Drawer Making: Dovetails and Drawer Locks

Imagine the number of opening and closing cycles a drawer sees in its lifetime. Not only are people constantly pulling and pushing on drawer boxes, in most cases drawers are loaded with heavy stuff, especially in your shop. That’s a lot of abuse. If you’re taking the time to make a drawer, take the time to make it right – and take this class to help you create superior drawers for any project.

Dovetails and drawer locks are time-tested joints for drawers. Using these types of joints will greatly reduce the likelihood of the joints on a drawer failing. Learn the must-have skills for these joints.

Half-Blind Dovetails

Half-blind dovetails are commonly used for drawers, and many people look for this joint as a sign of craftsmanship. You’ll learn to set up and use a router-based jig. Jigs make dovetails easier than hand cutting, but there are many aspects of set-up that need to be done correctly in order for the jig to work correctly. This class provides many dovetail jig tips and tricks including lubricating the jig, aligning the drawer parts, setting bit depth, and handling the router.

Table Saw Drawer Locks

With a little practice and finesse, you can easily produce drawer lock joints on the table saw using a dado head. Once the blade height and fence position are correctly set, this is an incredibly fast way to make a solid joint, and cut the groove for the drawer bottom.

Joinery Alternatives

Like half-blinds, through dovetails require the correct setup. This instruction will help you get a perfect fit. Drawer lock router bits may seem fussy to use, but not when you know the tricks this video class teaches you.

Your class Instructor George Vondriska brings many years of residential and commercial cabinet making and furniture making experience to you through this class. His easy-to-follow process and clear step-by-step instruction will help you to increase your confidence in making a better drawer, no matter what your next project is.

In addition to these key drawer making essentials in video form, this online class provides you with some downloadable resources and helpful information to print and keep.