Adjusting drawer side fit......

Don't make any jewelry boxes

The need has a simple solution

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

There are some things that each professional shop has a different way of doing. Not this need. Everyone one I have seen planes drawers by simply hooking the drawer over a piece of stiff plywood, or equivalent, that is fastened to the bench. If one has never done it, it may not be apparent that the holder does not have to be as wide as the drawer is deep and the drawer does not have to be fastened to the holder. Two sizes of plywood have met all my needs.

Easy on, easy off. Works as good as it needs to.

PS

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

you must be left handed

Re: PS

roger lance

ambidextrous.....

I've made jewelry boxes; but,......

roger lance

only for large jewels.

What's the word for "Neither Handed"?

I don't know.....

Too Personal, can't claim it for myself....

Barry Irby

How about Non-dexterous?

Re: Too Personal, can't claim it for myself....

roger lance

Only a joke Barry......which I would not have made if I thought it were true......anyone like you, who is making a living at this, has talent and is good with their hands.

I got it....

Barry Irby

While not ambidextrous I am not totally right handed. I took a class from David Ellsworth on turning hollow forms and bowls. Completely misunderstood his instruction on using his signature gouge. He gently corrected me. Then saw me doing both left and right handed. Came back and said he would give a lot to be able to do that.

I am somewhat dyslexic or dis graphic or something. Sometimes its a curse and sometimes it may be a blessing. When I was a builder I could reverse a set of plans in my head with no trouble and could cut plywood siding from the back without a thought. I seldom shoot, but I shoot long guns left handed and pistols right handed.

Re: I got it....

David Glickerman

How about ambisinistrous? Ambidextrous (from the Latin, ambi- both , dextra -right) is having two right hands. Sinistra is Latin root for left. I have to credit Gary Rogowski for introducing me to this word.

Re: I got it....

Barry Irby

I like the word....but I still think that whomever made us gave us a dominant hand on purpose. Your hands look pretty much the same, one on one side and one on the other, mirror images. One you can use pretty well, but your maker still gets a chuckle when you try to use the other one.

Re: PS

William Duffield

I'm left handed, but I have a reason for hanging my shoulder vise on the wrong end of my bench. It might not be a good reason, but it is better than the reasons for not having rebuilt my bench top in almost 25 years to make it left handed.

What I like about your approach to the problem is that it is easily configured for either left handed or right handed use, and for any drawer size, except maybe drawers that are wider than your bench height. In that case, I would just reposition my Loxiliary bench-on-bench so I could hang the drawer over its back end.

N.B. As Bill knows, but which might not be obvious to those who have not tried it, the force of the front of the bench against the drawer sides when planing the front or back, or against the front and back when planing a drawer side, holds the drawer in place, as long as the plane is not pushing away from the bench.

One suggestion.

Virgil Johnson

One suggestion is to rip some scrap wood about 3/8 narrower than the distance of the top of the vise jaws to the support rods of the vice. Using these will keep the stock from sliding down in the vise when force is applied to the top and it will make quick work of locating the drawer. A sample is shown below with my much smaller Columbian vise.

We think very similarly......

roger lance

I just came up from the shop having spent a little time this afternoon doing just what you have suggested.....

I was limited to the scrap on hand......the ply strip on the vise face is attached with screws.....while the ply piece on the bench skirt is sitting on the guide bars and is attached to the skirt with double sided tape.

I knew that these strips would give me a great way to balance the drawers in the vise and allow one hand to position the drawer while the other hand adjusted the vise.

Its good to have someone who thinks on the same wavelength.