

Hej Bryan,

Bill Hylton’s book “Illustrated Cabinet Making: How to Design and Construct Furniture That Works”; 2008 AW Media LLC: ISBN-978-1-5623-369-0 gives a description on drawer dividers, centre runners, and guides. It seemed a bit elaborate to me, so I allowed myself some modifications

Basically what is needed (and what has been used on the entry table shown in your attached photo [whether spalted maple is preferable to the quarter sawn oak of your own table, is probably open to discussion]) are two guides running between the drawers from the back apron to small receiving pieces that joint with the upper and lower front rails.

As the attached photos try to show the small pieces attach to the front rails by stopped sliding non-tapered dovetails, thus presenting their long edges to the front and mortices on their back edges. The dividers are “tenoned” into the small pieces, and then the dividers are jointed to the back apron by sliding stopped dovetails (or tenoned in – through tenons, perhaps).

The top and bottom sides of the dividers will then have runners attached, with the lower runner flush with the bottom of the lower front rail, and the upper (which doubles as kicker) flush with the upper front rail. An all wood joinery of these runners would call for more tenon and mortices at their ends, and possibly a spline with the dividers. As these constructs won’t be seen, I use brass screws in elongated holes.

The stretchers of the Entry Table, I think will remove racking; at least that’s what I’ve experienced. By using sliding dovetails (very useful joint) for connecting the lower front rail to the legs, additional strength can be gained.

Hope it helps.

You’re welcome Bryan.