Behemoth Drawer #1

This is the post about the drawer that goes on the file cabinet/book shelf thing that needs a better nickname.

I'm not even sure how many original plans there were for this drawer.  Something like 7.

But this is the final version:

She is basically a non-basic box with a decorative face tacked on.  She is supposed to blend in to the existing trim we have on this thing and therefore not need any hardware aside from drawer glides.  She was also designed to attach to a 1/4" bottom by way of mortises (channels) cut into the sides.

I did say "non-basic", right?

As I was cutting these mortises (making multiple passes with the circular saw), my only thought was "This is SO not worth it, I can't BELIEVE I thought this was a good idea, I'm NEVER doing this again" etc., etc.  I had to fully re-cut one of the sides because I screwed up the mortise.

*This is the rear view, btw.

Looking back, I must say...

It was TOTALLY worth it, and I am DEFINITELY doing all the other drawers this way.

(This was a bad glue job I had to re-do)

What I won't be doing is this:

Anything look funny about that to you?  Hm?  See my nicely countersunk hole?  See my well-cut mortise in the background?  See how they ended up on the same plane?

Yeah.

I had to redrill the hole so the screw wouldn't end up inside the mortise.

Oh well.

The main thing is that the drawer bottom fit; it slid in the way it was made to!

This is the front of the drawer.  The back piece...

...is shorter and sits on top of the drawer bottom (ostensibly so that the drawer bottom can slide out and be replaced with no dis-assembly of the drawer necessary - we have since decided that this drawer bottom will probably never need to be replaced because it is heavy duty, y'all).

Glue and clamp, glue and clamp...

...and then I attached the drawer glides, slid the drawer into its new home, and glued the decorative face on flush with the existing trim.

Dave spent a little time today sanding down the top and bottom of that decorative face so that it's about 1/16" shorter than the supports and will allow the drawer to glide in and out freely.  He also cut the back down by about an inch so that the drawer can be removed from the unit once the desktop is added (someday! someday!).

So now, aside from a little sanding on the drawer and paint...

...we are calling this unit done!

Remember how we wanted a place to store the paper cutter?  Out of the way, but accessible?  Well, here it is!

How about that camouflaged drawer!  Necessity really is the mother of invention.

Nice cutting on the back of that drawer there, Dave.  Nice work.

So if we decide at some point that this unit won't be one of three legs on a Behemoth desk any more, we'll just cut and attach a plain old top to it, and make it a funky occasional table.

How 'bout that?

P.S. While I've been blogging my heart out, dear Dave has been downstairs in the freezing and dust, making all of the last cuts for the corner shelf unit thing that needs a better nickname.  I'm off to glue some of its bits together!  Yippee!