Essentials of woodworking

by Ira Samuel Griffith

Fig. 174.

Fig. 175.

[Fig. 175] A illustrates a very common method of fastening the drawer sides to the front. This form is used mainly upon cheap or rough construction. It is commonly known as a rabbeted joint. The half-blind dovetail, [Fig. 175] B, is a better fastening, by far, and is used almost exclusively on fine drawer construction.

103. Directions for Rabbeted Corner.

—The rabbeted joint, [Fig. 175] A, sometimes called a rebate or ledge joint is made as follows: (1) Line across the face side of the drawer front at a distance from the end equal to the thickness of the drawer sides; also, across the edges to the approximate depth of rabbet. (2) Set the gage and gage on ends and edges as far as the lines just placed, for the depth of rabbet. (3) Cut the sides of rabbet, paring across the grain as in cutting the dado. Fasten by nailing thru the drawer sides into the front, not thru the front into the sides.

104. Directions for Dovetail Corner.

—The front of the drawer should be laid out and cut first. (1) Gage on the end the distance the drawer side is to lap over the front. (2) Without changing the setting of the gage, hold the head of the gage against the end of the drawer side and gage on both broad surfaces. Ordinarily, one should not gage across the grain of the wood nor should the head of the gage be held against other than a face. A little thought will show why exception has been made in this case. (3) Square a line across the face side—the inside surface—of the drawer front at a distance from the end equal to the thickness of the drawer side. This line gives the depth of mortise for the tails. (4) The groove for the drawer bottom having been cut, or its position marked on the end of the front, lay out on the end the half tenons at both edges so that the groove shall come wholly within a tail mortise. The amount of flare at which to set the bevel is given in [Chapter VIII], [Section 100]. (5) Determine the number of tenons wanted and divide the space between the flares just drawn into the required number of equal parts and draw center lines for the tenons, [Fig. 176]. (6) With the bevel lay off to either side of these center lines the sides of the tenons. (7) Carry these lines down the face side to meet the line previously drawn to indicate mortise depth. (8) Saw exactly to the knife lines, cutting, [Fig. 177], the kerfs out of the mortises, not the tenons. (9) Chisel out the mortises. [Fig. 178].

Fig. 176.