Always
assemble the drawer boxes before you assemble the cabinet case. Keep
in mind that there is only one way to assemble each drawer box so human
error is very unlikely. Regardless, lets do a tutorial on how to
properly assemble a plywood drawer box just for fun!
1. Lay out
the 5 pieces of the drawer box as shown below:
2.
Take a front and apply a small drop of glue (any wood glue can be used
Titebond #1 recommended,
glue sold separately) to each dovetail pocket as shown below. Be sure
not to apply more than a small drop to each pocket. If you apply to much
glue, you may create a mess that must be sanded off after the glue
dries. Remember that less is more when working with drawer boxes, the
dovetail joints will be very tight and therefore require only the
smallest amount of wood glue for decades of normal use.
3.
Take one of the sides (it doesn't matter which one) and insert the
front of the drawer box into the drawer side as shown below. Use a
mallet to lightly tap the tow pieces together. Any light mallet will
work, just make sure that you are not using something like a framing
hammer in order to avoid damaging the drawer box parts.
4.
Take the BACK and apply a drop of glue to each dovetail pocket (just
like we did with the FRONT). Next, tap the BACK into the side as shown
below.
5. Take the drawer box BOTTOM and
insert it into the drawer box dado as shown below:
6. Apply a small dab of glue to each
dovetail pocket, then take the last SIDE and lightly tap the joints
together.
7. OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED- Now that the
drawer box has been fully assembled, you can sand the dovetail joints
in order to remove any excess glue and smooth out the joint before you
apply your finish.
8. Apply a coat of finish to your
drawer boxes.You can use any finish you want in order to finish your
drawer boxes. Some customers will spray the drawer boxes with the same
stain color that they spray the doors and drawer fronts. Others want to
apply a clear coat to the drawer boxes in order to match up better with
the cabinet interior. Either way, there is no industry standard that
mandates which way you should proceed. Personally, I like the Minwax
fast drying polyurethane. The polyurethane is very durable and in most
cases waterproof. For more information on applying a coat of finish to
your drawer boxes, please follow the directions on the stain you
purchase.
9. Now that you have sanded and finished
the dovetail drawer box you can move on to assembling the cabinet case.
