I reassembled the drawers that were broken. The dovetail joints were still tight, but I was not satisfied with just glue. I put a nail in each dovetail on both sides of the joint with my pneumatic nailer. I had some ¼” x ¾” wood that I used to put blocking on all four corners and in the middle of the back of the bottom panel. Again, not content with just glue, I pin nailed each block. Even the two drawers that did not need to be repaired were not exempted from additional work. These drawers received additional blocking and reinforcement of the dovetail joints.
I brought up the drawers from the basement. I had the dresser cabinet in the garage. I put the drawers in place. A couple of test opening and closing and I was pleased. However, I was concerned the drawers could be pulled completely out. There were no stops to prevent the drawers from falling out. It was a dilemma that I needed to resolve.
I talked with my wife, Efiwym, about the problem. After bantering back and forth about possible solutions, we came up with an answer, but not right away. The dresser was ready for painting…