I have made drawers both ways and I found that I had an easier time assembling the unit if I made the square first and slid the bottom in. Also, from the perspective of replacing the bottom- for whatever reason- it is easier if you slide it in.
Marc
Sometimes things get spilled in a drawer that never dries or have a bad odor. Or the bottom gets broken. Doing it norms way enables you to replace the bottom easily.
Watching Norm and others make drawers, they always slide the bottom panel in from the back and hold it in with brads. My preferred way is to rabbit all four sides and totally enclose the bottom panel.
Why do the slide in? It would seem that enclosing all four sides would make a much stronger drawer, especially as support for the bottom goes.
Deb
I use a slightly different method. I do what Norm does, just slide it in on three sides, but the drawer back I trim the height equivalent to distance between the drawer bottom and top of the drawer. Then after sliding the drawer bottom in, I screw up from under the drawer bottom into the drawer back.
This gives the stronger construction aspect that you're talking about while also permitting the option at any time of removing the screws and sliding the drawer bottom out.
The ability to easily replace a part that is often the most abused, without destroying the unit, is a prudent design consideration.
IME, the "slide in" method makes for a stronger drawer as there is arguably more resistance to racking forces, due to the mechanical fastening of the drawer bottom to the back, than you get with a "floating" drawer bottom captured in a groove.
You mean groove, not rabbet, right?
If the bottom is solid wood, it has to be that way to allow for expansion and contraction of the bottom pannel. The pannel should be free to move and should be allowed to expand out the back if necessary. Brads are actually pretty forgiving in this respect.
If the bottom is plywood, I would capture it on all four sides and glue it in place using the plywood to add structural strength to the drawer. IMNSHO this is one applpication where plywood is superior to solid wood.
_Steve
OK, I suppose, so long as it fits to a hare's breath.
Stronger which way? There are no strenuous forces pushing it back and forth, and it is well enough supported vertically in either case, even if one method might be measureably slightly stronger than another. There would have to be some considerable effort to deform the back of the drawer to prove a point, and tha simply doesn't occur naturally.
There are other more important considerations such as replacement, which has been mentioned.
I rabbet all 4 sides. I don't think I have ever even heard of anyone wanting to remove a drawer bottom, and it certainly looks more finished. Looks like we are a minority.
Toller wrote:
O.K., I guess I don't understand. If you rabbit all four sides, you still slide it in and attach the back? Don't you? If you need to replace the bottom you still have to take off the back in both cases. Don't you?
Thanks for all clarifications.
No. The back can be narrower in depth than the front [false or not] by the amount necessary to slide the bottom in and out. The bottom is supported by the rabbet on the front and sides. That is sufficient for normal abuse. So, the bottom can slide under the back portion for insertion or extraction. It can then be tacked to that back portion if the fit is near as dammit is to swearing.
No. Rabbit the two sides and front. Raise the blade up (assuming table saw here) and run the back through so it literally cuts all the way through right where the rabbit is on the other pieces. Assemble the pieces, slide the bottom in and attach the back of the bottom to the underside of the drawer back. Make sense? Probably not. Perhaps someone else can come through and explain it better. Cheers, cc
Whoops! Replace Rabbit with "Dado".....where's that cup of coffee?
Nope ... the drawer back, while flush with the drawer sides at the top, only extends down to the top of the groove that holds the drawer bottom. (IOW, there is no groove in the drawer back).
This allows you to slide the drawer bottom in from the back, then use fasteners to attach the drawer bottom to the bottom edge of the drawer back.
... a classic drawer construction technique that has stood the test of time for at least a couple of reasons:
By sliding the drawer bottom snug to the groove in the drawer front, then fastening it to the underside of the drawer back with mechanical fasteners (no glue, or spot gluing to allow for side to side expansion in a solid wood bottom), you have made the drawer assembly a bit more resistant to racking by effectively uniting the drawer back and drawer front into a more solid unit, and in a direction that is not normally prone to wood expansion to any detrimental degree.
And anyone who has ever had to rebuild/restore/replace an entire drawer just because the bottom failed/cracked is much more likely to appreciate the method and consider it for future drawers.
No you don't. The back is not grooved, it stops at the top of the side grooves. The bottom overlaps the bottom of the back and is attached with one or two screws, depending on drawer width.
To remove the bottom, just undo the screws and slide it out.
P.S. Note I changed "rabbet" to "groove". A rabbet is along the edge of a piece. A groove (with the grain) or a dado (across the grain) is within a piece.
I like the "Norm" method because it provides a quick and easy way to square the drawer. Because you attach the bottom with brads along the back, you can use a square to true up the box as you put in the brads.
I'm with you two. Seems like if there is sufficient abuse to break the drawer bottom, you are also going to see sufficient force applied in the use of the drawer to make the brads pull loose and deform the bottom such that stuff falls out the back of the drawer.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Totally enclosed is stronger, makes the box stiffer, is slightly more difficult to assemble, but makes squaring the box easier. OTOH, it makes it somewhat more difficult to change the bottom, if needed.
I always make my bottoms totally enclosed because I won't be able to change the bottom anyway; I glue the bottom in. I don't worry about wood movement because I use plywood for the sides and the rear, and the bottom is of Masonite or plywood. I have never had a problem with drawers due to wood movement, but I also live in a fairly dry climate. If you use solid wood for those parts you would be asking for trouble if glued in.
I laminated all my plywood drawer bottoms (and shelves), doubt they'll wear or break first. Enclosed all 4 sides and glued.
-------------------- Steve Jensen Abbotsford B.C. snipped-for-privacy@canada.mortise.com chopping out the mortise. BBS'ing since 1982 at 300 bps. Surfing along at 19200 bps since 95. WW'ing since 1985 LV Cust #4114
Nothing catchy to say, well maybe..... WAKE UP - There are no GODs you fools!
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.