Set up table saw to make kerfs halfway through drawer-front stock. Distance across saw blade to fence should equal the thickness of a drawer side. Cut kerfs at both ends.

Up-end drawer front and make a second set of cuts to clear the rabbets. Cutting a bit deeper than the drawer-side thickness insures a sharp corner and offers a glue groove.

How to Make a Lock Mortise

With a marking gauge, make saw guide marks on the side edges of the drawer front, one third of the thickness across them from the outer drawer-front face.

Behind guidelines at both ends of the drawer front, cut grooves one-third as wide as the thickness of the stock, and as deep as   the thickness of the stock used on drawer sides.

On inside faces of drawer sides, measure in one-third the thickness of the drawer front and cut grooves as wide as those in drawer front, half through stock.

Final cuts, made as shown, trim the mortise tongues on the inside face of the drawer front to the same length as the mating grooves on the forward edges of the drawer sides.

Inconspicuous but solid, the lock-mortise joint provides plenty of area for gluing. Nailing isn't necessary, but if you do use finishing nails, drive them from the drawer front.
 
How to Make a Dovetail Mortise

At forward ends of drawer sides, mark mortise groove depth on both faces of stock.

At outer face marks, cut shallow grooves. Finish dovetails with angled edge cuts.

General Techniques Used in Making Drawers

Standard drawer back (French dovetail excepted) is mortised into the drawer sides. Grooves should be half as deep as side thickness, and from ½ to 3/4"" in from the edges.

Check fit of a drawer-back mortise, like this. Before drawer joints are permanently assembled, however, inner faces of the front and sides must be grooved for the drawer bottom.

Set dovetail sections of sides at desired locations on the top edge of the drawer front and mark around them for groove guides.

With saw slanted to the correct angle, make cuts for the dovetail mortise grooves on the inner sides of the guidelines.

Mortise out remainder of groove with a dado, or a number of edge-to-edge saw cuts.

Use a narrow chisel to clean out the ridge between diagonal and right angle cuts.

Insert drawer sides as shown. Because the angled sides of their tongues are opposed, one drawer side reinforces the other.

Completed dovetail-mortise joint resists drawer pull better than any other, with the possible exception of the French dovetail.

Quarter-inch stock is strong enough for bottom of an average chest drawer. Place 1/4" grooves to receive it from 3/8" to 1/2" from bottom edges—higher for heavy-duty drawers.

Trim drawer back so its bottom edge is flush with the tops of the side grooves. After final assembly, slide the drawer bottom into place and nail it to the drawer back.

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