After preparing the drawer sides it is now time to take care of the drawer back.
I started by using the sides to trace the lines on the back board so I avoid any surprise in my measurement (I am a kind of specialist in this type of surprise).
I started by using the sides to trace the lines on the back board so I avoid any surprise in my measurement (I am a kind of specialist in this type of surprise).
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| Using the cut on the sides as a template to draw the cut on the back. |
I then marked the waste on all faces, just to be sure I cut the right part as I know how much silly I can be sometimes (and don't ask how I know that...).
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| Mark the waste on all faces so the cut is obvious. |
Then like for the side, I used a knife and a chisel to make a kerf all around the waste so to guide the saw and avoid tear out. I could have done this directly without marking the lines with a pencil but I find it more visual for me to do it that way.
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| A kerf done all around the waste. |
For the back the waste at the two ends are cut with the saw and I only need to chop the center part.
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| Each end cut with the saw only remains the center part. |
When cutting and chopping I prefer to stay shy of the line on the waste side as it is easier to remove more waste than to deal with to wide cuts. Maybe one day with more experience I will cut right on the line but for now this is good enough for me.
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| Center part chopped away, need to clean the join now. |
Next step will be to clean the joins and adjust them for a tight fit.
Hi, welcome to "Unplugged Shop". There are some good guys who'e blogs are re-published here.
ReplyDeleteI've one question, well maybe two. Why a "box" joint? It is more of a machine joint, as much work with hand tools as a dovetail with less strength but easier to make with a router and a jig. Are you using the slash mortise chisel to chop the waste?
A very nosey neighbor,
ken
Ken, thank you very much for your comment, these are good questions and I will try to answer the best I can.
DeleteFirst about the box joint. At first I was indeed thinking about using dovetails. Like you wrote, work effort is pretty much the same but I think dovetails require better skills, precision and abilities, but I may be wrong. Moreover I wanted to get something with a look inspired by Greene Greene style, so with rounded protruding tenons on the front and darker pegs. So I choose to go with box joints for the front as well as the back assembly. Or maybe I was too much of a chicken to go straight with dovetails at this point... or maybe a bit of the two :).
About the chisel, I am using the mortise chisel to chop the most part of the waste then I clean up using a regular firmer chisel to get a clean cut. After having made many cut side by side in the waste, it is pretty easy to chop it out using the mortise chisel, 2 or 3 hit with the mallet and it's gone.
Hope this answers your questions.
Regards,
Your devoted wood butcher.
Thanks, I expect you will find a dovetail joint much easier to cut by hand vs. a box joint once you give it a go. the other aspect is a dovetail can be pretty sloppy, loose and gappy and still give a functional joint. Not so much a box joint. Looks like you are having fun.
Deleteken