Minor shop organization

A recent FineWoodworking tip caught my eye, a small drawer built for the tubular rails on many tablesaws. I realized I had materials on hand to pull this off, and also had some small accessories that could utilize the admittedly tight space.

Drawer is simple butt joints glued and stapled, 1/4" sides and 1/2" bottom.

I took the opportunity to make the end cap a little fancy ;-]
Leopardwood and maple in white oak.

2 Likes

that is a 1st rate idea…

Craig, that is really a cool idea, and you pulled it off excellently. Those inlays are the frosting on the cake.
Herb

1 Like

That’s a nice use of the space! How deep does the drawer go? Did you do anything to make it pull out smoothly?

1 Like

I might add to Tims question, is there a stop to keep from pulling out too far?
Herb

It’s about 30" long, long enough I didn’t feel a need for a stop. That was just the length of the 1/4 ply scrap I had on hand.

It’s just slip fit and waxed, but it’s definitely a smooth operator. In fact, it gets a little bit of damping from the piston effect; when you push it in there’s a whistle from the cap on the other end.

Only thing I’d do differently is the staples. They were a bit long, when I cut a groove on the bottom to accommodate some screws that were poking in the bottom of the rail I ended up running my tablesaw blade through some staples. Not the end of the world, but certainly not ideal.

3 Likes

That long wouldn’t need a stop. Was this end of the tube open, or did you have to remove the end cap?
HErb