How to Make Kitchen Cabinet Drawers
Kitchen cabinet drawers make it easy to access all your kitchen utensils. They also work great for extra storage space and can help keep things organized. If you are in to woodworking for a hobby and are in need of new kitchen cabinet drawers this may be a project for you to do.
Things you'll need:
- Plywood
- Wood stock
- Tape measure
- Table Saw
- Dado blade
- Dovetail jig
- Dovetail bit
- Furniture glue
- Primer
- Paint
- Screws
- Handles
- Determine the proper dimensions for the draws by measuring the existing drawers. Also, determine the type of drawer track. If you have older cabinets, wooden rails may be used where the drawer sides slide out.
- Make a drawer face using the measurements of the existing drawer openings. Add 1/2-inch to the height and width of the existing drawer measurements. Cut the 1/2-inch wood stock to the new adjusted measurements.
- Make the drawer sides. Rip 1/2-inch plywood to the same depth as the existing drawer depth. Cut the 1/2-inch plywood to the length of the drawer box full dimensions. Create two identical pieces for the sides, as well as the front and back pieces.
- Cut a dado groove in the sides of the drawer for the drawer using a table saw. Set the thickness to 1/4-inch using a dado blade. The dado cut should be set on the table saw to cut 1/4-inch of the draw sides from the bottom edge. Cut all four sides of the drawer bottom.
- Cut the dovetail grooves by placing a side piece and either a front or back piece at a 90 degree angle into the dovetail jig. Slightly offset the pieces from each other by the specified distance of the jig. Place the dovetail bit using it with a router, into the jig to cut the dovetail pattern to create a dovetail joint. This can be done at the same time for both boards.
- Make the draw bottoms by cutting 1/4-inch piece of plywood to match the drawer size inside dimensions. Make sure you add 1/2-inch to the assembled drawer sides for the combined depths of the dado cuts.
- Apply a small amount of glue to each dovetail joints to begin the assembly of the drawer box. Make sure you do not get the glue into the dado grooves. Align the first two pieces with the dovetails and tap the dovetail joints corners together of one side. Insert the 1/4-inch drawer bottom panel right into the dado grooves and tap the last side in place. Make sure it is sitting securely with the dovetail joints.
- Prime and paint the drawer face and allow it to dry. Finish the drawer face by attaching it onto the assembled drawer box using short screws.
- Slide the completed kitchen drawers into the cabinet and all drawer pulls or handles needed.