Issue 614

Well-made Drawers on the Quick

It would have been tough to make ends meet in Dad’s cabinet shop if we had cut all of our drawer joints by hand. Instead, we often reached for a router and a specialized bit or two to get those jobs done quickly but well. That was back in the 1970s. Since then, routers and routing accessories have only gotten better, and the range of bit options available to us has continued to grow.

In our two featured videos today, you’ll learn how to make drawer boxes with a handheld router and dovetail jig or a drawer-lock bit in the router table. Either option will create strong, attractive drawers that you can churn out one after the next, “cabinet shop” style. If you have a kitchen’s worth of drawers to build, you’ll appreciate the efficiency that a router can bring to the process … just like we did back in Dad’s shop so many years ago.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Routing Half Blind Dovetails with a Jig

Chris Marshall demonstrates his process for using a router to cut half-blind dovetails using Rockler’s Complete Dovetail Jig.

Make a Drawer Box Using a Drawer Joint Router Bit

Drawers that are constructed with joints that fit well and provide quality bonding surfaces for wood glue can last for decades without trouble. One of the easiest and best ways to make the joints for a drawer box is using a drawer joint router bit. This router bit cuts a joint similar to a locking rabbet, but the rabbet is wedge-shaped so the parts fit tighter when clamped. A single bit routs both parts of the joint, and is capable of routing joints for drawers with applied drawer fronts, and for drawer boxes where the finished front is integrated.