Beginner

[knuttle]

I have made a lot of mitered picture frames and other type work so have no problem in accuracy from that point of view. I would like to make a small cabinet with a drawer at the top and a door below.

Since I have the least experience with drawers, my plan is to make the drawer first. and then make the body around the drawer. Then final make the door.

In this way if I mess up and the drawer comes out with different dimension than I planned the drawer will fit into the cabinet body.

Any comments on my plan.

[Zz Yzx]

There was an (more?) article in FWW some time ago about how to fit drawers to a carcase. I think that there's more wood and time to be wasted in a botched carcase as opposed to a botched drawer.

-Zz

[knuttle]

I had not thought of it in that way, I was only thinking i probablity.

[Doug Miller]

Another thing or two to keep in mind: as long as your drawer *front* is the right size for the opening in the carcase -- and that's just a single board, cheap and easy to remake if need be -- it's pretty easy to compensate for the drawer box being a bit too small, by shimming either the box or the guides.

And if the drawer box is too big, well, ideally you would discover that when you test-fit it to the opening *before* you glue it up...

[Leon]

Bass Ackwards

Think of the carcus as a box as a drawer. Build the drawer last, just think about what you need to do and how you are going to insure it happening.

[Swingman]

If you want things to go smoothly, resulting in you feeling good about the project because it was so well planned, and that you executed the plan so flawlessly, that it is something you will always be proud of ... the two Cardinal Rules of Cabinetmaking with regard to doors and drawers are:

Hard and fast rule #1: Buy, or decide upon, the _drawer slides_ and _door hinges_ *before* you design and build the cabinet.

Hard and fast rule #2: _ALWAYS_ build the cabinet first (to the requirements of the drawer slides and door hinges).

Always!

Both a drawer, and a door, MUST be built to the dimensions of the _openings in the cabinet_, and what decides that opening is the hardware.

Disregard should you enjoy being frustrated and taking ten times longer than necessary, before coming up with something that you will always remember as a less than pleasant experience.