Entry hall table for a niece

[Aram]

What I need are lipped drawers.The question was whether I make them the easy way, which is by planting (glueing) on fronts. Or, whether I build them out of one piece, which is a lot more work as it requires creating half blind dovetails in a rebate.
...

Derek

This isn't really a question, is it? You do like a challenge. And, I am guessing, the gratification of doing it well.





I'm enjoying this build. Thanks for posting.

[Big Dave]

I'm enjoying this build. Thanks for posting.

This.


Thanks, Derek!

[stillgotten]

Derek I just want to say I love your work and I have learned an awful lot from you over the years, thanks for the post.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks friends.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

The basic case complete ...



My niece's expressed wish is to have a table front looking as if it was faced by a single board. The original model for this project has two drawers. I did not see this working here since, as their width would be greater than their depth, two drawers would likely rack. Consequently, I decided to build three drawers of equal width (I considered a narrow drawer in the centre, but decided this would be too busy).

In order that the figure of the drawer fronts would not be interrupted by the drawer dividers, the drawers are to have half-blind dovetailed side lips, such as these ...



The drawers will each have a side lip of 6mm. This requires a 6mm wide side panel on each side of the case, and two 12mm wide drawer dividers. This will allow three drawers to run adjacent to one another, and the three fronts to be cut from a single board.

The drawer fronts will come from this board ...





Below are the panels for fitting ...



It occurred to me later (of course!) that the 6mm end panels could have been made to run with the grain direction of the case. Being the same Jarrah, this would have counted for any expansion/contraction, and there would not be any danger of movement being intrusive. Too late. It's glued.

So I did the next best thing, and planed 2mm off the upper and lower edges. This will permit enough movement, if any (it is a small and thin panel). There will not be any gaps seen as the front edges will later receive edging, which will be used as a depth stop.



Frankly, the hardest part of this section of the project was accurate marking out of the two central drawer dividers. These need to be both perfectly parallel, and also aligned vertically (the lower panel with the upper panel).

There is a second area that needed to checked, which is important for drawers to work well, and this that the lower panel is flat - that is, does not have any hills. I learned my lesson the hard way about this. All good.

The way I go about marking the dados for the dividers is to make templates for their position. These are used on both the lower panel, as below, and then the upper panel ...



The process is self-explanatory ...







The dados are knifed deeply ...



Chisel walls cut ...



.. and then the waste is removed with a router plane ...





The dados are just 2mm deep. That is deep enough to prevent any movement. This process is quick and relaxing (compared to setting up and using a power router).

[Derek Cohen]

Once done, the process is repeated on the upper panel ...





All ready for a dry fit. The rear of the case ...



... and the front ...



Happily, all is square ...





Tomorrow I shall glue it up.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

We ended the last session with the drawer dividers installed ...



Everything was nice and square, but the more I thought about what I had done, the unhappier I became. Such an elementary oversight. I cannot believe I did it, and also that no one pulled me up for it. What was it? Two items:

The first was that the grain for the drawer dividers runs the wrong way. Although the boards are as close to quarter grain as possible, which adds to stability, they will expand vertically. That could cause them to buckle, and then the drawers will not run nicely.

The second is that I could have built in a way to close up the drawer dividers against the back of the (to-be-built) side lipped drawer fronts ... this is to be used as a drawer stop ... at this stage it would be necessary to add a filler. Not good.

So I re-did the drawer dividers. Here is the rear of the case. The drawers are left long on purpose ...



Provision is made for the dividers to be adjustable in length (to close up with the back of the drawer front). They are given rebates to slide further forward ... it will be necessary that they move around 15mm forward (to within 5-6mm of the opening).



The rebate is 2mm deep (the depth of the dados), and largely created with a cutting gauge. The blade slices away end grain, and the resulting splitting away makes it easy to chop the remainder.

Here are the dividers, further forward than before, and capable of moving a little more still ...





The plan was to glue up the case. However, before this is done, it is wise to fit the drawer fronts across the width (the height will be done at a later date).

This is the board for the three drawers.



Removing one end, the board is set on the case ...



It is now apparent that the front of the bevel, where it meets the drawers, is not straight. It is possible to see a small amount of flat ...



This is especially noticeable in this corner ..



This is fairly easy to remedy ... mark with a pencil, and then plane away the pencil marks ...



Perfect now ...



The other end needs no more than a smidgeon removed ..



The upper side is now treated the same way. Interestingly, this needs no work at all.

Time to saw the drawer fronts to size.

First step is to mark the middle point of each divider (since the lips will share the divider). The mark can be seen in the rebate ...



The drawer board across the front ...



Transfer the mark, and then saw the drawer front ...

[Derek Cohen]

This process is repeated. Here are the three sequential drawer fronts. You can just make out the breaks ...





I am happy with this.

And so, finally, the case is glued up (Titebond Liquid Hide Glue - reversibility and long open time). Looking like a trussed up fowl ....



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Timberwolf]

This process is repeated. Here are the three sequential drawer fronts. You can just make out the breaks ...





I am happy with this.

And so, finally, the case is glued up (Titebond Liquid Hide Glue - reversibility and long open time). Looking like a trussed up fowl ....



Regards from Perth

Derek

......................................
Woodworking doesn't get any better than this.......

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Jack


Cheers

Derek