Gluing up a case piece with drawers
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Shown is one of two drawer units that will make up a desk for granddaughter. In Period Furniture the top would be solid, not the two pieces yet to be installed, dovetailed into the case sides. (I am saving weight. ). The bottom similarly would be installed in a housed (sliding ) dovetail and again I am saving weight by using a stick front and back.
These dovetailed pieces will hold the case together and keep it square and the sides flat. The drawer blades/dividers would often just be mortised into the sides.
I have a quick way of dovetailing the blades into the sides so it is not much or any less time for me to dovetail all the drawer dividers front and back, which leads to a convenient way of assembling these case pieces, some of which can be 5' tall.
I dry fit the dovetail dividers in the top and bottom positions. These snug fit dividers hold the case together and make it easy to move, turn, rotate , etc. Then one by one I glue in the remaining front dovetailed dividers, flip the case over, install the runners and finally tap in the back dovetailed dividers. When the glue in these parts is cured I knock out the dry fit dividers, add glue and reinstall. Done with case.
When made carefully, the dovetailed dividers pull the case square. I check by measuring diagonals. I am always within one mm the same across the diagonals, which leads to convenient drawer fitting.
What appears to be a pocket for an exceptionally small drawer at the top is in fact a pocket for a pull out shelf.
