How to Make a Homemade Drawer for Silverware

Measure the inside width and length of the silverware drawer with a tape measure.

Cut a 1 1/2-by-4-foot plywood board with a 3/16-inch thickness into eight 1 1/2-inch strips with a table saw.

Cut two strips to the length of the drawer.

Cut two strips to the width of the drawer, removing 3/32 inch from the measurement to fit the side boards. Measure carefully to provide a tight fit.

Cut four strips to 6-inch lengths.

Cut 3/16-by-3/32-inch dadoes into the two drawer-length boards at the front of the boards and 6 inches from the front. The dadoes will hold the front of the insert and the end of the knife, fork and spoon slots.

Cut 3/16-by-3/32-inch dadoes into the two drawer-width boards at equidistant intervals across the board, making five slots. These dadoes need to match in position to keep the slots straight.

Drip glue into the dadoes on all pieces of wood. Place the 6-inch strips of wood into the dado slots and place this section into the drawer-length boards at the two dadoes in the front and 6 inches from the front.

Place scraps of wood on the outside of the silverware insert at the front and the middle. Set a vice on the scraps of wood and tighten the vices. Set another pair of scraps on the front board and the back of the middle section. Place a vice on these boards and tighten it.

Allow the glue in the utensil insert to set for 24 hours.

Place the insert into the drawer. Hammer it down with a scrap of wood and a rubber mallet if it is a tight fit. Drill 1/2-inch screws into the front board on each end and into the front and back ends of the side boards.