Drawer slips

Reading an earlier entry, Richard is interested in additional details about drawer slips. He is currently making a six-drawer dresser, and would like to incorporate slips.

The use of drawer slips is required when the drawer sides are too thin, for aesthetic reasons – thinner drawer sides make a drawer not only lighter, but also enhances its looks. But slips are used for more practical reasons, too. For example, if slips are not used on thin drawer sides, failure of the drawer side below the groove housing the bottom may result. The slips reinforce the sides; with slips, grooves can then be made in the slips without fear of failure.

The following is the look of the drawer slip for one of the drawers for the stand-up desk, viewed from the back; the slip has not yet been glued to the drawer side:

In the next photo I show the bottom secured between both slips – the slips are the narrow boards running the full length of the drawer sides, housing the drawer bottom. In the following photo, the  tongue in the bottom panel is already  inserted in the drawer front:

The use of the slips makes it possible to round over the inside edge of the slip, creating a little detail that my client found interesting. The roundover makes it possible to lift papers and coins in the drawer more easily; it was a pleasant and unexpected detail that pleased my client.

All that remains to finish the drawer is to glue the slips to the sides, and to use a hand plane to smooth the bottoms of the slips even with the drawer sides. This will increase the bottom bearing on the dust frame that will support the drawers.

I look forward to continuing work with the remaining drawers. Now that my client has seen this first drawer, I have a green light to continue work on the remaning drawers!

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—— Al Navas