dado on front and back of cabinet drawer only

[Leon]

Then simply put in screws, pocket hole screws work well.

[DerbyDad03]

till brad or screw in the bottom along the sides. If not, as many of you ha ve pointed out, the bottom would sag (especially when the depth is 17.5 inc hes).

y issue was that I've never done a dado before so I wanted to take a minima list approach. But I guess if I'm able to do the front and back properly, I should be able to do the sides. I'm using a router table so it should be f airly straight forward.

Once you set up the router to do the front and back dado's, it's nothing more than 2 more passes to dado the sides. The set-up is the work, the dado 's are the fun part. ;-)

Any reason you are not using a table saw for the dado's?

[Michael]

Yes, I don't know how far the dado is from the bottom? 1/8 or so? You could glue a thin support cleat, maybe. Just a thought.

[-MIKE-]

Or just dado all the sides/back at one time. I don't know why people in here constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Not only reinvent it, but go back in time and make wooden-spoke carriage wheels. :-)

It's so easy to dado the all the sides/back/front as one piece, then cut to leangth. Heck, they even sell them already slotted and pre-finished....

[DerbyDad03]

Sometimes it's a matter of necessity/limitations. I have a very small shop. It's actually (sometimes) easier to dado 4 smaller pieces than 1 long one.

The OP mentioned using a router table. We don't know if it's a bench top, a standalone, or a table saw extension. If it's a bench top (possible since this a "early project" for the OP) small pieces are probably going to be easier to handle.

As skills and equipment progress, techniques will also.

[Jack]

of you have pointed out, the bottom would sag (especially when the depth is 17.5 inches).

Yes, that will become obvious after you build your first drawer. Also, you will find cutting the back off to screw/nail the drawer bottom for later removal is not only more work, but a waste of time as it will never be needed on a correctly built drawer. Even if it would be needed, which it won't, you can cut the back then to remove the bottom.

My only issue was that I've never done a dado before so I wanted to take a minimalist approach. But I guess if I'm able to do the front and back properly, I should be able to do the sides. I'm using a router table so it should be fairly straight forward.

Yes. Forget minimalist approach, do it right the first try, minimalist approaches almost always end up as a "maximist" approaches.

Stuff you build for yourself always demands maximum attention as _you_ will be living with all your mistakes, as well as your perfection. Perfection is easy to live with, so avoid minimalist approaches until you have maximum experience and KNOW where cutting a corner 'might' work.

[Leon]

I cut grooves on all 4 sides on all of my drawers. Out of the 2~4 hundred drawers that I have built this way none have had to be repaired.

[pyotr filipivich]

Electric Comet on Mon, 25 Jun 2018

10:54:25 -0700 typed in rec.woodworking the following:

"Good enough now" will beat "perfect, tomorrow" for many things.

Recently I realized that much of what I make has no finish, because I wanted a thing now, not beautiful.

[Electric Comet]

recently replaced a dangerous thin hollow metal broom handle and just did a light sand on it and put it back to use

hand oils will work fine on this one

[DerbyDad03]

Very informative post. Replaced it with what?

[krw]

Left over periods.

[DerbyDad03]

What grit do you use to sand a period?

[krw]

Light, evidently.