frame / panel design

[dicktimber]

When designing a chest of drawers i see most of the US sites show the front frames machined into the panel sides using dovetail cutters, and dovetailing joints cut by router.
This leaves the visable dovetail joint when the part is finished.
Apart from using small stub tennons what other ways do members use to join them?

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Are you referring to the joint between drawer dividers and face frame stiles? If so, there's not much there to do anything with as far as joining the parts. Dovetails are good joints there because they resist being pulled apart. You could make the dovetail essentially a half-blind thing if you don't want it to show and you don't want to use mortises and tenons. You could also make the divider deeper front to back and lap it behind the stile. Glue and if you want a screw would take care of that.

 

[dicktimber]

Yes that's the one.
I am so used to using a frame construction with 4 legs and M&T.
I suppose I could make a full face frame which I have also seen used and bis joint it to the front?

While you are there can you tell me why a web frame on a chest of drawers only has two runners secured to the sides if the chest is designed with say two top drawers.
Yet the drawers underneath these are supported by a web frame that goes all the way round with a dust board inset into it?
Why don't these single drawers just have side supports only?
or is that a daft question.?

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I doubt it's a daft question but I don't know the answer for certain. I suppose the rail across the back of the web frame helps to stiffen things. The larger drawers would be heavier so that's probably part of it. Those top drawers only hold the odd hankerchee or three. The frame all the way round also helps to keep the dust panel from sagging in the middle.