[Masterjer]

I want to build a jewelry box for my daughter. I'm planning on making it out of 1/2" hardwood and I'm looking for suggestions on the joinery for 4 drawers that will pull out from the front. The drawer material will be 1/4" or 3/8" stock.

The thin material leads me to believe that I am somewhat limited. I am leaning toward rabbeting the front to accommodate the sides and butt joining the back with glue and pin nails.

Are there other joints I should be considering? I may do box joints for the box but don't want them on the drawers.

 

[cabinetman]

Will the drawers be inset, and the front of the box will be the drawer front?

.

 

[Steve Neul]

I want to build a jewelry box for my daughter. I'm planning on making it out of 1/2" hardwood and I'm looking for suggestions on the joinery for 4 drawers that will pull out from the front. The drawer material will be 1/4" or 3/8" stock.

The thin material leads me to believe that I am somewhat limited. I am leaning toward rabbeting the front to accommodate the sides and butt joining the back with glue and pin nails.

Are there other joints I should be considering? I may do box joints for the box but don't want them on the drawers.

What you have planned should work fine. You might get a little more strength if you would rabbet the sides of the draws for the back as it would increase the glue surface.

 

[GeorgeC]

I have dovetailed 3/8" material. I have not tried 1/4" material, but the instructions with my dovetail jig list that as a capability.

Box joints can also be done.

If you would be hand cutting I would expect that 1/8" material can be either dovetailed or box jointed.

George

 

[sawdustfactory]

How about a lock rabbet joint for the front and plain old rabbet joint at the back?

 

[Masterjer]

Will the drawers be inset, and the front of the box will be the drawer front?

.

Yes cabinetman. I plant to inset the drawers and the front will be part of the drawer box.

 

[Masterjer]

How about a lock rabbet joint for the front and plain old rabbet joint at the back?

This sounds like a good idea. I have a lock rabbet router bit that I've never used. I'll have to see of it will handle that thin of material, although I'm not sure that it will.

 

[Masterjer]

I have dovetailed 3/8" material. I have not tried 1/4" material, but the instructions with my dovetail jig list that as a capability.

Box joints can also be done.

If you would be hand cutting I would expect that 1/8" material can be either dovetailed or box jointed.

George

George, great suggestion, but I haven't done dovetails yet and I'm not sure I'm ready to try them for this project. A dovetail saw is on my short list of tools so I can get to this point sometime soon.

 

[Masterjer]

What you have planned should work fine. You might get a little more strength if you would rabbet the sides of the draws for the back as it would increase the glue surface.

Steve, thanks for the idea to rabbet the sides at the back. I like that idea much better than the butt joint with pin nails.

 

[cabinetman]

Steve, thanks for the idea to rabbet the sides at the back. I like that idea much better than the butt joint with pin nails.

If you rabbet the sides to take the front and back (the usual arrangement for a drawer box with an added front), the edges of the ends of the sides will show from the front. If you rabbet the front to accept the sides, the side edges won't show when the drawer is closed. You could still rabbet the back edges of the sides to take the back of the drawer.

.

 

[Chris Curl]

if i was building it, i would be tempted to make little triangle shaped strips that fit in the corners for a little extra structure.

 

[sawdustfactory]

You don't need the router bit to do the joint I'm talking about. The face if the drawer is cut like a through tenon on the end with the inner side trimmed back. You then cut a rabbet to accept the back piece and to fit the "slot". The long side up front hides the end grain of the sides.