# Re-thinking drawer construction



## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

I have made over a dozen drawers for various projects using drawer lock joint on my router table.
I am currently working on drawers for my kitchen cabinet remodel.
I have decided I do not want to continue with the drawer lock joint for various reasons that I won't get into.
Dovetails are an obvious choice, but getting a jig and using my router is not appealing to me.
Also I have been using pre-finished Baltic birch ply for the sides which tends to splinter on the router.
What is appealing to me is the box joint. I can do this solely on my table saw using a dado blade like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012YIL2W/ref=psdc_552342_t1_B0012YILDQ

I could also use this blade to make drawer lock joints if I wanted to.
Another advantage is it does 1/4 inch dado which a can use to cut the grooves for the drawer bottom instead of using the router table. I don't see strength as an issue for any joint (box, dovetail, drawer lock).

Thanks for any feedback / advise


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

That should work but if your budget allows why not get a full Dado set so you can go from 1/8' to 1" in width? I see Amazon has an 8" set of Dado blades for $89.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

Sounds like a good plan to me. Of course, you will need to build or buy a box joint jig as well.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> That should work but if your budget allows why not get a full Dado set so you can go from 1/8 to 1" in width? I see Amazon has an 8" set of Dado blades for $89.
> 
> - LesB


I was trying to keep things simple and I am not sure how much fiddling it takes to adjust a regular dado set.
Also my TS is an old Craftsman and I thought what I heard is the arbor has limitations on which dado blades can be used. My impression is also dado blades do not always leave a perfectly flat bottom.


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree. I have and love the Ibox infra jig.


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## JohnDon (Mar 14, 2015)

I can't speak for the Oshlun set, but it appears similar to the Freud box joint set I have. The Freud produces perfect flat bottoms, and cuts very cleanly (unlike the dado set I have and which I use only if necessary- admittedly, the dado set is far from top of the line). I'd say go with the Oshlun, rather than a dado set.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

+1 Freud box joint saw blade user here.
Much easier than regular dado blade, zero tweaking on blade width, install and use it.
Must have if you make a lot of drawer boxes and don't want to use dovetails.

You do need to make or buy a box joint jig, with adds to cost. 
Picked up a used Wood Haven box joint jig at an estate sale, and find it too fiddly. If I was not poor, would own the incra I-box jig, as I make drawer boxes regularly. Instead made my own 3/8 box joint saw sled.

Cheers!


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I do a lot of rabbet & dado joints when I make drawers. Particularly if they are to be painted. I find them to be much easier and faster to make and a lot less tedious. I've found no strength issues with them.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

Thanks for all the great feedback. I am going to order the Oshlun blade and incra jig.
Was hesitant to spend the money on the jig but after reading the comments here it looks like it is worth it and will save me time and frustration. I see a lot of drawer making in my future.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

There are some out there, that do not need a spinning blade…









Just a decent backsaw, and a chisel…..


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

> There are some out there, that do not need a spinning blade…
> 
> Just a decent backsaw, and a chisel…..
> 
> - bandit571


. . . and a lot of time.


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Even though I don't really enjoy using a router, (noise and dust…ugh!) I purchased Rockler's dovetail jig because it had an optional dust collector accessory that worked pretty well. I had ten drawers to do and even tho the set-up is a little fussy and time consuming if you have a lot of drawers to do this is not a bad way to go.

Then I attended a class put on by Frank Clausz, the ultimate expert on hand cutting dovetails. I was fascinated, and sold. It takes a little practice, and the purchase of a nice dovetail saw and chisels, but it gives you a lot more freedom of size and placement of the dovetails. Drawer height is no longer limited. With a little experience I surprised myself at how fast the job went.

If I have another project of ten or more drawers I might get out the Rockler jig, then again, I might just leave it on the shelf and go back to my workbench.

Did I say that learning to handcut dovetails is a "rite of passage" for a woodworker?


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

There was a time when learning how to chip a flint stone into a crude axe was a rite of passage for woodworkers too. Why isn't that still a rite of passage? How do you choose which snapshot in time is appropriate for a rite of passage?


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