There are many ways to build a cabinet drawer. This method requires a router or table saw to cut a dado which will hold the drawer bottom.
How to build a cabinet drawer
1. The first thing to do is determine the size of your drawer parts. Make sure to factor in the thickness of the material you are using, the thickness of the drawer front you will be attaching, whether you are doing inset or overlay doors, and the clearance requirement of the drawer slide you are using.
* Drawers are most commonly made out of 1/2″ cabinet grade plywood. The bottom is usually 1/2″ or 1/4″ plywood depending on the size of the drawer. If it is a large drawer you’ll want a stronger bottom. If you are building a drawer that will hold heavy items, you may want to use 3/4″ plywood for the sides and 3/4″ or 1/2″ for the bottom.
- This drawer is sized for a cabinet that is 24″ deep with a 3/4″ faceframe. The drawer front will overlay the faceframe.
- I want the total depth of the drawer to be 24″ so that is the exact length I cut my sides.
- I want the total width to be 17″, my material is 1/2″ thick so I need to subtract 1″ from the total width to determine the width of the front and back which should always be secured between the sides so the fasteners are supporting the joint from the side giving you resistance to the force of pulling the drawer open.
2. Cut your front back and sides all the same height and the appropriate lengths.
3. Use your router or a table saw to cut a dado which will hold the drawer bottom.
*Mark the side of each piece that you will be cutting a dado into so you don’t get confused. (It’s easy to get confused. Especially when you are cutting and dadoing parts for many drawers at the same time.)
*If using a router, you’ll probably want to cut the dado in two passes. Cut a shallow dado in the first pass, then raise the bit and cut to the final depth.
* For the size of this drawer, I’m using 1/2″ material. I’m cutting my dado 1/2″ thick and 1/4″ deep and 1/2″ from the bottom of the sides.
4. Use glue and nails or screws to attach the front and back to one side. Use an assembly square or corner clamp to ensure the box is square.
5. Cut the drawer bottom which will vary depending on the exact depth of your dado. Slide it in place and dry fit the other side.
If it is too tight or too long, take it out and trim it down. You should have enough drawer bottom protruding to fill the dado on the remaining side once it is attached.
6. Attach the last side.
7. Fill your nail/screw holes and sand the top edges so they are smooth.
The dado will not be visible once you attach the false drawer front.
*I always buy my drawer slides before building my drawers so I know exactly what the specifications of that slide call for. Sometimes the online spec sheet doesn’t exactly match the actual slide.
*It is important to secure the front and back pieces between the sides so the fasteners are supporting the joint from the side giving you resistance to the force of pulling the drawer open.
Done!
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Sandra, Once again, thank you for your detailed instructions. I love building projects but have always been afraid of drawers because they require a degree of perfection I haven’t mastered yet! My squares are always off just enough to make things wonky, or I can’t get that coveted 1/16th gap consistently. I admire your perfectionism!
I have never built drawer boxes before so thanks for the tutorial, they
are the next step in building my 2 bed side tables. So, thank you very much.
I’ve built drawers a few times, but I must say I have had so much trouble with the slides. I am pretty sure I read something a while back on your blog regarding this, but when I looked, I couldn’t find it. I would love it if you could re-post that one! As usual, a great post Sandra!
Ow in the world did I miss this post? Great information as usual! Did you use your Kreg Router Table?
Nancy
oh how I would love to build this. I am so scared of my table saw. Its a nice one and I’m horrified of the thing.
Would you recommend using oak or birch plywood for this project?