Building a Chest of Drawers
Tools, Materials and Information
 
Preparations and Wood

The 7 or 8 drawer chest for this class is approximately 50" tall, 18" deep and about 38" wide, with some potential for variation in dimensions. The height of the drawers diminishes is size starting at about 8" for the bottom. The drawers will have solid bottoms. The chest also has dust panels (cedar) and a solid frame back with four panels. Including waste, the chest requires about 80 board feet of primary wood plus 20 board feet each for the drawer bottoms and the dust panels. I suggest aromatic cedar for the dust panels and either poplar or the primary wood for the drawer bottoms. The panels are also resawn material.

I would like you to make a drawing of the chest of drawers, no matter how rough! There is no need to worry about the construction details; we will work these out in class. From your drawing, make up a parts list with names and approximate dimensions as best you can. Mail, email or fax me your drawing so that we can work together to prepare for the class.

Because of the amount of work in this project it will be necessary for you to do a fair amount of pre-milling before class. The top and sides should be glued up and the drawer rails should be rough milled to 2 1/2" X 7/8". We can discuss any other pre-milling.

Tool List

• Dovetail saw
• Cutting gauge…cuts across the grain (A Veritas or similar “wheel” cutting gauge works best.)
• Dovetail marking gauge or sliding bevel
• 2 in. to 3 in. steel square
• 6" rule
• Combination square - both a large and a small one is helpful
• Tape measure (shorter is better)
• Dead blow hammer (14 to 20 oz.) –No rubber mallet.
  Sharp bevel edge chisel set
• Safety equipment: safety glasses, dust mask, hearing protection

Call or email me with any questions on tools, materials or design. Also check the web site for any updates.

 
Kelly Mehler (859) 986-5540 | kelly@kellymehler.com