How to Build Drawers for Vanities

Having a bathroom vanity without drawers is kind of like having a car without seats -- you can't really use it. While intimidation keeps many homeowners from trying to build the drawers themselves, it's not really as hard as it looks. Even the novice do-it-yourselfer can accomplish the task with a little attention to detail. A drawer, after all, is little more than a specialized box lacking a cover. Simple drawers often square the edges of the box in what is known as a "box" or "butt" joint. A higher-quality joint -- the rabbet -- involves cutting the edges just a little differently.

Instructions

Measure the drawer opening, both height and width. Find the depth of the cabinet to determine the maximum depth of the drawer. While vanity sizes vary tremendously, a drawer opening might be 6 inches high, 15 inches wide and 15 inches deep, for instance.

Reduce the measurements to ensure a drawer with adequate clearance within the vanity. Subtract 1 inch from both the width and height. Take at least 2 inches from the depth. A 6-by-15-by-15 drawer thus becomes 5 inches high, 14 inches wide and 13 inches deep.

Measure and mark the length (the drawer depth) of the drawer side needed on a sheet of 5/8-inch-thick plywood. Draw an intersecting line to reflect the drawer height required.

Repeat measurements for the opposite side of the drawer. Use a square to make straight lines and mark each dimension in a couple spots, several inches apart, to ensure your lines -- and subsequent cuts -- are square. For example, each of the two drawer sides would measure 13 inches long and 5 inches high in the example given.

Cut out both sides. Hold the drawer sides up together to ensure they are precisely alike. Adjust as needed. Mark both with a lightly penciled "S" to label.

Measure and mark two more boards, which will form the front and back of the drawer, on additional 5/8-inch plywood. Make each 14 inches long (the drawer width) by 5 inches high for the given example.

Cut out the front and back pieces. Label with an "F" or a "B" to distinguish them from the sides.

Make the drawer bottom from 1/4-inch-thick plywood. Measure and cut to 14 inches in width and 13 inches in length.

Create a kerf cut running horizontally 3/8 inches above the bottom edge of the drawer front, back and both sides. Set a table saw blade to emerge 1/4 inch above the table saw surface to control the depth of the cut. Adjust the saw guide to measure 3/8 of an inch from the saw blade, which determines the distance the cut penetrates from the board bottom. Pass each board through the saw to create the first pass of the kerf cut.

Move the saw guide over to 5/8 of an inch from the saw blade. Pass each board through the saw again. Use a chisel or hammer and screwdriver to dig the wood out between the two cuts. You are left with a kerf cut -- a shallow cut exactly 1/4 inch thick. This allows the drawer bottom to set into the drawer panels, increasing the strength of the drawer.

Create rabbet cuts -- L-shaped joints -- on both ends of both drawer sides. Set the table saw guide to 1/4 inch away from the blade. Leave the blade set at 1/4 inch of depth. Hold the board on end and pass each end of each side through the saw, making a cut 1/4 inch into the board's thickness.

Vary the wood used for a different look.

Flip the board over so it lies flat and swipe through the saw again. When the cuts meet in the middle of the board the box-shaped chunk detaches. You are left with boards that are only about half the thickness along the ends, vertically. This L-shaped end allows the front and back boards to lie inside the side board, creating more surface area to glue together during construction and thus a stronger joint.

Glue one edge of the plywood drawer and insert it into the kerf cut of a side board. Hold it in place for a minute to ensure it bonds. Proceed to the next edge of the bottom, spreading glue along the edge and inserting into either the front or back panel. Lay a generous bead of glue into the rabbet joint as you join the front, sides and back. When complete, the bottom board is sandwiched between and glued to the drawer boards, which are glued together in the rabbet joints as well.

Cut a drawer front from 3/4-inch plywood. Make it 1 1/2 inches higher and wider than the drawer itself. Given the drawer in the previous examples, for instance, the drawer front needs to be 15 1/2 inches wide and 6 1/2 inches high. This board mounts to the drawer and covers the entire drawer opening when slid into place.

Sand the drawer front edges smooth. Apply glue generously and press the front to the drawer front board. Reinforce with 1 1/4-inch long wood screws, driven from the inner panel into the outer front board. Make sure the screws do not penetrate the drawer front completely.

Mount the drawer slides and a handle. Stain the outside of the drawer as desired and insert into the vanity for use.

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