Drawer parts before dovetailing the drawers *LINK*
Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
This chapter follows on from "Before the Drawers", in which I ended stating, "Now we are one step away from making drawers". And now this chapter is that penultimate step ...
I need to explain some of the (as I feel) pedantic details I have been outlining. Firstly, I write this for those who are starting out and those who are seeking ways to increase their accuracy. The steps may not be new to some, but we all like to be reassured that others also find them necessary.
Secondly, I am going to introduce a fixture I built that increases not only accuracy, but speeds up a section of the work. This is the first time I have had a chance to try it in a furniture build.
So what do we need to do today? Well, we need to cut the drawer parts (minus the drawer bottoms) to build the drawers 
I spent time selecting the wood for the drawer sides and drawer front-and-back. The sides were jointed and thicknessed by machine, and then stickered for a few days ...
The drawer sides are to be 7mm thick, which is more typical of the drawers I build for furniture than a tool cabinet, however the drawers will each house a tray - some sliding and some cantilevered - which effectively doubles the thickness. My aim is to be sturdy but also save space (since the tool cabinet is on the small side, as it must fit under the work bench).
The drawer front is 18mm. The drawer back is 12mm.
For reference, mentioned at the start of the build, the dimensions are:
Dimensions: 660mm x 400mm x 400mm (26" x 15 3/4" x 15 3/4").
Small drawers: 205mm x 70mm (8" x 2 3/4")
Large drawers: 305mm x 95" (12" x 3 3/4")
Time was taken to select the wood for the drawer fronts.
The issue here is that I was not after figure, but constancy of grain and colour (although a little tinting could be done with a latter). Lots of combinations tried ...
Now to the fixture. Actually, there are two fixtures.
I recently posted a design for a Parallel Guide for a slider table saw (mine is a Hammer K3). This article is here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered%20Tools%20and%20Machinery/ParallelGuideForK3Slider.html
The other design I posted was for a Micro Adjust for the crosscut fence: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered%20Tools%20and%20Machinery/CrosscutFenceMicroAdjust.html
These new addictions made sizing the drawer fronts and backs much easier, and quicker.
Generally, I would rip a board to rough size for the drawer front (and back, since they must be an exact copy of each other), and then fine tune it with a shooting board and hand planes. Well, these tools continue to be used, but I can get pretty close to final dimensions on the slider alone. The parallel guide replaces a rip fence, and it is both safer to use as well as leaving a cleaner finish than off a table saw rip fence.
Here is the crosscut fence cutting the width of a drawer front ...
With the use of the Micro Adjuster, it is possible to sneak up on the width and "shoot" it with the table saw, to such fine tolerances only previously capable on a shooting board ...
Minute adjustments can be made to the cut, with the aim of a tight fit side-to-side ...
Once the drawer front is done, it is a simple matter to cut the drawer back using the same setting.
Now is the time to rip the height if the drawers fronts and backs (although the drawer backs will receive further shaping at the time of drawer making). This is a test cut. It needs to be repeated for each line of drawers, and checked for each drawer ..
As mentioned earlier, the aim is a tight fit throughout ...
Once all are done, comes the time to tune each. The main tool use for the upper edge is a shooting board ...
Ensure one side fits smoothly ...
... and the other ...
The ends need some tuning as well. This is to remove a smidgeon here-and-there, to ease a section where the sides may be touching or even jamming. It may require a shaving, or just dust. The tool of choice here is a block plane.
My aim here is a smooth fit - not loose but not tight: at the end, after the dovetailing is done and the sides are glued together, I want the drawer to dry in the drawer case. Therefore, it needs to be able to fit. I expect to do a little tuning still, but the aim now is to prepare for this fit.
The drawer back needs to be tuned up identically to the drawer front - the smidgeon "here-and-there" included. So, clamp the parts together ...
I prefer a sharp, wide chisel to pare away the excess waste from the drawer back ...
This leaves the fronts and backs ready, so ...
The last task is to saw the drawer sides. This is made a quick job by the parallel guide, and using the drawer fronts as a template.
Once side of a drawer front will dimension the height of that drawer side ...
Rip it ...
Test the fit in the drawer case. Any tight spots can be removed with a shooting board or block plane. This is what we are after ...
... and eventually ...
Now we are ready to start dovetailing.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Before the Drawers