The Drawers

As I've mentioned before, I'm working on restoration of a 1949 Airstream travel trailer. Alas, I lack a garage, so the trailer is just sitting in my back yard. While temperatures in February were warm enough to work on it several days, March has yet to be so kind. So I've been catching back up on things around the house, and looking at what I can accomplish on the trailer in my basement workshop.

There is some rework on the wheel wells I found must be done, based upon what I discovered when dry fitting one of them. But that's going to take no more than an hour per wheel well, and I'm not doing the work for the other wheel well until I've cleared enough of the old floor away to test fit that one. That, sadly, must wait upon installing the next floor sections and reattaching the aluminum skins in that vicinity, which must in turn wait for accommodating weather. Which leaves me with. . . furniture.

Rear of trailer. From 1949 Airstream brochure

As you can see from the part of the plan shown above, it calls for a little bit of furniture. I managed to salvage the galley, so that's taken care of. I'm holding off on the bed frames for now. That basically leaves the chests of drawers and the closets. I'll leave the closets for later as they involve matching the curve of the interior walls, and I haven't recorded that yet, though I now have an approach to take - once I'm not freezing my hands off trying to trace. That basically leaves the two chests of drawers.

Closet and chest of drawers.  From 1949 Airstream brochure.

I found an article online regarding building a drawer without complicated joinery. The Taunton Press book  Furniture for All Around the House gives several methods for constructing drawers, as well as having plans for an end table with drawer that uses simple wooden rails called runners and kickers rather than expensive drawer slides. Thanks to these and other sources, I have a fair idea of how to construct both the individual drawers, ten in all, and the two cases that shall house them. The finished height needs to be less than 36", which marks the bottom of the windows they'll be sitting in front of.

After work, I made a stop at the orange big box store. Two 1x6 common boards came home with me, along with four 90° corner clamps and Kreg pocket hole jig kit; I'd picked up some 3/8" square dowel the other day, as well. What I purchased should be enough to construct two drawers. However, but the time I'd made my purchases there, done my grocery shopping, had dinner, brought everything in, and took my evening walk. . . it was the time I started writing this post. So construction shall wait upon tomorrow.