The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING

Laying out and machining drawers

The drawer front is first cut roughly to size with the long edges parallel, and cut fractionally bevelled on all four edges so that it fits the opening half-way (238:11). The drawer sides, which must be of constant thickness, are also cut to the opening, fractionally sloping in the length so that they slide in half-way (238:12). This is the ideal to work for in hand-fitted work, and assumes that the worker is prepared to spend the time necessary to secure a perfect fit. The sides are then cut to length, allowing for the front dovetail lap and the necessary clearance at the back of the carcass, and the ends are cut truly square. The back is cut correspondingly narrower to allow for the plywood bottom to pass under, with a set down from the top of about 3/16 in (5 mm) for clearance; the drawer front is placed on it and the length marked with a knife. The ends are then cut square, leaving the knife-marks on the wood to give just that fractional fullness in the length. All the parts are clearly marked in pencil as they are fitted, the front with face and edge marks and left and right, the back with a triangle on the outside, and each side with a quadrant (238:13). The grooving for the bottom in the front and sides is gauged in before the dovetails are set out, or part of a pin may be lost, showing an unsightly gap. Dovetails are at the discretion of the maker, very fine (1 in 8) as in the best traditional work, or the firm 1 in 6 for modern work. Purists may insist that they should be as fine as possible. but drawers are not left open for the dovetails to be admired, and the first consideration must surely be the strength of the joint. If the front is slip dovetailed (238:6) or rebated/rabbeted (238:3), setting out for the carcass opening will have to be done by measurement; although with the latter it is possible to through dovetail and apply a false front after to form a rebate, but the practice is not to be recommended if it can be avoided for the false front could be thrown off in time under repeated impacts.

Assembly

Drawer dovetails should never be completely fitted before assembly as they only fit once, and the worker should have enough confidence in his jointing to accept that they will fit. Some craftsmen use only a minimum of glue, thickly coating the ends of the sides and wiping them across the pins on the assumption that as the dovetails are mostly end grain there is little point in gluing every socket. However, it is better to have too much glue than too little, providing it is thin enough to be squeezed out. One drawer side is laid flat on the bench, the front and back pushed home, the other side placed in position and tapped down with a mallet using a block of wood to cushion the blows. A sash-cramp/clamp should be kept handy in case the drawer needs a pull across the width or from front to back, but it should not need much cramping, and if a cramp does have to be left on while the glue sets, the drawer should be set on a level surface free from twists. After wiping off the excess glue with a clean wet rag (some workers give the insides a coat of polish before assembly to prevent the glue staining), the drawer is checked for squareness with a rod and left undisturbed until the glue has set and the bottom can be cut and fitted. If the drawer is fractionally out of true the bottom can be cut to pull it square, but it is rarely possible to correct a twist.

Fitting drawers

Any protruding pins are planed off and the back of the drawer is fitted to the opening. From then on it will be a question of gently easing from back to front until the whole drawer enters sweetly. Chalk-marks along the sides and edge usually disclose high spots, and if the carcass back can be left off, a light can be shone through to show up any tightness. At this stage the bottom is in position to support the drawer, but it is not finally fixed until last, running a little

glue into the front groove to hold it, and either screwing or pinning at the back, unless it is a solid bottom in which case it should be open slot screwed so that it is free to move. Drawers which run harshly can be lubricated with a candle end (not soft waxes which quickly pick up dirt), although a well-fitted drawer should run sweetly enough without the need of lubrication.