Woodworker's Journal 260 Q&A's

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Q & A

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Best Option for Hanging Dresser Drawers?

I've been a subscriber for over two years now and have been very pleased with your magazine. I plan on building a Craftsman style dresser using all solid wood and traditional joinery. I also plan on hand cutting the dovetail drawers. Needless to say, this project will take quite a while for me, and I want it to be as functional as it is beautiful. I like the smoothness of ball bearing slides, but I don't want see metal slides when I open a drawer.

My question is: How did they make drawers slide smoothly back then? How can I do it now while maintaining the traditional look?- Shane


Tim Inman: Shane, the way they made those
drawers slide easily was by quality construction, and
fitting them properly! When I was learning how to
build drawers, my instructor's standard was the
“one-finger push” rule. It worked like this: When I
was ready to be graded, he pulled the drawer out to
one-third of its length. Then, using only one finger,
he pushed the drawer back into place until it rested
correctly against its stops -- all the way around the
opening. The trick was that his finger pushed at all
four corners of the drawer, in turn, pushing the
drawer back into place. First, he'd push on the top
right corner. If that worked, he'd try again and push
on the bottom right corner; then top left, bottom
left, and I'd get a grade. Any resistance or binding,
and I got a ' ”do-over” and a scowl!

If the drawer fits too tightly, it will bind. If the
drawer has too much play, it will also cock off to
one side, and bind. I discovered that a piece of
cardboard from the back of a yellow legal pad gave
me about the right clearance. So, that cardboard
'”feeler gauge ” became my best friend as I constructed drawers. When I had that much space between the drawer and the sides of the cabinet guides, and when the drawer was properly waxed with a candle or beeswax, it worked every time.

How can you do it? My recommendations: Plan A: Do it just like the old masters did. Build the cabinet well, and fit the drawer properly. Plan B: there are metal ball bearing guides that fit underneath the drawer invisibly. Plan C: There are a number of polymer glides and tracking materials available that will improve the drawer operation. See Option A.

Chris Marshall: I agree with Tim. There's a lot of original Stickley furniture with drawers still being put to good use. Think of how proud you'll be to build a set of drawers with traditional supports and have them work as well as Tim points out. I would give it a "go" to build your dresser as traditionally as you can. But, if practicality is the primary motivator—and that's sometimes the wisest choice—I'd try undermount drawer slide hardware.

What Are Double Profile Doors?

What, my friends, is a double profile door? Does that mean it is just as fancy inside as it is
outside? - Jerry Fischer

Tim Inman: I'm not sure, either. I suspect it is a term of art in the kitchen cabinet marketing world to mean both the top and bottom rails of the door are shaped, or “profiled.”
Chris Marshall: You've got me there, too. Can any other eZine readers help out with this terminology?

Turning Toy Wheels?

I have been making quite a few pull and ride-on toys for my grandchildren lately. They all need wheels, which I have had to purchase, since making multiples of the same size by hand with a band saw and sanders is extremely difficult. Also, finding the larger size wheels is difficult or very costly. Can the wheels be made on a lathe and, if so, how would I do it? I have just purchased a mid-size lathe and basic tools so I am a newbie to turning -- what other accessories would I need? - Kaare G. Numme Jr.


Tim Inman: My answer is a combination approach.
I'd use the band saw and a “circle jig ” to rough cut
the wheels. There isn't a faster way to do a lot of
wheels, and make them the same size, that I know
of. If you know the axle size for your wheels, you
can set up your circle jig with an axle sized pin for
your rough cuts. Drill the wood blanks to the axle
size, then slip them over the axle pin in your circle
jig. Cut the wheel.

A side note about band saw circle jigs. The design is
common and readily available in good woodworking
books. One simple change I have made is to mount
a guide rail on the bottom to fit the miter gauge slot
in my band saw fence. This lets me slide the jig and
rough blank into the cut, much like a crosscut sled.
When my jig hits the “stop” and is firmly in position,
I can then finish cutting the circle.

Once you have your blanks roughed into true circles, then, I'd set up a wooden sacrificial faceplate system on your lathe with that axle pin
size for a mandrel. You would then be able to place the rough wheel concentrically onto the face plate, and cut the final profile and do the finish sanding, etc. If your setup is well planned, I think you could
turn out nice wheels right and left! Good luck!