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How to Make A Custom Wood Drawer Pull

How to Make A Custom Wood Drawer Pull

I saved the design and building of the Custom Wood Drawer Pulls for last. Mainly because I had no idea what I was going to do for a drawer pull; all I knew was I wanted it to be made from wood. I searched through all my design books and all over the web, looking for inspiration. I finally came across Darrell Peart’s website in the Green and Green Style. Now, this desk is not in the Green and Green style, but I liked the simplicity of the drawer pull on his pieces and thought they would work well with my desk.

As always, when I take inspiration from another maker, I try to change it in some way and add my own flavor to it. Darrel’s drawer pulls were straight across, dowels set between two posts. I decided to make mine tapered, a little more like a traditional drawer pull. I also thought the curve in the taper would complement the curve in the legs and side panels.

Using a wrench as a gauge on the latheI started with a blank in the lathe and measured off the width of the drawer pull. I used a 3/8 wrench to set the final diameter of the ends. This was important because I was going to use a 3/8 inch drill bit to drill the holes in the posts that these drawer pulls would be glued into.

Tapering a wooden handle on the lathe Next, I found the center of the Custom Wood Drawer Pull. This would be the thickest part of the pull, and as I turned it, I tapered it down towards the ends, creating the final shape. Once I had the basic shape I wanted, I sanded out any imperfections and refined the taper.

Cutting Small parts on a table saw crosscut sledMy crosscut sled seemed to be the safest, most accurate way to cut the posts.

Woodworking courses taught by master craftsman Brain Benham

 Simple drill press jig for drilling holes in the centerI used two stop blocks I got from the scrap bin and clamped them to the drill press table. This little jig made it easy to drill all the holes in the center of the posts quickly and accurately. I used the outside shoulder of the Forstner bit to gauge my depth, which I had pre-measured and added to the Custom Wood Drawer Pulls length before turning it.

Sanding small parts with a belt sanderTo create the round-over effect on the edge of the posts, I did a combination of hand sanding and shaping at my oscillating belt sander.

Handmade drawer pulls The final drawer pulls turned out pretty well. I used walnut for the posts, and the same spalted maple for the Custom Wood Drawer Pulls that I used for the accent panels on the sides of the desk. To finish the Custom Wood Drawer Pulls I used clear satin lacquer which I applied using a spray gun.

Please Check out my other posts on how to build a writing desk:
Building the Legs and Accent Panels

Follow this link if you would like me to build you a custom desk or see more pictures of completion.


I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.

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