Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: How to design mission inset drawers

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Port Orchard WA
    Posts
    435

    How to design mission inset drawers

    I am working on plans for a mission bed withstorage drawers. I want the sides to be face framed with inset drawers.
    I realized that I can't sketchup the plan until I fully comprehend how my draw slides will install, and I discovered that
    I have no idea how to set up for inset drawers in a faceframe. I prefer to utilize bottom slides, but am open to all suggestions.

    Bed is Eastern king sized and will basically consist of two 24"x80"x14" sections spaced appropriately apart. Each section housing
    three 18" drawers. Face frame will be Oak, balance of cabinet will be ply.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Napa Valley, CA
    Posts
    916
    You will create the drawer opening in the face frame, whatever size you want. Your drawer hardware will determine what size to build the drawer to fit the opening.

    In general, you would have a panel or spacer flush to the side of the opening (especially for side-mount hardware, but also for Blum Tandem undermount and others.) Clearances at the sides, top, and bottom all depend on the hardware, but for a rule-of-thumb, I use 1/8-1/4 at the bottom, and 1/2 at the top (for sidemount) and set undermount right on the bottom of the opening (with the Blum undermount, this puts the drawer box 9/16" above the bottom of the opening), with 1/2" clearance +/- at the top.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    mid-coast Maine and deep space
    Posts
    2,656
    This assumes that you are making a 5 piece drawer box, i.e. applying a false front - make the opening whatever you want or need. The bottom mount or side mount slides are hidden by the added front and the drawer box behind is sizes according to the drawer slide specs. I prefer to flush the cabinet sides to the sides of the face frame so there is no need for pad outs or other such extra work.

    A drawer box without a false front requires either that the cabinet sides and bottom become the drawer "slides" or that you dado the drawer box to receive some type of a wood runner attached to the sides of the "cabinet". Stop the dado so that it does not come through the front of the drawer box.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,494
    Blog Entries
    1
    Something like so? The bottom glide is strictly representational but, the false front is pretty standard. I avoid center glides (except in addition to side glides) as they seem to fail pretty easily even with light loads. Maybe I haven't been trying the right make but, Accuride and KV have both been unacceptable over the long run. Just my experience so don't take it as gospel.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 05-03-2013 at 7:52 AM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Port Orchard WA
    Posts
    435
    So, using a false front, does the undermount slide mount on the bottom of the drawer box front and the drawer back, as shown in the drawing by Glenn, or onto the inset drawer bottom with a notch cut out in the rear for the slide to pass through?
    If it mounts flush to the drawer bottom, what does the bottom inset need to be?
    I've been told that there are some undermount brackets that are quite easily adjustable for reveal after installation without using shims. Does anyone know who makes these?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Napa Valley, CA
    Posts
    916
    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Spool View Post
    So, using a false front, does the undermount slide mount on the bottom of the drawer box front and the drawer back, as shown in the drawing by Glenn, or onto the inset drawer bottom with a notch cut out in the rear for the slide to pass through?
    That depends on the hardware. Get the hardware (or at least decide what hardware to use) before you build the drawers.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Spool View Post
    I've been told that there are some undermount brackets that are quite easily adjustable for reveal after installation without using shims. Does anyone know who makes these?
    Try looking at the Blum 563. If you are not familiar with these, there will be a learning curve involved, but they work great and adjust in all directions. Here is one source:

    http://www.cabinetparts.com/g/tandem...er-slides-blum

    Click on the "Inset Drawer" link on the left for some technical info.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Port Orchard WA
    Posts
    435
    Thanks so much for the advise

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •