Replies

1. 
   John_D | Feb 15, 2006 02:13am | #1

   Hate to say this, but you're going to have to get a bit more specific before people will know what to tell you.  You have a lot of work ahead of you!

   First you'll have to design the dresser itself.  If you're new, you'll find it easiest to copy an existing plan.  Any good plan will have been created with wood movement taken into account.  When you've chosen a plan, you may well have more specific questions to ask here.

   Then you're going to end up needing to make stock from your lumber.  Those 4" sticks won't be wide enough for practically anything, so you're going to end up gluing them up to make them wider.  Pocket screws aren't a great solution for this -- most folks would glue 'em together but some would biscuit too.  This will involve milling the boards to width and putting good edges on them, gluing and clamping.

   Then you'll have to cut and mill all your individual parts.  You can get plenty of help here in choosing tools to do this task.

   Finally, you'll be joining them together.  Pocket hole screws may be a part of what you use, but not the whole story.  For example, your drawers won't likely need any pocket hole screws.

   If you're set on exploring pocket hole joinery, you might want to check out a useful book by Danny Proulx, "The Pocket Hole Drilling Jig Project Book."  If you're not stuck on pocket holes, check out the Taunton book "Practical Design Solutions and Strategies: Key Advice for Sound Construction from Fine Woodworking".  Or Andy Rae's book on cabinet and furniture construction (also a Taunton book).

   Sorry for the unfocused reply.  More information from you will get you better help!

   My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
1. 
   qtsam2 | Feb 15, 2006 05:54am | #2

   Thank you very much! That's what I was looking for... for the most part. I have already "copied" a design and will try to implement it but was not sure if using the pocket hole joining method would make a difference in the process. I planned on making the sides of the dresser by joining 5 of the boards together (17.5") using glue and pocket screws. By my understanding the pocket screws act as clamps and therefore I do not need to wait for the glue up process,  just keep going. I was thinking of doing the top the same way (not exactly same size) as the sides. I would make a face frame using the pocket screws as well. as for the drawers I have the porter cable 4212 and the fronts I was going to use a solid piece of oak. I want a pedestal foot design but have not quite figured out how I will go about making them. I will router the top with a roundover and the drawer fronts with a panel bit. I guess my question was does using pocket screws make a difference than using biscuits and glue?  Also,  is using wider stock more appropriate?  Is wider stock more or less susceptible to movement issues?  

1. 
   John_D | Feb 15, 2006 10:00am | #3

   I'll let other, more experienced folks jump in on those questions.  But now you've asked stuff that people can give you good guidance on.

   Have fun and good luck!My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

1. 
   qtsam2 | Feb 16, 2006 03:51am | #4

   thanks!

2. 
   Crocusboy | Feb 16, 2006 02:49pm | #5

   To answer your questions:

   It will be difficult to answer your questions without raising other, but I'll give it a try.

   "I guess my question was does using pocket screws make a difference than using biscuits and glue?"  From my experience (limited on pocket screws, strong on biscuits), pocket screws leave a rather unsightly hole in the underside (or inside) of a panel, however they are a very strong mechancial fastening system that can be used with or without glue.  They are not usually used to make wider panels, though.  In the case of making panels out of narrower boards, I would certainly recommend the use of glue, however you'll want to be careful that the boards don't creep on you as you tighten the screws down.  Biscuits, on the other hand, leave virtually no visible sign of their presence and help a lot to keep each board aligned with their neighbouring (Canadian spelling...) boards ... but don't provide the holding power that pocket screws do... but they don't have to.  Today's glues are capable of bonds that weren't available to our fore-fathers.  Further, I've found that when using biscuits to build up panel width, I only have to leave the panel in the clamps for an hour or two, as the biscuits swell when the water-based glue hits them and they add a fair amount of mechanical bond... but, again, not as much as with screwing.  Biscuit slots are also much faster to make than pocket holes.  As far as the issue of not having to wait at all for pocket-screwed panels to dry, to my way of thinking, that's not much of a factor.  After all, you're planning to get years of use out of this piece of furniture and waiting a few extra hours for glue to set should be considered a good investment.

    " Also,  is using wider stock more appropriate?"  I try to use the widest planks I can get over my 8" jointer, as it means less edges to have to joint and to my eye, is more appealing than a panel made from a number of narrower boards.  However, there are challenges with using wider stock as alluded to in your follow-on question: "Is wider stock more or less susceptible to movement issues?"  Because it is wider, any warping (will occur in almost all planks, and to a lesser degree in quarter-sawn stock, which has the growth rings at close to 90 degrees to the board's face) will have a more profound effect on the flatness of the panel than narrower boards.  However, if you start with planks thicker than what you need your final panel to be, you can mitigate this by pre-jointing and then planing to a thicker than required dimension and letting the plank adjust overnight, then going back and re-jointing and re-planing to the final dimensions required.   That way, any of the internal stresses will be largely, but not entirely, dissipated.  IN addition to what you do to the lumber before building up the panels, ensuring you finish both sides of all panels the same way, will help limit the effects of moisture (or lack of it) on the stability of panels.   In addition, wider boards mean more wastage, as you'll encounter more cupped and twisted planks in wider stock than narrower stock.  Those cups and twists all have to be jointed, then planed out, and so you'll need to start with thicker planks to arrive at the desired final thickness.  All of these procedures I've mentioned will result in less warpage, but again as I stated above, you will always have a slight amount of warpage to contend with... but it's what one has to live with, if one wants to have solid-wood furniture. 

   You may wish to join a local woodworking club to learn more about cabinet making.  Hope what I've provided helps.

   Marty