Side Table, Part 7: Drawers

Ralph (The Accidental Woodworker) asked for more details on the Spanish windlass that I used to bring the carcase into square.  I have no idea where the name comes from.  But it's basically a loop of string or rope that, when twisted, pulls together the two places to which it is attached.  Many frame saws (bow saws?) use the same principle - you know, the saws with a wooden "H" frame and a blade held at the bottom between the two uprights.  At the top, a string is looped around the upper extents of the uprights.  A stick is used to twist the loop of string, making it tighter with each twist, thereby tightening the blade.

The rope is looped around the upper left and lower right clamp heads

As the rope is twisted, it pulls the corners closer

Note that there are two sticks used because of space constraints.  I used the short stick to wind the rope, then a longer stick that has one end sharpened to a point is inserted next to the short one.  It's length makes it hit the drawer dividers, so the twist can't come undone.

A couple notes before getting to the drawers.  First, I permanently attached the feet with glue and screws.

Screw holes pre-drilled

First pic with the feet attached

Second, I glued and screwed the kickers along the top edge of the carcase.  Glue was used only in the first inch or two.  These were installed between the top rails and will keep the top drawer from tilting down when it is opened.

The right front kicker screwed in place

Drawer construction has been going nicely.  The first two drawers are just about finished - just a little bit more fitting to do.  The drawers take a lot of time because I have to prepare the stock (by hand) before the building can begin.  The drawer fronts are 3/4" thick poplar and the sides and back are ~7/16" thick soft maple.  The bottoms are a nice 1/4" plywood.  The maple was a bit of a drag, I had to remove a fair bit of twist.

It starts with fitting a drawer front tightly into the front of the carcase.

Top drawer front tight in its opening

Then the drawer sides are planed to width to fit into the side of the drawer recess.  The sides are attached to the fronts with half-blind dovetails, but I'm using a technique that makes it easy to hide the groove for the bottom.  The bottom "tail" is a straight dovetail that extends to the bottom of the drawer side.

Tails marked, ready to cut

Transferring tail shapes to drawer front

Then the tails sockets were carefully cut into the drawer front.
Note the penciled lines showing the location of the groove to be ploughed

I might have been able to house the groove within a normal dovetail.  But I like to have a certain thickness for the end pin and a standard DT might have left a thin pin.  I also could have made just one side of that tail at the usual angle instead of making it a straight tail.  Oh well, hindsight ...
A dry-fit allowed me to flush up the bottoms of the sides with the bottom of the front.  Then I could plough the grooves.

Using the old woody plough

The back of the drawer fits into dadoes in the sides.

First chopping ...

... then routing to a depth of 1/8"

I wanted to try out a method that really strengthens the joint, so I made a couple of small tenons on each end of the drawer back.  The tenons fit into mortises formed at the bottom of the dado that extend through to the outside.  With a bit of glue, these things will never come loose.

The joint

I wanted to record the method of getting the shoulder to shoulder length of the drawer back.  I try not to depend on measurements, so I made a stick whose length is the exact shoulder to shoulder distance of the drawer front.  That's the distance the inside surfaces of the sides should be from each other when the back is installed.  I clamped that stick between the sides just behind the dadoes, then placed the back piece up to the dadoes and made a knife nick where the back's shoulder lines need to be.

The pencil is pointing to a stick clamped between the sides.

The plywood I bought for the drawer bottoms is actually very close to 1/4" thick.  I ploughed 3/16" grooves in the front and sides, thinking the plywood would be undersized.  So I put a chamfer on the bottom edges for a good fit.

Planed a chamfer on the drawer bottom and tested the fit with a grooved "mullet"

Three screws will secure the bottom to the underside of the drawer back.

One of the drawers in clamps

I still have to make the third drawer - it's 6 3/4" deep, so it will be a bit more challenging than the first two.

Next up: finishing the drawers and making the top.