Drawers aren’t given much attention in today’s modern world despite how often they’re used and such a necessity in day-to-day life. They may even have names like “junk drawers” “drawer with pens”, and other titles people use to organize their assortment of knick-knacks. When shopping around at the furniture store in West Palm Beach, you should keep an eye out for certain drawer joints to see if the furnishings you’re picking out are good quality or not.
The Biscuit Joint
Regardless of how delicious it sounds, it’s a joint you may find in bedroom furniture in West Palm Beach and is one of many on this list. The biscuit joint is a reinforced one that is an oval shape and is usually made out of compressed or dried wood, like beech. This joint is installed on either side of a mortise where the drawer will be connecting and it gives a certain amount of flexibility when being glued to another piece.The only downside to this joint is if the wood is not cut precisely, you could end up with an imperfect alignment on the drawer. The mortise of the drawer has to be cut precisely to fit around this joint so everything is in perfect alignment, but if not done the results can look haphazard.
Dovetail Joint
You’ve probably encountered this in a furniture store in West Palm Beach at some and it’s one that’s incredibly strong compared to others. The dovetail has a reputation for having a great tensile strength (this means the chances of the drawer being pulled apart) and connects to the sides of the drawer to the front facing area. There is a series of pines that are cut on one part of a board and will interlock to a series of tails that are cut into another board.These pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once the dovetail joints have been glued together, the joint is completely permanent and doesn’t need any mechanical fasteners to keep it in place. This joint is a sign of expert craftsmanship and is ideal for drawers since they’re constantly being pulled out and pushed back in.
Finger Joint
Similar to the dovetail, it’s another popular woodworking joint you’ve probably encountered in the furniture store in West Palm Beach at one point or another without realizing it. The finger joints join two pieces of wood at right angles, the only difference between this and the dovetail being the pins are square instead of angled. While it doesn’t have the mechanical strength of dovetail, it’s an easier joint to create and once glued does hold a drawer together quite well. It’s ideal for drawers that won’t see a lot of heavy use and are probably found in minor pieces of furniture.
Dado Joint
This is another joint that isn’t given much attention, but it’s still quite strong when used right. The dado has a slot cut into the surface of the wood and another piece is able to slide into it effortlessly and will only stop moving if there’s a stop at the end. The Dado's joint is used primarily for bookshelves, but it’s also been known to be useful for drawers as well to keep the bottoms in place.The Dado's joint does have to be a bit deeper to give the bottom of the drawer more stability and prevent it from falling through. The collection of these joints are signs of excellent craftsmanship and stability when it comes to your drawers. When you’re shopping around for bedroom furniture in West Palm Beach keep an eye out for these joints since they’re a sign of quality furniture.
They’re not always easy to spot and can be found at the points where a drawer is connected, so you’ll have to pull it out to see them. They’re a sign that the furniture you’re looking at was built with functionality and durability in mind.
