Entry hall table for a niece: Part 12

[Derek Cohen]

This is the part where we begin building one-piece lipped drawers (as contrasted with applied fronts).
 
In preparing for this part of the build, my research uncovered exactly one article on dovetailing lipped drawer fronts. This is by Christian Becksvoort in Fine Woodworking magazine (#263-Sep/Oct 2017 Issue). Interesting that.
 
Why lipped drawer fronts? Simply because the three drawers must run continuously across the front, without a gap between them.
 

 
The lipped sides will wrap around the drawer dividers, and these will double as drawer stops. This will be illustrated in a short while.
 
The lipped ends create a challenge to form the pins/sockets for the tailed drawer sides since it becomes difficult to saw. I have a novel solution

 
We begin by marking where the lipped sides will be. This is knifed in through from the rear of the case ...
 

 
The marks are knifed with a cutting gauge.
 
The distance from the edge is exactly the same for each board - 6mm. The side spacers are 6mm wide and the two central drawer dividers are 12mm thick, of which each lip is half this thickness.
 

 
The drawer front is rebated with a moving filletster plane ...
 

 
With both sides rebated, the centre must fit snuggly between the drawer dividers ...
 

 
... and leave exactly half of the dividers remaining ...
 

 

 
Side-by-side, perfect fit ...
 

 
The rebates are fine-tuned with a cutting gauge, ensuring that they are even and square ...
 

 
This measure is transferred to the drawer side ...
 

 
I took the time to lay out the dovetails on a scrap as a template. This saves a lot of repeated layouts ...
 

 
Tails done ...
 

 
The tail board with be placed here, but with the lip extending past ...
 

 
This is what it would look like if dovetailed ...
 

[Derek Cohen]

To make it easier to see what I am sawing, I am using blue tape ...



Transferring the tails to the pin board is made a little easier as the rebate is a handy stop ..





Marked out produces this ...



And that is where it stops being straight forward as this is as much as it is possible to saw inside the lines ...



I decided that, if I could not saw it, I would chop it. This gives new meaning to "chopping dovetails"


The pin board is clamped (to avoid any splitting), and the kerfing chisel is used to deepen the existing half-kerf, and then extend it across the socket ...





Now the waste is chopped out ...





This picture of a fishtail chisel cleaning the corner of the socket is for bill




Does it fit? Oh, the suspense!





Two more to go.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Holt]

As always, beautiful work Derek!!!!!!!!

[cputnam]

Some really fussy work there. It is quite beautiful as it stands and will be truly awesome when finished. With what do you plan to finish it?

[Aram]

Does it fit? Oh, the suspense!





Two more to go.

Regards from Perth

Derek

This looks great, Derek. How (if at all) are you going to get the pins flush, with the lip prohibiting a hand plane? Or are they perfectly flush already?

[Derek Cohen]

Some really fussy work there.  It is quite beautiful as it stands and will be truly awesome when finished.  With what do you plan to finish it?

Got give that some thought, Curt. Oil may end up too dark and flat. Shellac will not be durable enough, plus too bright. I think I may go for a oil wax finish as the top needs to be waterproof - a vase of flowers may end up on it.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

This looks great, Derek. How (if at all) are you going to get the pins flush, with the lip prohibiting a hand plane? Or are they perfectly flush already?

Aram, I first make sure all is flush! The lipped drawers need to fit precisely before I start any tuning. If there needs to be a slight adjustment need the draw end, I can always scrape the surface.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Arlin Eastman]

Someday I will have your skill or maybe even half would make me happy.

[Scoony]

Nice.

I have done these for a few Chippendale style pieces that I made in the past. Glen Huey had some info on cutting them that I followed many years ago. The hardest part for me was always cleaning up the sides up to the rebate.

I like to clamp the board horizontal when cutting pins for half blind DT joints, verses the normal vertical clamping. Makes it easier for me to cut straight and avoid nicking the edges.

[Big Dave]

Oh how I look forward to these updates! Thank you, Derek!

Such fine work....