Synopsis: Follow this drawer how to by seasoned furniture maker Gerald Curry to build drawers that are solid and stable, made to fit each pocket precisely. From construction basics that ensure well-fitting joinery to the proper choice of wood for the front, sides, and bottom, this article lays out a plan to build drawers that fit from the get-go, with almost no planing to fit after they are installed in the cabinet.

Nothing says craftsmanship like a well-made solid-wood drawer, one that’s elegantly designed yet strong, rigid, and durable. It must also open and close with little effort, regardless of changing humidity. For me the test is being able to close the drawer smoothly by pushing on one corner when it’s open three-quarters of the way.

The margin of error is slim. Too loose and the drawers will look bad and jam sideways in their openings; too tight and they will stick fast in the summer. Success is the culmination of dozens of careful steps and informed decisions when making both case and drawer.

In FWW #241, I explained how I make the chest, with drawer pockets that will stay straight, flat, and uniform. Now it’s time to build drawers that are just as solid and stable, made to fit each pocket precisely.

Some very good woodworkers build drawers to fit snugly from side to side, and then plane the sides for the gaps they want. I go about the process a different way. For 25 years, I built period furniture almost exclusively, often with lipped drawers, where planing the sides was difficult to impossible. That led me to my current method, where the drawers are made to fit perfectly from the get-go, with fine gaps built in and no fitting after assembly. It’s a quick, clean approach.

By the way, I make the drawer back exactly the same length as the front, for two reasons: The drawer is less prone to jamming, and the drawer bottom can do its job, bottoming out in the side grooves and holding the drawer square.

Ageless construction techniques

During the early 19th century, furniture makers in America settled on a standard anatomy for drawers, which has proven itself in countless antiques. I construct my drawers in a similar way: half-blind dovetails at the front, throughdovetails at the back, and a solid-wood bottom that sits in grooves and is oriented so that it can shrink and swell without changing the shape of the drawer.

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I make drawer sides as thin as I can without sacrificing strength, using 3⁄8-in.- to 7⁄16-in.- thick stock on most drawers, and going up to 1⁄2 in. maximum for the very largest ones. This is not just for aesthetics, although thick sides do look clunky, but also because unnecessarily thick sides could swell in thickness enough to cause the drawer to stick. The drawer bottom is rabbeted to fit into 1⁄4-in. grooves in the drawer front and sides, while the back is left short so the bottom can be slid in after assembly. Some people chamfer the edges of the bottom to fit the grooves, but I like the precision of a flat tongue.

A solid-wood bottom is a lot like a door panel. It’s going to shrink and swell across its grain, and the drawer design must allow that. For a start, the grain must run side to side, even on very narrow drawers, sending the wood movement from front to back. If the bottom expanded sideways, it would push out the sides and cause the drawer to jam. Some woodworkers glue the front edge of the bottom to the drawer front and force the movement toward the back, where they use screws with slotted holes to accommodate it. But I prefer the more traditional method.

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