Build a Drawer Box

Make a Drawer Box Using basic rabbet-and-dado joints By: Dan Cary :: 1 Comments |

There’s more than one way to build a drawer box. One of my favorite (and one of the easiest) methods is to use rabbet-and-dado joints for the front, back and sides. This joint may not be as elaborate or attractive as a dovetail, but it is functional and much faster to construct. I also like the way the exposed interlocking rabbet and dado look on the top of the drawer box. However, because the grooves for the bottom are exposed after assembly, this system is best reserved for drawer designs that feature a separate drawer face, which will conceal the groove on the edges of the side panels. I prefer to use 1/2-in. Baltic birch plywood for the front, back and side panels and 1/4-in. plywood for the bottom. You can make this joint using a router table or a table saw. Set up the router table with a 1/4-in.-dia. straight bit. If you use a table saw, you can set it up with a 1/4-in. dado set for cutting in a single pass, or use a single blade and make multiple passes. The illustration (drawer box illustration) includes a top view of an assembled drawer box that shows how the joints fit together and a front view that shows how the bottom panel fits into the grooves in the front, back and sides. Follow these steps: Step 1: Cut the bottom groove in the front, back and sides (photo 1). The groove is 1/4 in. deep. x 1/4 in. wide and positioned 1/2 in. from the bottom edges of the front, back and sides panels. When cutting, place each panel inside-face-down with the bottom edge against the fence. Step 2: Cut the corner dadoes in the side panels (photo 2). These dadoes are 1/4 in. deep x 1/4 in. wide and are positioned 1/4 in. from the front and back edges of the side panels. Set the router table fence 1/4 in. from the inside edge of the bit. Place a drawer side panel inside-face-down on the router table with either the front or back edge against the fence. Cut two grooves in each side panel – one along the front edge and one along the back edge of both drawer sides. Step 3: Cut the corner rabbets in the front and back (photo 3). The rabbet should fit snugly in the side dadoes. Set the fence flush with the inside edge of the bit. If your router table features a two-part fence, separate the fence parts slightly. If you are using a table saw, attach a sacrificial fence to your saw’s fence to protect it. Make a test cut on a scrap of 1/2-in. stock, and test the fit of the rabbet in the dado. Adjust the bit height and fence position to create a tight joint. When you’re satisfied with the adjustments, place the front and back panel inside-face-down on the router table with one of the sides edges against the fence and cut a rabbet in each side edge. Step 4: Assemble the drawer box parts (photo 4). Apply glue to the corner joints and the drawer-bottom groove, and clamp the parts together after assembly. Measure across the diagonals to be sure the box is square.

Project Photos

Photo 1  Photo 2      Photo 3  Photo 4

Drawer Box Illustration

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