Woodworking Tip of The Week - Shop-Made Pull

When it’s time to choose drawer or door pulls for a project, there’s an option that’s often overlooked. Rather than buy something off the shelf or order from a catalog, save the cash and make you own pulls.

Shop-made pulls have some neat advantages. I like the fact that you’re not limited to what’s commercially available. When the work stays in the shop, you can better match the style, size, and wood of the pull to the project. You use up some scrap wood and get unique-looking, custom pulls out of the bargain.

So to get you started, here’s the step-by-step process for one great-looking, easy-to-make pull.
The real key to making this “cut-out” pull is doing things in the right order. I started by laying out the pulls on an extra-wide blank and drilling pairs of holes (upper drawing). You’ll get two pulls from each section. After ripping the blank down the center, the cutouts are completed by removing the waste between the holes on the band saw (left lower drawing).

Then, before cutting the individual pulls from the blanks, you’ll want to bevel the sides on the table saw, as shown in the lower right drawing.

Have a nice weekend,

Phil Huber
Editor, ShopNotes