How To Wire Contactor And Overload Relay Contactor Wiring Diagram

For three phase motor we always wire contactor, this post help you in contactor wiring and i hope after this post you will be able to wire a 3 phase motor, i also published a post about 3 phase motor wiring with magnetic contactor and thermal overload relay, but today post and contactor wiring diagram is too simple and easy to learn. 2 days ago i wired 380 to 440 volts contactor for a 3 phase motor and save these images of contactor in PC. Its is important to share with you these images but you can not learn clearly with out a diagram.

How To Wire a Contactor With Overload relay

In the above image i wire a contactor and thermal overload relay for a three phase motor, with NC and NO push button.
Note that NC means Normal Close and NO means  Normal Open, in clear words NC push button is a button which is normally close circuit and NO push button is a button which is normally open electric circuit.

NC push button we use for switching off the motor and NO push button for Switching On the electric circuit or 3 phase motor.

C ontactor buttons

I know these images help you very mush in contactor wiring or contactor instillation but you can not learn completely with out a diagram. So in below contactor wiring diagram i shown a contactor with a thearmal overlaod relay, 3 phase motor and NC, NO push button switches with complete wiring method.

Power wiring diagram

In the above diagram i shown complete method of contactor wiring and 3 phase motor wiring and wiring installation method. Note that always connect the earth wire to the electric motor body. In the above contactor wiring diagram i did not shown any type of step down transformer or neutral wire for magnetic contactor coil because i use a 440 volts contactor in above circuit diagram, however you can learn some more form below links.

Also Read.
How to Wire a 3 Phase Motor With Contactor and Overload Relay.

Message:

I hope you learn some thing form this post and now you will be able to wire a contactor for 3 phase motor, however i will soon write about more power wiring diagram.

The Concrete Mixing Bag Rocks!

I needed to mix about 10 bags cement mix for a small concrete slab and used the Concrete Mixing Bag to do so. I dont have a wheelbarrow or large mixing tub and transporting a small rented cement mixer would be a hassle. The Cement Mixing Bag worked out great and was about half the price of a large mixing tub.

I didnt think to take any pictures or video at the time and the whole process was a little wet but it was fairly clean and easy.

The Concrete Mixing Bag is just a large, thick plastic bag and a hook and loop strap to close the t op. You just cut open your cement mix bag, place the Concrete Mixing Bag over the top,  flip it over, add water, close the top and rock it back and forth. Heres a video showing how to use it.

Some of my tips:

• Dust does come out of the bag when yo u lift up the cement mixs bag so its a good idea to wear respiratory protection.
• Tie it as high as you can so you have a lot of room to mix.
• Bend the bag opening forward while youre rocking the bag so that if any liquid does come out it doesnt shoot onto you, especially your face.
• If you dont rinse the Cement Mixing Bag out between bags your arms will get cement on them as you remove the next bag so you might want to wear something that covers your arms. Cement is very alkaline and can burn your skin so its better to rinse the bag out between bags of mix.
• Mix as close to your pour as possible.
• A dry mix takes longer to mix than a wet one but provides greater strength in your concrete. Aim for the mix recommended on the cement mix bags.
• Can handle up to 80lb bags of cement mix but the 60lb bags are easier to mix and pour.
• If you quickly rock the bag so the cement gets thrown from side to side it mixes faster but takes more effor t. Rolling it with your hands lower to the ground and letting the cement fall from side to side is easier but takes longer. 
• After you rock from both sides, kneed the middle a little to make sure its not dry.

The bag is reusable and I read one person used it for 200 bags.. Just rinse it out with a hose and let it dry. Folds up so it doesnt take up a lot of space.

The instructions are simple and come with different recommendations for the amount of water to add. I found the "ideal" recommendations had more water than what was recommended by the concrete mix. The "Dry" recommendation was fairly close to what the mix suggested. Here are the instructions for reference.

I ordered the Cement Mixing Bag fro m Amazon because I couldnt find it sold anywhere locally. Cost less than $8 and I got it in 2 days with my free Prime shipping. If you buy a lot from Amazon and like to stream movies and tv shows online the Prime membership is well worth it.

Organizing Phone Lines In An Old Home

These days most new construction has well laid out voice, data and video lines but in older homes things can be a bit messy. I recently worked on a small phone project and thought Id share some tips.

Ive helped a family member run some new phone lines a couple of times over the years. The last time being a couple of weeks ago. Thats when I was reminded about what a mess some of the phone wiring was which caused us some problems running the wires.

Back when this house was built there where usually only one or two phone jacks installed. One in the kitchen and one in the master bedroom. Over the years as phones became cheaper more rooms started to get phone jacks and eventually it was common for homes to have multiple lines.

As new phone jacks were added it was common t o just run a line from a nearby phone jack to the new location or even just splice an existing wire in the middle of a run.

It was just easier to run phones in series like that. The problem is, just like Christmas lights that are wired in series, if ones line goes bad all of them could, or at least all the ones that follow after the problem and its difficult to figure out where the problem is.

These days its recommended to have all wires start from a common point with a single wire going to each jack without running cables one jack to another or splicing the wire in between jacks. This is referred to as a star topology and makes it easier to troubleshoot and repair bad lines in the future.

You have your incoming lines from the telephone company enter your home and connect to a device like a 110 or 66 block then youll run your phone lines to each phone jack from there and make connections between the incoming lines and the lines to the jacks.

Sadly, this can be quite difficult to do in an older home without tearing through some existing walls. Luckily for us most of the jacks were wired in a star topology with only a couple of jacks upstairs running off of the only line that ran upstairs from the basement. We could keep that for now.

The big issue though was that there wasnt a 110, 66 or similar device installed that was capable of handling that many connections. To my knowledge, these types of telephone hubs arent very common in older residential phone installations.

Instead there was just a standard telephone wall jack used to make all the connections as a sort of junction box. It was bad enough there were so many wires that it was difficult to keep them secured on the screw terminals while attempting to add more lines but the installer never even bothered to attach it to anything. It was just floating in between a couple of floor joists in the basement. Adding a new phone line usually meant disturbing an existing one and sometimes the wall jack would get jostled while using the storage shelf below it and some of the wires would get knocked loose.

I had originally planned to install a 110 block but since this was a very simple phone system with only one line I opted to go with a Leviton 47689-B 1x9 Bridged Telephone Module (with bracket).

Its a simple device that consists of 10 110 punch down connectors that allow you to connect up to 4 incoming phone lines to up to 9 phone jacks. Its also smaller and easier to use than a 110 or 66 block. All you have to do is punch down the incoming phone lines and the lines that lead to the phone jacks without worrying about making connections between the two.

Looking at the back of the Leviton 47689-B  we can see that its just 10 110 punch down connectors mounted to a c ircuit board with each pin of the connector connected to all of the other pins with the same color of the other connectors in series using traces.

This is designed primarily for residential phone systems and fits into Levitons structured media cabinets. You dont need a structured media cabinet to use it though. There are 2 black push connectors that are used to attach it to the cabinet but I removed both of them carefully with a pair of pliers, leaving 2 holes that I could use to screw the bracket down pretty much anywhere I wanted.

Telephone Wire Color Standards

Over the years the standard wire used for telephone installations has changed. The original wire installed was the old 4 conductor (green, red, black and yellow) that was a fairly thick gauge. This wire is called JK or quad cable and sometimes referred to as Christmas/Haloween cable because of the colors.

Some point later another jack was added using a thinner gauge JK cable. After that the standard wire used for phone installations changed to unsheilded twisted pair (UTP). A couple of runs of 3 pair Cat3 and one run of 4 pair Cat5e were used, a couple of which I helped install.

Cat cable uses a different color scheme. Each pair consists of a wire with the primary color and a second wire with the secondary color striped with the primary color. For example line 1 is a blue wire paired with a white wire with blue stripes. One thing that hasnt changed however is that each phone line still only requires two wires, a tip and a ring.

There are a couple of options. You can try to replace as much of the old JK wiring with Cat5e wiring as possible. Category (Cat) cable is preferred because it can reduce unwanted noise from interference and crosstalk (where you can hear the conversations on one line when connected to a different line.

If you have multiple phone lines or use AD SL you should try to replace as much of it as you can with Cat cable for better quality in your phone service. In our case, we only had one line to worry about so we opted to save the hassle of pulling new cable. Some of it would have been easy since we could just use the existing cable to fish the new cable up to the jacks but theres always a risk of something going wrong that would require us to get into the walls which we didnt want to do.

As long as we followed the color coding standards we could we would be fine.

Line		Cat colors		Old Colors
1	Tip	white/blue		green
	Ring	blue		red
2	Tip	white/orange		black
	Ring	orange		yellow
3	Tip	white/green		white
	Ring	green		blue

With that knowledge in hand I was ready to start wiring up the new panel after mounting it to a wall.

Do one cable at a time

I thought it was a good idea to identify and label the cables while we were working on them again. Some of them seemed obvious but there were some surprises so Im happy we stopped to do that.

I would cut one cable from the wall plate that was used as a junction box then wed check to see which phones stopped working and make a label. We repeated this until we had identified all the lines. We did the incoming line last as we were fairly certain which one that was.

Telephone Wire Splicing

There was one more small problem.. The older, thicker gauge JK wire I believe was thicker than the 110 connectors were designed to accept. I did manage to punch down one of the thicker wires (and the phone worked) but I decided to splice a short section of thinner gauge Cat5e cable onto the other thick JK cables just to make things easier.

I used these Gel Splice UY 2 Port Wire Connectors to splice each wire from the old JK cable to the new Cat5e cable following the color conventions above. These wire connectors work great. You dont need to strip the wires. Just slip one wire from one cable in on one side, the corresponding color wire from the other cable, make sure theyre in all the way then squeeze them with a pair of pliers to make the connection and secure the wires.

(Ooops I just noticed in the photo that the first connection I made on the right I mixed up the tip and ring. It should be green, red, black yellow from top to bottom. Ill fix that later. The phones on those lines still work well though as modern phones arent too picky when it comes to polarity of the tip and ring wires)

Making the connections

Once you know how to terminate cables on a 110 connector it goes pretty fast.

1. Trim off a few inches of the outer cable jacket at the end you are going to terminate but do not cut any of the wires
2. Grab the string you see mixed in with the 4 pairs of wires and pull it down to make a slit in the outer jacket a couple more inches down the outer jacket. Peel back an d trim off the excess jacket and string.
3. Without untwisting the pairs too much and trying to keep as little of the unsheathed pairs showing, Start placing the wires into the grooves in the connector. The connector has colors that tell you which wire pair to insert in that spot to help guide you. The white color goes on top, followed by the primary color cable. So from the top of line 1 down the Cat cable wires should be white/blue, blue, white orange, orange, white green, green, white/brown, brown. Or in the case of the quad cable, green, red, black yellow and white  and blue for line 3 if there are 6 wires.
4. Do one connector at a time and after you place the wire in the slots with your fingers, use a punch down tool to seat the wires in the connector. As you seat the wires, the connector makes a small slit in the insulation which is how the wire connects to the connector without having to strip any of the insulation off before making the connection. If you dont own a punch down tool a small plastic one is included with the panel but it lacks a cutting side that trims off the excess wire as you punch it down so youll need to trim the wires some other way.

One more time here are the colors and how they are inserted in the 110 IDC.

It doesnt matter where you place the incoming phone company line as long as you put all the wires in the correct spot in the connector according to its color code but I like having it at the end so its easy to identify. Also, if you have multiple lines you dont have to punch down all the wires in each conductor if you only want some of the lines going to certain rooms.

Finished Panel

Now this isnt the prettiest wiring job Ive ever seen, or even done but now its a lot easier to find which wire goes where, add on additional runs easier and best of all the connections are more secure and the static that used to be on one run is now gone.

How To Make Series Testing Board For Low Resistance Electrical Appliances Testing

In my last post i share a diagram about making series testing board but my last diagram about series board which is only for connectivity testing, shortage testing, or compressor terminals testing but in this post you will learn that how can you make a testing board, from which you can test the low resistance electrical appliances such as Electric heater, iron etc.

Requirements:

For making or wiring this type of testing board you will require the below electrical substances.
2 Pin socket or Electric outlet
One way switch
bulb socket / bulb holder
Incandescent light bulb

How to make series testing board for low Resistance appliances testing

To make or wire the complete series board, fist of all connect the phase / line wire to the socket./ outlet terminals and then connect the one way switch. After t hat connect a wire between outlet 2nd terminal and bulb socket 2nd terminal, same connect an electric wire between the switch 2nd terminal and the light bulb socket/holder 2nd terminal where we connected an electric wire between socket and holder. In last connect the neutral wire to the 1st terminal of light socket/holder as shown in below diagram.

How to Test Electrical Low Resistance appliances Short Circuit By electrical testing board.

After making this type of electric wiring circuit or board we can test any electrical applianc es internal and external short circuit, e.g example if you want to test an electric heater. We know that very well that electric heater have very low internal resistance.
So if we want test internal short circuit in electric heater using the this testing board, first of all plug in heater shoe- in outlet and the light bulb will glow up complete but its not glow completely, its will be glowing 90 to 95 % and when we switch on the bulb will glow up to 100 %. Its means that the heater have no internal short circuit. If switch on off, the light bulb does not shown any changes in light glowing then its means that electric heater have internal short circuit and if the bulb is not glowing then its means that the electric heater have internal or external open circuit.

Message 

This is post is about making series testing board and its complete diagram however i will guide you further about working and uses in of series board in electrica l circuit.

Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagram Light Switch

This article contains the wiring diagram for a ceiling fan and a light kit. The wiring arrangements for electrical source at the switch and at the ceiling fixture. It could be a single switch wiring or double switch wiring.

Every wire connected to a switch are hot wires. The neutral wires and ground wires are not connected to the switch. Usually the hot wire to the fan in a fan/light combination kit is black while the blue wire is usually for light. Then the white wire is the neutral which is connected to source neutral at the source or with the use of a splice in the switch box. The white wire can also be used to carry current if needed. When it is used to carry current, it should be wrapped with an electrical tape to indicate it as hot. The ground wires will be green and/or bare copper.  The ground wire should be spliced open with a short piece of wire and connected to every device an d outlet box with a grounding terminal.

DANGER: The mains must always be turned off before any work is started.  To avoid electrocution, the supply to the circuit must be dead. Turn the power off yourself and use a tester screwdriver to be extra sure. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. One can’t be too careful when it comes to working with electricity.

 Ceiling fan Single Switch Wiring Diagram
This wiring method is used when the power source is from the switch and one wants to control the fan and light from that single switch. The hot source is connected directly to the bottom terminal on the switch. From there, two wires run to the ceiling fan. The neutral source wire is spliced to the white cable wire in the switch box and to the white fan wire at the other end. The black cable wire is connected to the top terminal on the switch and spiced to the black and blue wires at the fan at the other end

 Ceiling  Fan and Light switch wiring diagram :

The line voltage enters the switch outlet box and the hot wire will connect to every switch. Switch hots and line neutral will connect to a 3-wire-cable that travels to the fan/light outlet box in the ceiling. The light kit will switch to the red wire of the 3-way cable and the fan control switch will connect to the black wire. 

In this diagram, the black wire of the ceiling wire is for the fan and the blue wire is for the light kit.

With the diagrams listed above, you can wire a ceiling fan with either a single switch or double switch.

•  3 Way Switch Wiring  
•  4 Way Switch Wiring 
•  Ethernet Wiring 

Simple Contemporary Black Nightstand Plans

Free DIY plans to build your own sleek, black, contemporary nightstand with three drawers to help keep your bedside clutter at bay. Features big, recessed, stainless steel lift handles for drawer pulls.

This black, closed nightstand has contemporary styling. Three large drawers provide storage for convenient items youd like to have near your bed such as reading glasses, books, magazines as well as clothes storage for items that dont fit in your dresser. They make great sock and underwear drawers or sto rage for your pajamas and other sleepwear.

The recessed lift handles help to give it more of an industrial look. For the sailor the handles will bring back a feeling of being out cruising as they are typical of handles used on boats. You can choose to install one or two handles per drawer depending on the look youre after.

Dimensions

Dimensions: 20 1/2"W x 24"H x 17"D

What Youll Need

Materials

• (2) 3/4" Plywood 2 x 4 (Carcass)
• (1) 1/2" Plywood 2 x 4 (Drawer Boxes)
• (1) 1/4" Plywood 2 x 4 (Drawer Bottoms)
• (1) 2x2 Board
• (1) 1x2 6 Board
• (1) 1x3 8 Board
• (1)&nbs p;1x8 6 Board (Drawer Fronts)
• (15) 3/4" Veneer Edgebanding
• (3) Recessed Drawer Pulls
• (3) Drawer Slides (pairs)
• Assorted Sandpaper
• Primer and Paint (or pre-stain, stain and finish coat)

Tools

• Drill and assorted bits
• Miter Box or Miter Saw
• Circular saw with guide, track saw or table saw
• Kreg Jig
• Chisels
• Hammer
• Iron (for edgebanding)
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Sanding block or finish sander
• Painting supplies

Make sure you understand how to use all the tools properly and follow all safety precautions.

Cut-List

• (2) 15 5/8" x 22 1/4" Sides (3/4" Ply)
• (1) 18 1/2" x 22 1 /4" Back (3/4" Ply)
• (1) 14 1/2" x 18 1/2" Bottom (3/4" Ply)
• (1) 12" x 15 1/2" Top (3/4" Ply)
• (4) 18 1/2" x 4" Stretchers (3/4" Ply)
• (6) 4 1/2" x 17 5/8" Drawer Box Front/Back (1/2" Ply)
• (6) 4 1/2" x 12" Drawer Box Sides (1/2" Ply)
• (3) 12 3/8" x 17" Drawer Bottoms (1/4" Ply)
• (4) 1" Feet (2x2)
• (2) 17" Base Front/Back * (1x2)
• (2) 13" Base Sides (1x2)
• (2) 20 1/2" Top Edge Front/Back (1x3)
• (2) 17" Top Edge Sides (1x3)

* Some drawer slides may require a different size drawer box. Check the specs for your slides to determine the width of the drawer box.

Cut Plan

Plywood

The plan calls for using 2 x 4 (quarter) sheets of plywood. If you plan on making 2 ni ghtstands you can save a little bit of money by buying 1 full sheet of the 3/4" plywood. If you dont have an easy way to transport such a large sheet you might still want to go with 2 x 4 sheets because theyre easier to transport. Home Depot has a few different species of 2 x 4 PureBond hardwood veneered plywood available on their website which are eligible for free shipping. Takes all the hassle out of buying plywood. Click the image on the right to explore their options in their lumber department. The PureBond plywood is made by Columbia Forest Products using Soy Based adhesives and is formaldehyde free.

Note on Edgebanding: Depending on the thickness of the edgebanding you use, you may need to cut some of the pieces a little smaller to accommodate. The kraft paper backed Edgemate edgebanding is only .022" (~ 3/128) thick which is too think to account for in a piece like this.

3/4" Plywood

Whether youre painting or staining your nightstand some of the grain texture will still show through so its important to get plywood that has a nice grain structure such as red oak, maple, walnut, cherry, etc.

1/2" Plywood

A good choice for the drawer boxes is 1/2" maple plywood. HomeDepot.com offers PureBond 1/2 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Maple Plywood at an affordable price which is currently eligible for free shipping .

If you dont have a table saw or router: it might be easier to make the rabbet cuts (discussed bellow in more detail) before you cut out the drawer box sides using a guide and a circular saw. That way the rabbets will line up perfectly on  at least 3 of the sides.

1/4" Plywood

The 1/4" Plywood is used for the drawer bottoms. Any 1/4" plywood (not MDF) will do such as PureBond 1/2 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Maple Plywood.

Boards

All of the boards below should be of a wood that matches the species of the plywood youre using for the nightstand carcass. This is especially true if youre planing on staining the nightstand. Its a little less important if youre going to paint the cabinet, which is recommended for getting an even black finish, but still best to get the same species. 

2x2

You only need about 4" but get at least 12" so you have something to hold onto while making the cuts.  Actual dimensions will be 1 1/2" x 1 1/2". Board should be S4S (surfaced 4 sides). These will make up the legs of the nightstand. Use a stop-block on your miter saw to ensure all pieces are the same height. If youd like to increase the size of your nightstand you can make these legs longer.

1x2

Actual dimensions are 3/4" x 1 1/2". This will be the apron around the base of the nightstand, between the legs.

1x3

These pieces will form the edge around the nightstand top to give it a nicer look. Actual dimensions are 3/4" x 2.5".

1x8

The 1x8s make up the drawer front s. An appearance grade S4S board in a species that matches your 3/4" plywood. Actual dimensions will be 3/4" x 7.25".

Step 1

Begin by cutting out the 3/4" Plywood pieces for the Sides, Back, Bottom and Stretchers of the nightstand. The cut plan assumes the direction of the grain is running along the long end of the plywood boards. The plan calls for the grain on the sides to run up/down. The grain direction for the back and bottom arent as important since they wont be seen. If the grain on your plywood runs in a different direction or youd like to have the grain running in a different direction on your nightstand, make the appropriate changes to your cut plan.

It is important that the bottom piece is 3/4" sho rter than the width of the sides (before applying edgebanding) so that the drawer fronts fit flush.

Step 2

Drill all pocket holes as shown and attach the veneer edgebanding to the front of the bottom piece. Attach the bottom piece to the back as shown using wood glue and 1-1/4" coarse thread pan head screws.

Step 3

Drill 1 or 2 pocket holes on the inside top middle of each side panel to attach the top later. Apply edgebanding to the front and back of the side pieces. Then screw the sides to the bottom and back using wood glue and 1-1/4" coarse thread Maxi-Loc head pocket hole screws in the holes previously drilled on the back and bottom.

Step 4

The 4 stretchers should be the same width as the back and bottom pieces to hold the cabinet carcass square.  Apply edgebanding to the front of 3 of the 4 stretchers that will be installed in the front of the nightstand. Recheck for square and attach the stretchers as shown using 1-1/4" coarse thread Maxi-Loc screws and wood glue.

Step 5

Temporarily attach the cabinet side half of the drawer glides to the cabinet following the specifications for the slides you purchased. You will need to remove and replace them when painting the cabinet but its much easier to mark and align them before the top goes on.

Step 6

Cut and assemble the pieces for the top of the nightstand making sure its square. The mitered 1x3s are cut to 2 different lengths. The top should be 1/2" wider and 1" deeper than the nightstand carcass. Use wood glue and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws.

Hint: Its best to cut the mitered boards after you cut the plywood and cut them a little longer than necessary. Cut them back after dry fitting them around the plywood top. Its important that the 2 pairs of boards are the same length to get a tight mitered corners. Cut one board, then cut just one side of the next board and stack the two together on top of your miter saw and use the first piece to help guide the cut.

Align the top with the nightstand. It should be flush with the back, o verhang 1/4" on each side and 1" at the front. Secure the top with wood glue and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws from the sides of the cabinet and 1-1/4"  countersunk wood screws from the stretchers up into the top.

The Bosch Clic-Change 7-Piece Phillips Bit and Countersinking Set will drill the pilot holes and countersinks at the same time. The set doesnt come with the Clic-Change chuck but the bits will fit in a normal chuck. You just wont get the quick change feature. 

Step 7

Cut and assemble the base components so they will be flush with the bottom of the back and sides of the carcass. Use 1-1/4" fine thread Maxi-Loc head screws for the pocket holes and wood glue for the base. To attach the base to the cabinet use wood glue and pre-drill and countersink for 1-1/4" wood fine thread wood screws from the 1x2 pieces up into the carcass.

Step 8

Before cutting the pieces for the drawer boxes, measure the actual width or the nightstand opening and the actual width of your 1/2" plywood. The drawer slides need to be aligned well and the cabinet square for them to operate effectively. Make any corrections necessary when building your drawer boxes.

You will need to cut a 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet 1/2" up from the bottom of all the drawer box sides. If you have a router with a guide or router table or a table saw this is very easy but you can also cut the rabbet out with a circular saw set at only 1/4" deep and a cutting guide.. You might need to make 2 passes. Cut a test rabbit in some scrap wood to make sure youre not cutting too deep and make sure the 1/4" plywood edge will fit in the groove.

When using a circular saw I find it best to cut rabbets first, then cut out the 4.5" strips across the entire length of the plywood. Finally I trim the long strips to the right width using a miter saw.

Dry fit the drawer boxes to make sure they fit together right and square. Double check the measurements to make sure it will leave the required space on each side of for the drawer slides (usually 1/2").

Once youre ready, drill 4 pocket holes on the front and back pieces (opposite the side with the rabbet). Dont forge to adjust your Kreg Jig and drill bit for the 1/2" material. Glue and screw 3 of the sides using 1" coarse th readed screws. Slide the 1/4" drawer bottom into the groove but do not glue it. If the 1/4" plywood is slightly bowed (which happens frequently with this thin plywood) try to flatten it out and slide it in with the crown side up. Finally glue and screw the 4th piece to complete the drawer.

If you have a router give the top edges of the drawer a slight round over, otherwise use a file or sander to knock down the edges of the plywood a bit. Or you can cover them with 1/2" maple edgebanding.

Step 9

Attach the other halves of the drawer glides to the drawer boxes according to the drawer glide specs and make sure they work properly.

Step 10

Measure and cut the 1 x 8 board (should be 3/4" x 7 1/4" actual dimensions) for your drawer fronts. Cut them 1/4" shorter than the actual width of your cabinet opening so that there is a 1/8" gap between the sides of the cabinet and the drawer front on each side. Use shims to position the drawer fronts to make sure everything looks fine before continuing. 

Step 11

The lift handles used for drawer pulls need to be recessed into the drawer fronts. Measure and mark the positions on all three drawer fronts. Double check to make sure they all line up, then cut out the recess using either a router or a hammer and chisel.  Use a sharp utility knife to carefully score around the area that needs to be removed to help prevent chipping and splintering.

Step 12

Use double sided tape on the drawer fronts. Starting with the bottom drawer place the drawer front on the drawer box where youd like it, using shims to get the spacing correct, then press it against the tape to temporarily hold it in place. Repeat for the remaining drawers. Carefully slide the shims betw een the top and middle drawer out and slide out the top drawer. Drive 4 1" round head wood screws from the inside of the drawer box into the back of the drawer front at the corners to secure it in place. Repeat for the remaining drawer fronts.

Finishing

You can leave the drawer boxes unfinished but 2 coats of a water based finish such as Minwax Water-Based Wipe-On Poly  will help seal and protect them.

For the rest of the nightstand you have two options. You can either paint it black or use a black stain. Staining is a little more difficult and time consuming and it can be difficult to get the black stain to look exactly how some people like. Black paint will still allow some of the texture of the wood to show through but wont be as pronounced as staining. Painting will provide a more even color.

Staining Black

Sand and clean the entire nightstand. Apply a pre stain wood conditioner followed by 3-4 coats of a black wood stain such as Minwax Ebony Wood Stain. Finally finish with a water based satin polyurethane.

Painting Black

Sand and clean the entire nightstand and brush on a good qual ity primer such as Kilz Odorless Interior Oil Based Sealer Primer, Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Sealer, or my favorite Zinsser B-I-N Shellac Base Primer & Sealer. After the primer has dried, lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper.

Follow up with 2 coats of a good black paint such as Benjamin Moores Aura in satin finish or for a stronger finish Rustoleum Satin Bl ack Protective Enamel Oil Base Paint.