boy, did I goof, any suggestions?

[Paul O.]

Making drawers for my nite stands and routed a groove around the inside bottom for the drawer bottom to fit in. Well, on one drawer I finished gluing up tonite, I was in a big rush to get the four pieces glued together I forgot to put the drawer bottom in, which isn't even cut yet. Boy am I pissed, at myself. No way am I cutting four more drawer pieces and routing them and gluing them up. The only thing I can to think of to do, without taking a chance of destroying the drawer trying to get one side or front piece out, Is to glue 1/4 inch strips to the bottom 1/4 inch bottom of the drawer and hopefully cut the bottom the exact size and squareness of the drawer and push it down onto the strips. So, any other ideas I might be missing? Thanks.

[charlie b]

Saw, route, carve out part of the bottom of the back of the drawer so its bottom edge matches the top of the groove in the sides of the drawer.

SIDE VIEW FRONT BACK | | | | | | | | | | | | | +- --------------- +- + | +- --------------- + | | |

[Wes Stewart]

Why don't you remove the bottom edge of the drawer back by routing or sawing it off and slip the bottom in from the rear. Many drawers are sort of made that way on purpose. (The sides are normally full depth, just the back is reduced height) A brad through the bottom up into the rear of the drawer holds the bottom in just fine.

[Guess who]

Then it's your problem. We all screw up one time or another. I like perfect as possible [but even I make mistakes!], so personally I'd redo it fom scratch, then use the waste for other projects. It's a learning experience, and I've learned a lot that way.

OR: Cut out the back, flush with the sides. leaving full length sides. Use a chisel, or sharp knife to cut out any dado for the back piece. It may be more time consuming, but you pay for your sins one way or another. Redo only the back and reglue, remembering to first put in the bottom.

[toller]

If I read the other suggestions properly, they want you to cut a slot for the bottom in the back panel. That would probably work, but would be not be particularly easy to do cleanly. (or maybe cut away the bottom part of the back panel completely? That would certainly be easier, but look a whole lot worse.)

I would use a router to change the dado to a rabbet; then just put the the panel in. Securing it in place will take some imagination, but if you are neat, no one will even notice.

I once assembled a cabinet, and the realized I forgot to rout the rabbet for the back panel. The shelves made it a real challenge.

[Jim Artherholt]

Cut the back of the drawer from the bottom up to the top of the groove and then slide the drawer bottom in from the back. A couple of brads through the bottom into the back will hold it.

[C & S]

Yes that way. As you said, cleaner. You pick up your chin and say "I meant to do that".

... And most people will buy it :-)

[Eric Tonks]

Cut a dado a little wider than the thickness of your bottom, through the back into the dado you have cut inside. It will only show on the back wall and a fraction of an inch on the back edge of each side. Slide in your bottom. If you want to get it over quickly just pop in some brads. If you want it neat cut a filler piece of wood and glue into the exposed parts of the dado in the back wall and the back of the sides.

[Jonathan]

Can't you just apply some heat to release the glue? Won't most wood glue release with heat? I use titebond 1, and a couple days ago I used a heat gun (the kind they sell for removing paint) to undo a glue joint I screwed up on a guitar I was building.

Jon

[Phisherman]

[George E. Cawthon]

Since night stand drawers are usually small, you don't need a very thick bottom or to worry much about wood dimension changes. I would make triangles for the corners and a couple of strips across the center to fit into the routed groove. Then cut a bottom to fit and glue the bottom on top of the triangles and strips.

Alternatively, route clear through the back, shove the bottom in, make a thin strip to fit in the rout with the correct space to allow the bottom to move.