Gluing the hexagonal drawer- some advice
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Advice to hexagonal drawer builders. Plan out what parts will have tails and what parts will have pins. Otherwise assembly may be a problem.
Not following the advice given above I had to carefully develop a strategy. I glued the tightest 135 degree joint first, then the next tightest and then the left half blind. I finished with the most loose joint and the right half blind. I never would have got it together without the loose joint, loose defined as could be pushed together by hand relatively easily. Liquid hide was used. Never would have got it together without it. Never would have got it together with flauntable dovetail joints.
The next challenge was to wind up with the drawer being the correct shape. This challenge was accomplished by cutting the walnut plywood bottom to fit exactly into the correct shape drawer(scribed and planned t the exact size and shape). By gluing the drawer around this bottom I ensured it wound up the correct shape.
Bar clamps snugged the half blinds and band clamps, to my surprise, snugged up the angled dovetails. To my great relief the drawer set flat and the joints, while nothing to brag about, were ok.
The drawer stops short of the back, leaving a angled opening back there......hummm, just right for a 45 degree dovetailed secret compartment box.