I guess you wanted to hide them behind the drawer face at the front but they don't add any mechanical strength to the front in that configuration. This is surely no problem for a bathroom drawer but a large kitchen drawer that could get really loaded could use some extra mechanical strength to last through the years... don't you think?
One question. Is the mortise cut in-place for both pieces after assembly?
There is indeed a drawer front, but it does not cover the domino "pegs" in the drawer _sides_, as the "pegs' are specifically there to provide provide _both_ mechanical strength to the rabbet joint, and a visual contrast ... see below.
This is surely no problem for a bathroom drawer but a
In the designed configuration as above, the domino "pegs" do indeed mechanically reinforce the rabbet joint, tremendously so.
But you're correct, I would not normally design/use this type of joinery in the typical kitchen drawer.
~ Background: All these kitchen drawers are 3/4" hard maple, half blind dovetails, with 1/2" A-1 maple ply bottoms mounted on KV MUV34 Undermount slides ...
... with the exception of one drawer:
In the kitchen, a special, shallow kitchen KNIFE drawer was made in a similar fashion as first above because the drawer depth was simply too shallow for half blind dovetails with undermount drawer slides and a
1/2" bottom.
~ Upshot: The client love the visible domino "pegs" in the rabbet joints on the KNIFE drawer so much that she wanted all 23 of her bathroom drawers made that way.
(So happens "Beech" domino end grain closely matches the end grain of the hard maple half blind dovetails when finished with a clear lacquer ... whodathunkit?.)
Very nice look IMHO. I do dovetails with 1/2" BB and it looks good and it's real strong but you get tired of that same 'ol same 'ol. I seen a guy do 3/8" square mortises in drawer sides w/walnut pegs and maple sides and that looked good too. He just bought the mortiser and wanted to put 'er to use right now...
I guess you wanted to hide them behind the drawer face at the front but they don't add any mechanical strength to the front in that configuration. This is surely no problem for a bathroom drawer but a large kitchen drawer that could get really loaded could use some extra mechanical strength to last through the years... don't you think?
I believe that they add considerable strength in this configuration, they lock fronts and backs into the sides rabbets in the direction that the pulling and pushing force would be found.
22 years ago I built 2' x 3' pots and pans drawers simply using a rabbet joint reinforced with glue and finish nails. The drawers are as tight today as thery were then.
One question. Is the mortise cut in-place for both pieces after assembly?
Euro hummmm. This is certainly not an original by me however I immediately started using them this way when I bought the Domino. I later read that others had been using the Domino's in this way also. Not totally unlike pounding in a dowel to lock things together.
It brings another question. Will they be visible when complete? Paint or clear/stain?
Swingman texted me indicating that they already had a nice off white look. LOL. I think when they dry they will have a clear finish.
I guess you wanted to hide them behind the drawer face at the front but they don't add any mechanical strength to the front in that configuration. This is surely no problem for a bathroom drawer but a large kitchen drawer that could get really loaded could use some extra mechanical strength to last through the years... don't you think?
To clairify a bit more,,, the dominos will be visible from the side of the drawer when opened, they are on the side of the drawer.
Had they been installed in the front I can see how they would not add any strength.
Not really. Obviously building a drawer with rabbets vs. DT's is quicker however once you build the drawer using either joint method you are done with assembly. Adding the Dominos requires plunge cutting the mortises, 12 for the big drawers, 8 for the small, distributing glue down both sides of all of those 6mm wide holes, pounding in the dominos, ( at this point I think this method takes about as much time as DT's). Then you cut the excess length dominos off and do quite a bit more rough sanding to flush up the dominos. Basically you do 2 sets of glue up for each drawer.
IMHO its a six of one half a dozen of the other think concerning strength and personal appearance preferences.
A bit more on that, the DT is definetely a more complicated/fussy joint to produce with more opportunity to screw up. A rabbet joint is pretty simple although glue up is a bit testy. Plunging the Domino to make mortices is pretty much fool proof.
Very nice look IMHO. I do dovetails with 1/2" BB and it looks good and it's real strong but you get tired of that same 'ol same 'ol. I seen a guy do 3/8" square mortises in drawer sides w/walnut pegs and maple sides and that looked good too. He just bought the mortiser and wanted to put 'er to use right now...
RP
That does sound nice. I would think that because the Domino works much like a plate joiner that it would be easer to use than a traditional mortiser for this application.
That set of pics even stirred MY crowbars, it did.
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