Design - bedside table

[Troywoodyard]

I'm planning to make a pair of bedside tables. How do people feel about cutting out a hole I. The apron for a drawer, vs letting the legs and 2 horizontal rails form the drawer pocket? I have done method 2 before but am interested in method 1. Thoughts?

[handi]

I’ve done both. For me, the choice is made by the design of the piece. A colonial looking piece like the the on DaveR posted kind of requires the cut out drawer. 

I made a dressing table for my wife with 3 drawers in the apron. While that was made with stiles and rails between the legs, I cut all of the parts from one board. I ripped the top and bottom rails from the two edges of the board, and cross cut the center section in sequence for the drawer fronts and stiles. 

This insured that the grain flowed naturally across the front while allowing crisp, narrow gaps around the drawers.

[Gary G™]

It’s usually an exercise in futility trying to get a clean “hole” without ripping and re-gluing the front piece.

[handi]

It’s usually an exercise in futility trying to get a clean “hole” without ripping and re-gluing the front piece.

Which is why these pieces typically feature overlay drawer fronts. The hole can be cut out logically without needing to preserve the entire plug.