Get an email when I publish a new post! Click any image to view a larger version. For pltwood drawers or thicker material, a few small brads or metal clamps work well. So you agree? Do you ensure you do, or do not, cut the middle ply layer when cutting the groove? Remember me.

Baltic Birch, 5 ft. The following companies sell drawer lock router bits. This story originally appeared in American Woodworker February , issue Purchase this back issue. Click any image to view a larger version. Adjust the router fence until the lower cutting edge just touches the straightedge, which is tight against the fence.

Be sure your machine is unplugged during this adjustment. This is not the final setting, but a starting point. Check the fit. The test joints should fit together easily, but without any gaps. Remember: Lower to loosen and heighten to tighten. Make both cuts for a lock rabbet joint with one router bit. Rout the panels for the drawer sides. Keep even pressure on the panel so it stays against the fence and in constant contact with the table.

Use a tall fence for good support. Reset the fence for fronts and backs using a scrap piece of drawer-box material. Move the fence back so the upper cutting edge aligns with the outer edge of the material.

Rout the front and back panels. Rip the drawer parts to final width and then saw or rout the dado for the drawer bottoms. Hold the parts of smaller drawers together with masking tape. Be sure the boxes are square before setting them aside to dry. A drawer lock router bit works equally well in solid wood.

For narrower parts, start with a wider board and rip the parts to final width like we did with the plywood. Baltic birch.

We fed this side panel too fast and got lots of chipping. By slowing down the feed rate we were able to keep this from happening. A zero-clearance fence will work wonders, too. Product Recommendations Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop.

We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality. By American Woodworker Editors. By Randy Johnson For fast, easy, accurate joinery in everything from kitchen-cabinet drawers to jewelry boxes, the lock rabbet is the way to go.

Lock rabbets are self-aligning and sufficiently strong for light- and medium-duty drawers. Router bit setup Setting up the drawer lock bit is not difficult. Making the drawer sides To determine the length of your drawer sides, subtract two times the thickness of the lip on your test board Photo 4 from your final drawer box length. Making the drawer box fronts and backs Reset your router-table fence before you rout the fronts and backs.

Final sizing Now you can saw the drawer parts to final width Photo 9. Assembling the drawer boxes On small drawers,masking tape works fine as a clamping tool Photo Sources Note: Product availability and costs are subject to change since original publication date. Amana , Bosch , CMT , Craftsman , Eagle America , Freud , Make sure your drawer bottom dado is facing IN while attaching all your drawer parts.

Spread wood glue on the joints before assembling. Attach the drawer front and back pieces to one drawer side. I use a little 23 gauge nail gun to hole things together while I continue assembling the rest of the drawer. Slide the drawer bottom into place. Then attach the second drawer side. I secure the second side with more nails to hold the pieces together while the glue dries. Or you can use nails and clamps.

Whatever you want to do! A note about my drawers: they have additional grooves cut into them for drawer dividers. Also, they are odd sizes because they are for a shallow, angled cabinet. I hope that all made sense. The locking rabbet drawer joint is a pretty easy method for drawer building if you have a table saw or two. I seriously am considering buying a small, second table saw. For me. Not saying it will be for you but it almost always is for me. I just embrace the journey.

You did a great job showing the process! Beginner woodworker here and just purchased a new table saw. Delta T2 from lowes. But coming from a guy some of the best tutorials on woodworking are all females!! Thanks for the help i also bought your cabinet making guide your awesome! I like your description on the Locking Rabbet Drawer Joint. I need to make drawers for a shop cabinet I am making. I want to use this technique but when I go to Home Depot or Lowes I never am able to get lumber perfectly square or flat.

I do not have a jointer or planer so how can I make sure I am making square drawers? Will this technique work if I use plywood instead of pine 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 boards? Locking rabbets will work with plywood. Most of my drawers are built out of plywood and this is how I do it.

I Drawer Lock Router Bit On Plywood Flask hear you about finding flat lumber…which is why I like plywood. We have several drawers in our kitchen cabinets needing repair after 20 years of use.

I was going to invest in a jointing machine, but I am going to give this a try. Thank you! I did find a instructional video that shows what you have detailed here. I did like that your drawers have dividers. Thank you for a wealth of info. Great method. Any suggestion on cutting without a dado stack?

Check into that? MicroJig makes the Dado Stop, but you can make something similar yourself, too. May not be as clean on the bottom. Just found this.

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