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  • Andrew Konopitski
    5 July 2020 at 12:57 am #668355

    Hey David, this is actually a great question. In designing my last project (kitchen island) I ran into a lot of questions related to casework/carcass design and the answers can be difficult to find. It looks like you have a pretty solid design based on your model. Generally, here’s what I’ve found is required in order to make a drawer function well:

    Drawer runners: support on either side of the drawer that the drawer will slide on top of
    Drawer glides: Lateral supports on either side of the drawer which resist the tendency for the drawer to rack within the case
    Kickers: Support above the drawer which prevents the drawer from tipping forward as it is pulled out

    There are a ton of different ways to incorporate these elements, but it looks like your design has all of them. As far as I can tell, the drawer runners for the drawer above will serve as the kickers for the drawers below and these horizontal runners/kickers with be incorporated into vertical glides attached directly to the panel.

    Two recommendations: there should be a separate kicker above the top drawer (which might be incorporated into the top not shown), and I would recommend doing an M&T joint for the drawer glides into the legs for added strength. The drawer runners can then be screwed into the glide and the structure will be very strong.

    Hope this helps,
    Andrew

    Andrew Konopitski
    28 June 2020 at 2:52 pm #667365

    Are you gluing the plugs in place? If so, there is likely a layer of glue being left on the surface which is preventing the finish from penetrating the wood. Paul has mentioned this sort of thing in past videos and and one of the reasons why he frequently doesn’t wipe away glue squeeze-out during a glue-up.

    My recommendation would be: Glue the plugs in place, but don’t wipe away glue squeeze out. Once the glue dries, flush cut the plug and plane even with the surface. This should prevent any issues in the future. For the current project, you could try to plane the surface down and hopefully take the glue layer off with it. This will be easier on closed grain woods like cherry, but will be more difficult on open grains like oak or ash.

    Hope this helps.

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