Well-made drawers always bring a project to the next level. It’s rewarding to open a drawer and be greeted by a clean, locking rabbet joint, and there are a few things that transform a cabinet from a hunk of wood to a piece of furniture quite like an array of knobs (aside from the finish perhaps). Yet there’s one part of a drawer that often gets overlooked: the bottom.
For many people (myself included for a while) a plywood bottom is enough. However, a nice drawer liner isn’t just for the looks — there are some benefits even in a shop cabinet like the one you see above. First off, the felt keeps the tools from sliding around in the drawer.
Pull Tab. A simple piece of folded painter’s tape makes a great pull tab for easy drawer cleaning.
Second, it makes cleaning the drawer a lot easier (as long as you have a pull tab). All you need to do is pull out the liner, blow out any dust with an air hose, then wipe the drawer bottom and put everything back.
Step 1: Posterboard Back. Begin by cutting a piece of posterboard to size. This piece will act as a backer for the felt.
Step 2: Spray Adhesive. A coating of simple spray adhesive works well to adhere the felt to the posterboard.
Step 3: Roll On. Apply an oversized piece of felt to the posterboard, then roll out any bubbles and waves with a J-roller.
Step 4: Trim Flush. Use a wheel cutter to trim the felt to final size. A ruler makes a good straightedge to keep the cut flush.
You can see the steps I took to make the liner above. I used a piece of posterboard as rigid backing, so that was first to be cut. After cutting an oversized piece of felt as well, I coated one side of the posterboard with spray adhesive.
Before laying on the felt, I folded a small piece of painter’s tape in half and stuck it to the posterboard; this would be the pull tab. To finish up, I laid the felt onto the posterboard, rolled it out, and cut it flush. -Jordan Harper Altoona, PA
