# Dovetailed Drawer Bottoms



## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi All,

Does anyone have a good How-To or resource on building various types of cabinet drawers with half-blind dovetails? I have the dovetail portion down, but I can't seem to grasp how to incorporate a plywood drawer bottom via small internal dadoes without jeopardizing the half-blind dovetails. I'm trying to avoid simply gluing a drawer bottom to the bottom of a dovetailed box. 

The drawers would eventually look like this:


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

I don't think routing a 1/4" wide groove on the inside faces of the drawer would compromise the integrity of the dovetails. I have some custom drawers in my kitchen, and from what I can see, that is how they were done.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Rout most of the groove on the front piece with the router, stopping just before the end. Clear up the end by hand if needed.

Worse case is to cut a notch in the bottom panel for the two front corners to fit a less than full width slot. The notch would be only the depth of the side dado, so hardly visible.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

you can plow a groove on all four pieces, centered on the first full dovetail from the bottom. make the depth less than the dovetail depth (usually 1/4") and the width enough for your bottom (usually a heavy 3/16"). good to go!


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

TimPa said:


> you can plow a groove on all four pieces, centered on the first full dovetail from the bottom. make the depth less than the dovetail depth (usually 1/4") and the width enough for your bottom (usually a heavy 3/16"). good to go!


Too simple. Now why did I not not think of this solution. :icon_smile:


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

TimPa said:


> you can plow a groove on all four pieces, centered on the first full dovetail from the bottom. make the depth less than the dovetail depth (usually 1/4") and the width enough for your bottom (usually a heavy 3/16"). good to go!


Brilliant. Thanks Tim.


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

While I'm on this thread...the drawers I'm building don't have room for any slide mechanisms, so it would just be wood vs wood. Do you guys recommend applying wood lubricant? Or do the plastic nail-in drawer slides work?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> While I'm on this thread...the drawers I'm building don't have room for any slide mechanisms, so it would just be wood vs wood. Do you guys recommend applying wood lubricant? Or do the plastic nail-in drawer slides work?


I have some purchased drawer units with the plastic slides. They work, but are not my favourite. Perhaps easier to get working than wood on wood.

If you want to go with wood on wood, consider beeswax for the lubricant. Just want a coating, not excess to gather dust.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

Just an added note, think about how your dovetail layout will affect the location of the dado for the bottom so you don't loose too much depth in your drawer. It's not usually a problem, but depending on your style/size of dovetail you can sometimes loose more depth than you might like.

Also, because you are using half-blind dovetails for the front, you can make a through dado in the front of the side, but the back of the side needs a stopped dado or it will show out the back of your drawer (assuming the back is dovetailed and not rabbeted). May not be an issue or you may not care, but if you are using this method for boxes you need a stopped dado on the tails.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

trc65 said:


> Just an added note, think about how your dovetail layout will affect the location of the dado for the bottom so you don't loose too much depth in your drawer. It's not usually a problem, but depending on your style/size of dovetail you can sometimes loose more depth than you might like.
> 
> Also, because you are using half-blind dovetails for the front, you can make a through dado in the front of the side, but the back of the side needs a stopped dado or it will show out the back of your drawer (assuming the back is dovetailed and not rabbeted). May not be an issue or you may not care, but if you are using this method for boxes you need a stopped dado on the tails.


if you dt the back joints, i think the groove will be hidden in the back just as it is in the front. mine always are, if i don't screw up that is.


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

TimPa said:


> you can plow a groove on all four pieces, centered on the first full dovetail from the bottom. make the depth less than the dovetail depth (usually 1/4") and the width enough for your bottom (usually a heavy 3/16"). good to go!


If I understand correctly, that means stopping the groove before it exits the board? I do mine on a shaper and finish the last bit with a chisel.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

TimPa said:


> if you dt the back joints, i think the groove will be hidden in the back just as it is in the front. mine always are, if i don't screw up that is.


You're right, I was imprecise in my post. I assumed the rear of the drawer would have through dovetails as they are quicker (if you cut them by hand like I do). If your dovetails are half-blind, your dado can be a through dado for both the pin board and the tail board.

If you have regular dovetails (through dovetails), the dado in the pin boards is still a through dado, but the dado must be a stopped dado in the tail boards.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

WillemJM said:


> If I understand correctly, that means stopping the groove before it exits the board? I do mine on a shaper and finish the last bit with a chisel.


you can cut the groove all the way through, on all 4 pieces. this is for half blind dt's, as in the pic.


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

TimPa said:


> you can cut the groove all the way through, on all 4 pieces. this is for half blind dt's, as in the pic.


Yep, ideal for undermount slides.

Most of my drawers though I do without slides and the base is flush with the face bottom, sides and ends. It gives that "air" feel when sliding the drawer. Those have to be stop dados in the face and rear, as they go into the first pin.


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

WillemJM said:


> Yep, ideal for undermount slides.
> 
> Most of my drawers though I do without slides and the base is flush with the face bottom, sides and ends. It gives that "air" feel when sliding the drawer. Those have to be stop dados in the face and rear, as they go into the first pin.


This is probably the direction I'm going to go. Is it customary for drawers to have dovetailed fronts and rabbeted backs?


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

OHNOIMONFIRE said:


> This is probably the direction I'm going to go. Is it customary for drawers to have dovetailed fronts and rabbeted backs?


I guess that depends on the type of drawer.

For inset drawers, where the front is part of the drawer I do half blind in the front and through in the back.

For drawers with a false front, I do through dovetails both front and back.

Sometimes I would do rabetted half blind on the front.

For the base if it is flush, it will be a through dado on the tail sides and a stopped dado front and back.

With a raised bottom, as in previous posts.


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## RogerInColorado (Jan 16, 2013)

This approach might work for your slide substitute. I've seen them on some pretty high end stuff, but I don't know if you have room.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?site=ROCKLER&page=201


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## OHNOIMONFIRE (Sep 13, 2012)

RogerInColorado said:


> This approach might work for your slide substitute. I've seen them on some pretty high end stuff, but I don't know if you have room.
> 
> http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?site=ROCKLER&page=201


I was going to use the tacks/pins you see in that picture with no slide.


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