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ANDY RAE

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· Building

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A Complete Guide to Design and Construction •

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DovetaiLed Drawers • Utility Drawers • Cabinet Doors • Hardware

Building

[Q) A Complete Guide to Design and Construction

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· Building

A Complete Guide to Design and Construction •

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Dovetailed Drawers • Utility Drawers • Cabinet Doors • Special Doors • Hardware

The Taunton Press

Text © 2007 by Andy Rae Photographs by Andy Rae © 2007 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Illustrations © 2007 by The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506 e-mail: [email protected]

Editor: Paul Anthony Jacket/Cover design: Guilio Turturro Interior design: Susan Fazekas Layout: Susan Fazekas Illustrator: Christopher Mills Photographer: Andy Rae (except where noted)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rae,Andy. Building doors & drawers: a complete guide to design and construction / Andy Rae. p.cm. ISBN 978-1-56158-868-8 1. Cabinetwork. 2. Built-in furniture. 3. Wooden doors. 1. Tide. II. Title: Building doors and drawers. TT197.R2852007 684.1'6--dc22 2007009001 Printed in the United States of America 109 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The following manufacturers/names appearing in Building Doors & Drawers are trademarks: Panalign Strips®, Spaceballs® Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don't try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you're certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn't feel right, don't do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you're in the shop.

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• Thanks ike any text on woodworking, this book

exists thanks to the community of wood- - workers in my life. Some are long gone; some are very much present. They include my personal woodworking pals, woodworkers I admire from afar, the many woodworking tool manufacturers that supply us with the means to work the material, my fellow woodworking journalists, and a select editorial crew at Taunton. It is the sum total of all these people that ultimately provides the information that becomes a book about making something, in this case doors and drawers. I am simply a filter through which this information passes, coloring the story with my own personal woodworking experience. The truth is, without the support and wisdom of countless woodworkers and wood aficionados, as well as the daily connection to my family, I would be less of a woodworker and couldn't possibly dream of being an author. So thanks-to everyone. You are all needed and admired more than you know.

-Andy Rae, 2007

Part One

INTRODUCTION 2

1

Designing Drawers 4

2

Building Drawers

3

Fitting and Finishing Drawers

4

Special Drawers and Details 72

14

42

Part Two

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Designing Doors 96

6

Building Doors 108

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Fitting and Finishing Doors

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Special Doors and Details 162

135

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Introduction rawers hold secrets, and doors open

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to reveal wonders worth seeking. These

are some of the attributes that make

doors and drawers worth building, Perhaps more compelling is the fact that, without doors and drawers, a cabinet is simply an open reservoir subject to dust and dirt, accumulated piles of inaccessible junk, and to prying eyes. Doors and drawers help keep our treasures clean, concealed, and organized, preserving the mystery of our lives while making them more practical. On a functional level, a door or drawer must operate smoothly to provide easy access into a cabinet. Solid construction, a good fit, and the proper hinge or opening system are all parts of the puzzle that must come together for your project's success. Put these things together and your drawers and doors will never droop, stick, or squeak. There's an aesthetic value to reap as well because a cabinet's doors and drawers are its most visible parts. Walk into any room and you'll immediately detect the flavor of the cabinet that lives there by

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the style of its doors and drawers. Nowhere else on

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a case does an element take up as much space or

presenting styles and types of doors, and methods

offer as important a look. This makes the design of

for fitting them to their cabinets. I'll discuss the

your doors and drawers a vital element to the suc-

types of joints used to build doors and how to fit

cess of your furniture. Luckily, there's an endless

and hang them, including what hardware to use

variety of shapes and styles to choose from, and

and what type oflatch or knob is most appro-

much to consider if you want to make good-looking

priate. There's also a chapter devoted to special

doors and drawers.

doors-ones that depart from the norm. Making

All this information and more can be found

these doors will challenge your skills, expand your

inside this book. To make it as accessible as pos-

woodworking horizons, and make your cabinets

sible, I've divided the book into two sections. Part

shine brighter.

One is all about drawer making. It includes the

So dig in. There's plenty to learn. Look at the

various styles of drawers, the types of cabinets

pictures, read the text, practice the techniques, and

they'll fit, the types of joints used to construct

try a few designs. Soon you'll be making quality

them, and how to assemble, fit, and finish them so

doors and heirloom drawers. And don't worry-you

they slide like a whisper in and out of your case.

won't need an exotic collection of tools or a master's

There's also plenty of information about choosing

hand to get good results. The craft of door and

and using handles and pulls, as well as installing

drawer making is well within your grasp if you

locks and drawer stops. There's even a chapter on

take it step by step. My hope is that, with a little

special drawers, the kind that add value or util-

patience and a lot of practice, you'll learn how to

ity and elevate your work from the ordinary to the

build beautiful, functional doors and drawers that

extraordinary.

will live comfortably in their cases while serving

Part Two dives into the world of making doors.

you for many years to come.

It's organized in a fashion similar to Part One,

Introduction

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DESIGNING DRAWERS

Drawer Styles Drawer Anatomy Proportioning a Drawer Selecting Drawer Stock Choosing Commercial Slides Planning/or the Finish

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may have a favorite drawer, You know, the one that feels good in the hand when you grasp

its handle and begin to pull. Even when filled with prized goods, it slides out easily and with

authority, running smoothly and never snagging or tipping down more than a smidgeon. You may

even find the sound of its movement appealing, whether irs the whizzz of a pair of engineered metal channels rolling along dozens of tiny steel balls, or the more subtle snick of wood gliding on wood. And it closes softly, without complaint. This part of the book is designed to help you make drawers that you'll love. To get started, you'll first

want to choose the style of drawer you want to use, whether overlay, half-overlay, or flush. You'll need to decide whether to use a wood-to-wood mounting system [where the drawer is guided by wooden parts of the easel. or whether to mount them using commercial metal slides. You'll also want to proportion the parts properly so they work well and look great, and you'll need to choose the appropriate materials, joinery, and finish. All these design choices will impact how your drawers will look and, more important, they'll help you make a drawer that operates flawlessly for years to come.

Drawer Styles Take your pick. There are three main styles of drawers: overlay, half-overlay, and flush, The style you select greatly impacts the look of your cabinet front, so that's where you should first focus your energy (see the drawing on p. 6). Overlay drawers have become associated with the 32mm cabinet industry. What was once an exclusively European style has migrated stateside to become a standard modern design for kitchen and bath cabinetry. With this style, drawers and doors are placed close together with only small gaps, or reveals, between them. This creates the uncluttered appearance of a single face across the entire front of the cabinets.

HANGING OUT. An overLay drawer sports a face that Lays over the front of the case and meets neighboring components within about '/s in., creating consistent small gaps, or reveaLs, aLL around the perimeter.

Drawer Styles

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TYPES OF DRAWERS Overlay

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Drawer fro nt lays over front edges of case.

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