Assemble the case Add a bead of glue on the tops of the sides and the divider, and then add the top.
D C
of the sides and dividers, as shown in photo E.
Use a nail set to bury the nails about ⅛"
below the surface. If you’d like, you can use a natural-colored putty to fill the nail holes.
5.
Once the top is nailed in place, flip the assembly over. Nail through the bottom into the sides and divider.6.
Flip the base over so that the front is face down. Set the back in place in the rabbets at the back of the case. Use a few finishing nails to secure it in place.7.
Stand the case upright. Measure the diag-onals across the corners of the front to make sure the case is square. If the diagonal meas-urements aren’t exactly the same, add a clamp across the long side and tighten until you get the correct measurements.2.
Cut the drawer bottoms to the correct depth. Test the fit to make sure the bottoms line up flush to the front of the case when they’re installed, as shown in photo F.3.
To make the drawer fronts, measure and mark the width of the fronts against the case.You want the fronts to be about ⅛" narrower than the opening on the case so that there’s a little leeway on both sides of the drawer. Cut the drawer fronts to width on the tablesaw.
4.
Measure and mark the depth of the sides against the case. You want the sides to be about 1" shy of the full depth of the case.On the tablesaw, cut the drawer sides to the correct depth.
Why make things difficult? You can clamp the assembly together and wait for the glue to dry, or you can simply drive a few 1½" finish nails into place. For a clean look, use a nail set to bury the nails below the surface.
E
Building the Drawers
A
s far as drawers go, this construction method is among the most straight-forward. The bottom of the drawer fits into the grooves on the sides and the divider.The drawer box is simply a rabbeted assembly that is nailed together. If you’d like a more refined look, you can use pegs instead of nails to assemble the drawers (for more on this process, see “Skill Builder: Pegging Joints” on pp. 120-121).
1.
To make the drawer bottoms, measure and mark the width of the bottoms against the case. Leave about 1⁄16" on each side to allow the bottom to slide smoothly. If you leave more than that, the drawer might fall out of the grooves. On the tablesaw, cut the drawer bottoms to width.5.
Before cutting the fronts and backs to height, set up the tablesaw to cut ½" x ½" rab-bets. Cut rabbets on the ends of all the drawer fronts and backs, as shown in photo G.6.
Hold the drawer fronts up to the front of the case and mark the height of each drawer.Remember that your lower drawers are a dif-ferent height than the upper drawers, so you
should measure and mark each one sepa-rately. Cut all the drawer fronts and backs to height, as shown in photo H.
7.
After cutting the fronts and backs of the drawers, cut the drawer sides to the same height. You’ll need to cut two sides for each drawer, making sure that the height matches the drawer fronts.Cut the drawer fronts Once the rabbets have been cut, cut all the drawer fronts to the correct height.
Use this same setting to cut all the drawer sides.
You’ll need to adjust the settings for the lower drawers, which are a different height.
These drawers start at the bottom Cut the drawer bottoms first, aiming for a flush fit at the front of the case.
F
H
Cut many rabbets at once Rabbet along the edges of the fronts and backs to accept the drawer sides.
G
Y
ou can go to any hardware store and buy hardwood or metal pulls that work well for these drawers, but I prefer the look of the drilled pulls used on this design.Also, this way, if you’re installing the drawer box under your workbench, you won’t hit your knees against the drawer pulls. You can drill the holes after assembling the drawers, but it’s a lot easier to do this before the drawers go together.