19th Century Clerks Desk - Making the Drawer and Cock Beading - Step 3

Before making the drawer, I wanted to add the pegs to the joints.  This is somewhat decorative and somewhat structural.  I compress the joints with clamps and then drill 1/4 inch holes in the joints.   I add a little glue to the pegs and pound them in with a hammer.  I have some 1/4 inch dowels made from the maple that were made some time ago.  I cut them to 1 1/4 inch pegs.  I measured where I wanted the pegs and made sure that the side pegs did not hit the front pegs.

After the glue dried I cut of the excess with my flush cut saw and then used a paring chisel to get them flush.  Then I sanded the area to clean it up.   They look pretty good.

Next I glued and nailed in the drawer runners and kicker, I used my 19th century nail gun. Glue alone probably would have been enough but a couple of nails is for insurance.

I laid out the drawer using the cutout from the apron and some half inch stock for the sides and back.
The drawer will be 18 inches square.

I laid out the dovetails on the sides, leaving myself enough room for the bottom of the drawer to slip into a grove that I need to cut on the inside.    The size and slope of the dovetails is arbitrary.

I saw the dovetails on the lines and then chop them out with my chisels.

After dry fitting the dovetails, I glue up the drawer.  The bottom is made from 3/8 pine that I glued up to make it large enough to fit the bottom grove.  I beveled the bottom so it fit into the grove.

While the glue was drying, I made the cock beading.  I put a small bead on the edge of the stock using the same router bit that I used to put the bead on the bottom of the apron.

 
Then I ripped off that piece on the table saw and repeated the process until I had three pieces.  Then I sanded it to get rid of the burn marks.  This cock beading is slightly less that 3/16 of an inch thick.

After the glue dried on the drawer, I made a rabbet 3/16 deep by 3/4 inch all the way around the drawer front.  This made room for the cock beading.  You can see the cut back below.

Now I need to miter the cock beading around the drawer.  It is only necessary to miter the very end of the cock beading.  You then lap the ends which do not show.  This is the small miter that you cut with a chisel.  It takes a little practice but it is not too hard.

The next piece has a small miter to match it and then the remainder behind it is removed so it fits.

Here all the miters are completed and held together with tape.  Now I heat up the Old Brown Glue and glue the cock beading on after removing the tape.

I clean up the glue by sanding and a little hand planing on the sides.

Now for the test fit.  Slid right in, but I need to add the drawer stops yet.

I think it is a great little feature to add to the drawer.  I does take a bit of work though.  And since I cut out the center of the apron and used it for the drawer front the grain of the drawer front matches the apron.

Here is today's video: