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Cherry dry sink
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This authentic cherry dry sink can serve a dual purpose
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By Konrad Sauer, photos by Dave Starrett, illustration by Len Churchill
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Once the drawer sides, face and back are assembled, the raised panel bottom is slid into place. No glue is used here to allow for seasonal movement without cracking
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The recessed sink area and the drawer case are divided by the drawer divider. Cut a tenon on the back edge of the drawer divider and a corresponding mortise in the rear rail-the mortise-and-tenon in the back assembly is offset to allow room for this mortise. Cut a blind dovetail where the drawer divider meets the top front rail. Two final components complete the drawer case: the bridge and the drawer runner. Cut the dovetails which join the bridge to the drawer divider and side, then make the notch which accepts the front stile. Cut tenons on the ends of the drawer runner and fit them into mortises cut in the sink bottom. At this point, dry fit everything you've built so far.
The Base
The main case sits on top of the base frame which in turn is supported by the feet. The joint where the case meets the base frame will be hidden later with the addition of shop-milled cove moulding. Round over the outside edges of the base frame members first then assemble the frame using mitred corners reinforced with biscuits. To make the feet, enlarge the detail from the plan and transfer it onto both sides of each foot blank. I cut the feet by hand with a coping saw but you have access to a bandsaw I suggest using it-you'll preserve your sanity. Once cut, shape and smooth the feet with sandpaper that's been glued to a length of 4" dia. ABS pipe. Join the contoured foot sides together with through dovetails. Cutting these is quite a challenge since the material is so thick. Once they are assembled, attach the feet to the base frame with glue and biscuits. Set the main case assembly on the base assembly.
The Doors
With the main case assembled, the doors and door divider can be put together and fitted. The frame-and-panel doors are built the same way as the sides and back of the main case. The only tricky part of building the doors is fitting the French-style rabbeted overlap where the doors meet the door divider. Start the door divider by rabbeting the edges that will accept the doors. Now cut the decorative bead on each edge. Finally, chamfer the edges of the door divider to allow the doors to swing freely. The hinge edge of each door also gets a bead detail. This bead balances the one on the door divider but more importantly hides the barrel hinges. The hinges you use dictate the diameter of the bead. Mortise the hinges using a sharp chisel and attach them using brass screws. Drive steel screws of the same size to make pilot holes, then install the softer brass screws.
The top of the dry sink consists of a small panel surrounded by a frame. Make the top frame as you did the bottom frame and add the stopped dado on the inside edge. Mill tenons on three hidden edges of the top panel to fit into these dadoes. Assemble the top now.
The Drawer
The drawer is standard construction. Blind dovetail the sides into the back and face, and slide the raised panel bottom into its dado before final assembly.
Time for Glue
dry sinkBegin the final assembly by bringing the case sides together with the bottom panel, sink bottom and door divider. Next attach the case back. Now assemble the front rails and stiles, fitting the drawer divider and bridge as you go. Attach the completed main case to the base with screws. Only two screws are needed, one at each end, driven up from the bottom, through the base frame into the bottom panel of the main case. Attach the top to the main case with glue and biscuits for alignment. Apply the glue only to the middle third of the top edge of the sides to allow for seasonal movement. The final construction step is applying the cove moulding trim. This moulding hides the joints between the base and the main case and between the main case and the top. Mitre the cove to fit then attach it with glue and brads to the base and top only. Not attaching the cove to the sides allows for seasonal movement. Install the door and drawer knobs now.
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