Drawer Front Panel and Wood Movement

[james glenn]

I am renovating my Family Room and now to the point where I am building cabinets to be installed in some recessed areas that used to have a fireplace. (It's a long story, but it needed to come out)
My design is to have the wall with a TV mounted be partially covered in glued up panels of walnut with 1/2" reveals of maple (horizontally and vertically) in a random yet ordered pattern behind the panels and secured to the wall. Walnut panels will then attach to these with brads or maybe cleats.

Total width about 10ft and 9ft high. I built and installed a "mantle" of 16ft long X 9" high X 12" deep already with drawers and the top is at 43" above the floor. This is glued up OSB strips.

Drawer fronts are to be approx. 12" high and 24" wide and I planned on using the washer screws with oversized holes in the drawer box as the means of attachment.

So my question:

Will wood movement be an issue on the drawer fronts if attached this way? They will have the 1/2" maple reveal as well, which is really the face frame of the cabinet box. The idea is to run the grain vertically and the drawers would look like they are just part of the wall paneling. I routed grove in the bottom of the drawer front will be the pull.

Also, should I worry about the mounted wall panels? Largest panels will be approx. 28"wide X 45" high.

[Sam Murdoch]

I think I follow what you intend though I might be a bit so I will try to answer your questions with a workable solution.

I would be NOT to use screws in overside holes for drawer fronts this wide NOR pins for the glued up panels.

My inclination - though after the fact this might not be practical - would be to add some dovetail shaped supports to the drawer boxes with screws and slide the drawer fronts over these. The fit of the dovetail "cleat" could be snug to the drawer front with a coat of wax to allow for the initial slip on. One per 12" high drawer front should be sufficient though I think I would use 2.

The drawer front could be pinned in the center of each cleat just to ensure that future wood movement would be symmetrical (kind of) from side to side. The oversized holes for something this wide and heavy will ultimately fail to keep everything properly aligned. The dovetail cleat will keep the panels flat as well as allow wood movement. Finish all surfaces and edges equally.

If this treatment is possible I would do the same on the wall panels. They are pretty wide too.

Now maybe rather than a sliding cleat you could use the "french" cleat idea which is a 1/2 dovetail cleat on the drawer box and a 1/2 dovetail cleat on the drawer front (wall panel). One simply hangs in the other. Same result with less work.

There are some very nice low profile 2 part metal cabinet hanging rails that could do this very well too.

My answer is evolving as I write to simpler and easier .

[Jerry Miner]

"Will wood movement be an issue ..?"

In a word, yes. A 24" wide solid lumber drawer front will move. Oversized holes may be enough to accommodate the movement, but a safer approach would be a horizontal slot, rather than a hole---to allow greater movement. I use a Roto-Zip for this, but a router or drill and chisel/file can work, too.

A 28" wall panel will also move. Sam's idea of metal French-cleats is a proven method. Here's one source: Z-clips

[james glenn]

Attached is a quick SketchUp of the concept. The panel sizes have changed since this was done.

[IMG][/IMG]

[james glenn]

I was thinking about the French cleat idea prior to fasteners, but I am not sure how to get the top panel on when the ceiling doesn't allow the space to get above the cleat and drop down?

[Sam Murdoch]

I was thinking about the French cleat idea prior to fasteners, but I am not sure how to get the top panel on when the ceiling doesn't allow the space to get above the cleat and drop down?

Use the cleat on all but the smaller end panel. Slide the big panels on, pin the last one. OR - modify the design to allow the 1-1/2" or so needed at the top. Add a strip of molding - at the floor too. Could enhance the design.

[james glenn]

Use the cleat on all but the smaller end panel. Slide the big panels on, pin the last one. OR - modify the design to allow the 1-1/2" or so needed at the top. Add a strip of molding - at the floor too. Could enhance the design.

Sometimes it's the simplest solutions that are the best!

Thanks for the help guys.

[Gene Davis]

I recommend plywood, actually MDF faced with walnut veneer. In my metro Denver location, I would send a file to a guy who would CNC-cut it all from sheets, and edgeband it for me. Clean, precise, no tearout. The way a pro architectural millwork house would do it.