Building a Small Chest of Drawers - Part 2

Finishing the Web Frames

The web frames will support the drawers and also help to brace the carcass.

Here are four having a dry fit before glue-up.

There are eight sets of drawers, so eight web frames.

Glue up is always a little tense for me, and checking for square is always important - as the clamps can sometimes rack the frame out of alignment.

Six done - with the last two in the clamps.

The drawers themselves will alternate, starting with a pair of drawers at the top followed by a single drawer, then a double, a single and so on to the bottom of the carcass. So four sets of double drawers and four singles.

The Carcass

I've already cut the sides and the top to size, and I like to bring the surface as close to finish as I can before assembly, as it is so much easier to plane it that way.

Here, the smoother gives a glass like finish to the leading edge of the sides. It's always a delight to get a full length shaving when doing this.

Dovetailing the Top of the Carcass

I have a Gifkins jig which I will use to dovetail the drawers, but the top and sides of the carcass are far too big to be handled by that little jig. So I have decided to use hand cut dovetails here.

A few simple tools are used to lay out the tails and the pins.

The top will hold the tails, and the sides - the pins.

 

The scribed line is just a bee's whisker thicker than the width of the side.

I lay out the tails with a pair of dividers after drawing the lines for the half pins at the ends.

I use a simple template to draw the tails, then cut with a dovetail saw after marking out the waste.

Next time - finishing the tails and cutting the pins

..... and happy shavings to all

Tom