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by:
Ken Tunnard
photo: Donna Griffith
illustration: Len Churchill |
NIGHT STAND (part
2) |
Next
comes the drawer. Cut the required parts, including the solid
pine drawer front. You can put a drawer together in countless
ways; I chose something unusual. The drawer front joins to the
sides with one large, half-blind dovetail at each corner. The
drawer back fits into dado grooves set 1 5/16" from the
back edge of the drawer. This keeps the drawer from tipping
forward when fully open.
You can cut the big dovetails
with a handsaw and chisel, or devise a simple router jig, as
I did. This allows a dovetail bit to do the bulk of material
removal, followed by some handwork with a chisel to square up
the corners.
The drawer guides are made from
hardwood. Glue together a 1/2" x 3/4" piece and a
1/4" x 1" side piece to form two L-shaped runners.
Both get screwed or nailed to the inside of the legs. Also,
two pieces of 7/8" x 3 1/4" x 11 1/8" pine need
to be biscuited to the top front and back rails, slightly above
the drawer opening. These parts have two jobs: they help prevent
the drawer from tipping forward when fully opened, and they
act as an anchor point to secure the top of the nightstand.
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE FOR DETAILED ILLUSTRATION |
|
The
door is as simple as frame-and-panel construction gets, with
a solid wood frame surrounding a pine-veneered plywood panel.
If you prefer not to prepare mortises and tenons at the corners,
a pair of double #20 biscuits work perfectly on a door of this
size. While you’re making door parts, chisel out pockets
to accept the butt hinges the door will swing on.
The bottom of the cabinet is made
from solid pine, notched around the legs and attached to the
front and back rails with biscuits. That said, the floor panel
is only glued at the front rail, to allow for seasonal expansion
and contraction. Just to be safe, make the floor panel with
a 1/8" gap at the back, in case the wood expands during
humid weather. Prepare the top now (with a chamfered edge all
along the bottom edge), then get ready for assembly.
Fit
and Finish
Dry-fit everything for a final test without glue. When it looks
good, take the project apart, complete one more final sanding
with #220-grit paper, then stop. You have a decision to make.
It’s always easiest to stain a project like this before
the parts go together with glue. On the other hand, this also
means you have to mask off joint areas that won’t hold
together strongly with glue if they aren’t bare and dry.
Regardless of whether you stain before or after assembly, final
sealing comes last. My choice was easy since my nightstand was
built to accompany the bed Jerry Weber made, so I just asked
for his recipe and didn’t lose any sleep over my choice. |
| You
Will Need |
| Parts |
Material |
Size |
Qty. |
| Top |
pine |
7/8"
x 15" x 18" |
1 |
| Legs |
pine |
1
5/8" x 1 5/8" x 22 5/8" |
4 |
| Side
rails |
pine |
3/4"
x 2" x 10 3/8" |
4 |
| Front
rails |
pine |
7/8"
x 1 3/16" x 14" |
3 |
| Back
rails |
pine |
3/4"
x 2" x 13 3/8" |
2 |
| Door
stiles |
pine |
3/4"
x 2" x 12 1/4" |
2 |
| Door
rails |
pine |
3/4"
x 2" x 9 3/8" |
2 |
| Drawer
front |
pine |
3/4"
x 3 15/16" x 12 11/16" |
1 |
| Drawer
sides |
pine |
3/4"
x 3 15/16" x 11 1/2" |
2 |
| Drawer
back |
pine |
3/4"
x 3 9/16" x 11 7/8" |
1 |
| Drawer
guides |
hardwood |
1/2"
x 3/4" x 11 3/8" |
2 |
| Drawer
guide sides |
hardwood |
1/4"
x 1" x 9 1/2" |
2 |
| Top
drawer guides |
pine |
7/8"
x 3 1/4" x 11 1/8" |
2 |
| Side
panels |
pine
plywood |
1/4"
x 10 3/8" x 16 1/4" |
2 |
| Back
panel |
pine
plywood |
1/4"
x 13 5/16" x 16 1/4" |
1 |
| Door
panel |
pine
plywood |
1/4"
x 9 5/16" x 8 3/8" |
1 |
| Drawer
bottom |
pine
plywood |
1/4"
x 11 5/8" x 11 5/8" |
1 |
| Bottom |
pine
|
3/4"
x 11 1/4" x 14 1/2" |
1 |
| Knobs |
hardwood
|
1"-dia.
|
2 |
| Hinges |
butt-style
|
2" |
2 |
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| PART
1 | PART 2 |
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