cutting drawers out of a long board

[EMistral]

Hi all,

not sure if the title explains it all but I am about to start a 2.2m long kitchen bench with drawers.
The rails will be 2m long attached to the legs with tenons and mortices.
the rails will have 4 drawers.
I need to cut 4 openings in the rails for the drawers but I want to use whatever I cut for theses openings for the front of the drawers so that when you look at the board, the wood pattern flows between the rails and the front of the drawers.
Not sure if I make myself clear.
Anyway, if you guys looks at the attached document, I was planning to cut first pieces A, then from the remaining board, pieces B and C.
Then glue back together pieces A and B to form the rails with clean openings for the drawers.
Pieces C will be the front of the drawers.
My concern is that because of the cuts when joining and glueing A and B, there will be a break in the wood pattern.
I was planning to do that with a table saw but the kerf is too big and that will make the break in the pattern between A and B too obvious.
I will probably invest in a bandsaw.
so I am after your advices on how to realize such a rail with minimum distortion of the pattern especially between A and B.

[Ian Smith]

EMistral,
I have had very limited experience with a bandsaw but from what I've done myself and from what others have said at various times on this forum I think you'll be disapointed with the quality of the cut using a bandsaw, especially if you hope to have a nice neat invisible join between your "A" and "B" bits.

You can buy thin kerf blades for your table saw and I'd be inclined to try that first.

Others may differ but that's what I would do.

In any event, unless you have some really fancy grain on the face you probably won't notice the missing kerf any way

Ian

[silentC]

You can probably cut it with a band saw but you will almost certainly need to run a plane over it to remove any saw marks, so you will probably end up where you would have been with a table saw anyway.

As Ian said, you're unlikely to have any trouble with disjointed grain, unless it is highly figured wood, which is probably less suitable for an apron than a nice quarter-sawn straight grained piece anyway.

Try it on a bit of scrap and see if the results are suitable, but that is the way I would do it too.

[malb]

I would agree with the thin kerf blade notion also, consider one at about 60 tooth. Will be slow but smooth ripping the A sections out or the board and smooth breaking the remainder into B and C sections to minimise planing etc and consequential material removal.

I also note a need for four openings in your description, but only three drawer fronts in the layout drawing.

[Glennet]

If you can start with a longer board so have the flexibility to slide the rows along to compensate for the missing bit and align the grain.

You probably won't be able to align it perfectly but nobody will ever notice and it will all blend in and look great when it is finished.

[Therapy]

Based on my limited experience/knowledge, a table saw with a fine kerf blade will yield the best results.

Kitchen drawers typically carry a fair bit of weight and your four drawers will in effect be supported by the 2 A pieces (depending to some extent on how the drawers will be fitted). Do you intend using mechanical slides?

I acknowledge that the upper piece A will be attached to the bench top and this will help support the weight.

You haven’t provided info on the type and dimensions of the timber you are using. Your rails (pieces A) will be the same thickness as the drawer fronts. Will they have sufficient strength to carry four laden drawers over 2 metres?

Rgds

[Lignum]

Its how i do all my drawers and you will be hard pressed to notice any difference

[Christos]

I like the way you are thinking of doing the draws. I think that it would be best to try it on scrap and see what you come up with.

[EMistral]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the answers.
as required, the board will be 2m long by 16.5cm wide and 19mm thick.
Pieces A will be 2cm height x 19mm
The drawers (piece C) will be 11.6cm heigh x 44.5cm long and 19mm thick.

The timber is tasmanian blackwood. All the boards are squared and dressed.
The whole piece (pieces A and B) will be attached to the legs with a classic mortises and tenons (the tenons will be cut in the pieces B on each end)
Since there will be 2 of these rails (one on each opposite with with 4 drawers each, totaling 8 drawers), a few stiles between these rails will also be used.
Basically the stiles will be connected to the pieces B on opposite side and will also be used to support the drawers.
I don't know how the drawers will be supported yet (either with mechanical runners, or a grove on each side of the drawers with the matching runner fixed on the stiles) but they will not rest on pieces A.
I also must add that although I will glue pieces A and B, I will also use screws to secure the pieces (a few on the top and bottom). They will be hidden.
Piece A - top part - will be attached to the bench top. however the bench top will be probably a Caesar stone or tiles so not sure yet on how to attach it.
There will be indeed 4 drawers although the attached document show only 3.
So it seems that I was on the right track except that a thin kerf will produce better result.

[Lignum]

This is the same way you are talking about. Remember before you rip to scribe some pencil lines across the face so you can re align them later perfect. The other pic is the joined rail with the bottom drawer rails with classic traditional Domino mortises.

[EMistral]

yep that's exactly what I am planning to do.
I wish I had a festool

[Wongo]

I rip the board with a 60T, 3mm kerf crosscut blade. Glue all the A(s) and B(s) back together then plane it. The joint is invisible.