Methods for hand cutting rabbeted drawers with half blind dovetails
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9 February 2018 at 3:03 am #465186
I am about to make a bedroom set, drawing on both Paul’s design and techniques and those of others. My wife really prefers overlay drawers to piston fit, because she likes the profiles on the overcut drawers. However, so far I’ve not found much information on details and tips for how to make these drawers without using a router and some kind of jig. So far the best article I’ve found is here:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/membership/pdf/234590/011263043.pdf
That article shows the traditional approach and an approach that just starts with a piston fit front and then attaches the overlay front. The latter sounds a lot more amenable to handtool work and much more forgiving to any errors.
I’m using pricey tiger maple, so I need to minimize waste.
Anyone know of any other good tips or sources of info on how to cut these kinds of drawers with handtools?
I built a chest using what you are calling an overlay where you laminate the drawer face onto a drawer box made with through dovetails rather than half-laps. The method can be efficient with wood use, since the face isn’t as thick as the full front. It’s also a little faster to cut through dovetails than half-lap.
It’s a nice method, but be aware of one down side. If you use half-laps and rebates, the joinery itself will line things up for you. If you laminate the drawer front on, it is up to you to glue the drawer face lined up perfectly. If you have two drawers side by side and you’re off by a little up and down or twisted a little, it will be easy to see the error. That’s true of a single drawer too, I suppose. That said, the method does work and is nice. I’d use it again, but do have a strategy in mind for how you will position the laminate when gluing. It’s a fairly broad surface, so it’s one of those times when the parts will want to float and squirm around on the film of glue. That can help you make adjustments or drive you insane depending upon your luck that day. If you think in advance of where your hardware will go, you can try to use a brad for positioning. If you mess up the layout or if your brad splits the grain, you’ll be unhappy, though.
It’s been awhile since I did mine, but I think I slid the drawer boxes into the carcase, and clamped a batten across the carcase upon which the drawer faces could rest. Setting that up was a little fussy, but not too bad. I then applied glue, rested the laminates on the batten to position them relative to the drawer boxes and then used two tiny brads in each face. You must make sure there is zero movement as the brad enters the box. This held things in the right position just enough that I could scoot the drawer box forward and get proper clamps in place. There’s no free lunch here, though. The brads are easily distorted, so be careful. Once the clamps are on, you can’t put the drawers back in to test things.
Ed’s method (just build through dovetails, then glue on a “show” front) is used by some very famous furniture makers here in the States. Although he can do perfect half-blind dovetails in a blink, C.W. Becksvoort uses that method to save half a blink, I guess, and he has clients lined up for months to pay 13,000 US for his Shaker-style chest of drawers. For us mortals, I prefer Paul’s standard method, but if I’m getting grief from the grain pattern of the wood I’ve chosen and I’m concerned about my low skill level and getting the half-blind dovetails nicely done, I’ll use this method because cutting through dovetails obviously skips the danger of dealing with problematic grain in half-blind dovetail sockets.
You can use double-sided tape to get the show front in position, then use screws from the back for registration. Remove the screws and tape, apply glue, and then the screws will ensure you’re properly positioned. You can remove them after the glue dries and insert plugs or leave them in and put plugs over the top or whatever you like.
If you’re faster trimming than fussing with the positioning of the drawer front, just make it oversized, position it close enough, and trim to a perfect fit after the glue dries. I do a little fussing and a little trimming.
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