Drawer corners
Lock rabbet
A tongue on one piece locks into a rabbet on the other. A practical drawer corner.
Use when
- You want a drawer corner stronger than a butt and faster than dovetails.
Don’t use when
- Do not use it as a show joint on a chest.
- Keep
- Waste, hatched on the drawing
- Dimension
- Long parts are broken. The 1 in bar is true scale.
Stock
Thickness steppers move by 1/16 in, or 0.5 mm. You can type 3/4 or 1-1/8.
Sizes
| Mark | Size | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tongue on the side | 1/4 in | Half the side thickness |
| Lip on the front | 3/8 in | Half the front thickness, left on the show face |
| Groove in the front | 1/4 in | Matches the tongue |
| Side thickness | 1/2 in | The tongue is sawn from this |
Cut sequence
1Tongue the side
Leave a tongue 1/4 in thick on the inside of the side.
2Lip the front
Leave 3/8 in on the show face, and a groove that matches the tongue.
Setup: 1/4 in
Stop when: The front face is unbroken and the side seats.
3Dry-fit, then glue
Close the joint dry. Check that shoulders and faces meet, then glue. If this is a frame or a box, check both diagonals before the glue grabs.
Stop when: Dry-fit is tight with hand pressure, square, and the diagonals match.
Glue
Long grain to end grain
Strength
furniture
Movement
A lock rabbet is the practical drawer corner. Faster than tails, and the front still shows a lip.