# workbench wood drawer



## New Shop (Feb 4, 2010)

Hello everyone I am going to make a 7 drawer dresser, 5 drawer chest of drawer and 2 night stands for my wife. But before i do all of them i need to hown out my skills on a few tools like my router. I have made a workbench and i am making a drawer for it now. I am just using boards that i have pulled off some pallets they work great for practicing on for the price (free). I have found that when I do half blind dovetails on the drawer front it looks great until I router a nice edge on it then i cut into the dovetails(using the same size boards for all sides) . I just tried something new(to me) by getting a board that is 2" longer and 2" taller then the sides and routed a grove 1" in on both sides then cut the blind dovetails from within the grove it looks like it will work so far because now I have the space around the drawer front to router a nice edge. NOW for my question is there an easier way to dovetail the sides to the front without using 2 boards. Here is a pic of my work bench and ill post a pic of the drawer front later today.


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## Just Bill (Dec 29, 2008)

Not sure I understand your question. Since dovetails require a mating side, how can you not have two boards????


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Not trying to talk you out of anything, but if you're doing DT's just for practice, that's one thing. For just shop drawers, why not just rabbet the sides, and groove for a slide in bottom?


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## New Shop (Feb 4, 2010)

*Two bords for just the front*

Sorry it took so long for me to get back in here I put a few new pics in on I so the drawer front I said that I measured in an inch from either side and cut a grove and then did my blind dove tails from within the grove (dado). Most all drawer fronts have 2 boards on it one that’s part of the drawer and the other that’s the fancy front I did not want to do 2 boards that’s why I took it in an inch. I may have to use even a bigger front because I think the routered edge will still cut in to my dado. My shop is a mess now because I am in the process of making a toy chest for my 16mo. old son. I'm using those pallets cutting them at 2' lengths then trying to tong and grove then all together the widths all different witch I think looks cool but they all have different thickness. I think I have my wife convinced to let me go get a thickness planer. Is there any kinds that I should stay away from? this pic shows the lines of where the bottome would be dadoed but its just a scrap board it not lined up all that great...


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## New Shop (Feb 4, 2010)

*Messy shop*

It’s a mess and I can usually find the correct tool


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## mayday3374 (Feb 29, 2008)

*questions about your project??*

i see what you are doing with the drawers, and i am curious, arent those big router grooves on the backside going to be exposed even when the drawer is assembled? are the boards thick enough so instead of routing 1 groove, you can actually remove that material right to the side edge of the front board, giving it a more even look? and why do you not attach the false front to the drawer? are you trying to save on material? i have a dewalt model 734 planer. i bought it reconditioned from the dewalt website and it works pretty nice. the only issue i have and it seems common among planers is i get a little dip in the edge of my boards as they come out. it is a good investment if you have a steady supply of free or cheap rough cut lumber you want to use for projects. i learned the hard way that it is better to spend a little more on machines the first time. many people will agree with me on that. dont have to be top of the line, but dont buy the cheapest u can find from a store. shop craigslist and look for factory reconditioned to try to save a few bucks on better machinery


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## New Shop (Feb 4, 2010)

I guess I could just cut off the extra material to the right and the left of the dado(grove) so that it cleans it up a little but I would have to use a thicker board for the front so I can router an edge on it or maybe a lower profile edge might work. (I just did not want to use a false front just to see if i could do it.) Because when I go in and cut the blind dovetails it’s hard to get the rougher bit in the dado while its running and my rougher is a fixed base I need to pick up a plunge router. If that makes sense. Now about the thickness planer I looked around at a few stores it looks like I can get a 12 1/2" craftsman planer for around $279 but it’s only a 2 blade... I assume that the more blades the better the cut, I found a porter cable for the same price and its a 3 blade.. and then there is the DeWalt for $$650 I don’t think I will be able to convince my wife that I need that one.


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

*messy?*

New Shop,

Your shop looks tidy compared to mine.

Bret


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

That is a nice shop but I have got to ask, what are you doing with that big slick that is laying on your table?


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

*Slick*

Mizer,

My slick. It's a great old tool. I was plugging some screw holes in those pine closet units and I was using the slick, gently, to knock the plugs off flush. Worked great! It gets extremely sharp.

Bret


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## New Shop (Feb 4, 2010)

Well I have to keep most things in order as you can see I don’t have much room. 2 car garage my wife's car is in one side and the other side is my "shop" luckily I can still pull the truck in when I have everything put away..I wish I could get a shop that size messy luckily I won’t be retiring in this home I'm only 28 and I have more houses and shops to go through before I leave this world.....I hope.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

New Shop said:


> I have more houses and shops to go through before I leave this world.....I hope.


You got that right!

My first shop was 12X18 with a 7' ceiling.

Used to break my back just trying to spin a sheet of ply.

It'll get better, hang in there! :yes:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mdntrdr said:


> You got that right!
> 
> My first shop was 12X18 with a 7' ceiling.
> 
> ...



My first shop was the floor of the second bedroom of a two bedroom apartment.


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## nado (Mar 29, 2010)

i have a 10x18 shed as a shop,i like to make shavings rather than dust,and small space works fine


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## cowboy dan (Apr 11, 2010)

i started in a 10x10 shed and upgraded recently (3yrs) to a 26x26 garage... i have better pics but the files are too large, i'll have to figure it out later


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## michaeld (Jun 2, 2010)

it's nice to see someone as clean and organized as I am. I feel we can do a better job when organized. GOOD JOB!!!


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