A wonderfully nice woman was driving by my house the other day while I was working in the “shop” (aka the garage). From her rolled-down window, she asked if I do woodworking for hire. “You bet.”

I soon learned that she had a built-in desk with a damaged drawer. The face had been “ripped” from the drawer, which was also broken. “Happy to take a look” and she brought it by a couple of hours later.

The drawer was certainly damaged, and an attempted repair had been made, but it clearly did not last. The inside face was a mess with hardened wood glue.

Two paths to a working drawer:

1. Cut about 2 inches from the front of the drawer to get to clean undamaged partical board and attach anew to the drawer face. This would give back a fully functioning drawer but with a couple inches less depth.

2. Scrap it and rebuild.

She went with option two.

I enjoy building simple drawers and boxes though I have yet to experiment with any joints outside of rabbets, dados, and, of course, face or end joints. Using some scrap 1/2in cabinet-grade plywood I had and 1/4in MDF for the bottom, I rebuilt the drawer. Seeing that I didn’t have access to the built-in desk in her home, I made sure that I saved the original inside face to match the new drawer and drill holes for the drawer handle and cabinet screws in exactly the same place. I was also careful to make sure the drawer track was fixed onto the new drawer exactly as it had been to the old.

The result turned out well if I don’t say so myself, and Leslie was certainly happy to have a functioning drawer back in her desk.

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Spotlight On Tools
While the miter and table saw were obvious helpful tools in this project (my shop’s tool list), I would like to highlight two tools that I particularly love, which also made this rebuild that much easier.

Infinity’s 8″ Flat-Top Dado Saw Blade (link)
This is the most expensive table saw blade I have purchased and my first product from Infinity. It will not be my last. This blade is perfect for folks who have a Dewalt DWE7485 or similar and are unable to accept a Dado blade set. It cut flat 1/4 inch making it an easy choice for 1/2 or 3/4 inch rabbet or dado cuts. It was also used to cut a perfect 1/4 dado groove to accommodate the drawer’s new MDF’s bottom.

1/2” Rockler Clamp-It Clips (link)
Being relatively new to woodworking (or back again after decades that is), the need to pick and choose my tool investments has been important. These little corner clamps from Rockler are not only affordable ($10), they are some of my favorite clamps. Simple to grab and use while you align your corner joint. They hold the joint firm while the glue dries or as you grab the nail gun. Available for your 1/2in and 3/4in corner joints.