Building a Drawer for Dummies

Typical joinery of drawers

When it comes to building your own storage, some tasks are easier than others. That's not to say that building the shell of a cabinet is "easy," it's just to say that doors and drawers require more exacting craftsmanship. If you've ever tried to build a drawer on your own, you already know that. If you haven't tried it, that most certainly puts you in the same class as HomeSteady.com writer Genae Valecia Hinesman. Hinesman proved her lack of qualifications when she penned "How to Construct a Drawer."¹

Genae opens, as eHowians so often do, by explaining how hard it is to do something she's never actually done herself:

"When it comes to handmade furniture, few projects are as straightforward as constructing drawers. No extensive woodworking knowledge or previous experience is necessary."

According to our experienced woodworkers, that particular claim is utter bull. Once you've read through Hinesman's instructions, however, you'll see why she might think that. For starters, she tells you to,

"Measure both the width and the height of the opening in which your drawer will fit. The drawer must be 1 inch smaller in width and height than the corresponding measurements of the opening."

Well no, Genae, that "1 inch smaller in width" is actually dependent on the dimensions of the drawer guides, assuming there are drawer guides (Hinesman never mentions them). Whatever the case, an experienced woodworker reads the instructions that come with the guides. When it comes to constructing the drawer itself, Genae tells you to

• Cut side panels from ½-inch plywood, "1 to 3 inches shorter than the total depth of the opening"
• Cut end panels from ¾-inch lumber, length = "width of the drawer's opening, less 1 inch"
• "Secure lateral panels to the front and rear ones with 1½-inch finishing nails." 
• Make a bottom of ¼-inch plywood and "Attach ...to the frame ...using #6-by-1-inch wood screws."
• Add a drawer face. "You can decorate the edges of the drawer's face by cutting notches with a router and sanding the edges smooth."

Our house woodworkers observe that,

• If the ends are butted inside the sides, the total width is ½ inch less than the opening. If the sides are butted between the ends, the total length is ¾ inch longer than the sides. Either way causes problems.
• You can't nail to plywood. You have to pre-drill for nails through plywood.
• You really should use a dovetail or dado for the construction, not a butt joint.
• The bottom isn't secure even with screws; it needs to be in a dado instead of tacked onto the bottom,

Hinesman didn't provide a reference for her "plans," but we suspect it's from some mommy blog or other. Whatever the case, these are plans for a box, not a drawer – and not a very well made box at that. Of course, we doubt that Genae Valecia had much time to take woodworking classes while being a combination fashion model and banking executive! She is, however, a most excellent candidate for Dumbass of the Day.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   http://ehow.com/how_5033478_construct-drawer.html

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