Musings on kitchen drawers

[Dave Sabo]

My experience has been that people who know / want beaded inset cabinetry know what dovetail drawers are.
For me, it's one of those critical details.


I also agree that for one kitchen it's cheaper, faster and better to outsource the drawers.

[Victor Robinson]

So those of you that prefer solid wood, how do you like to finish the drawers in an efficient manner?

[Lee Schierer]

Many consumers would not know the difference, some would. My daughter and daughter in law certainly would. As others have recommended, build what you feel is the better design. If you sell the house, the house is no longer yours so what the new owners do doesn't matter. The trend these days seems to be that home buyers want their style and it doesn't matter what is there they want to change it to suit their vision, which is often limited by budget. In the drive to make every house "open concept" a lot of good material is going to the land fill.

[Sam Murdoch]

For years and years - as a custom cabinet maker - I have "educated" my clients that - with the refinement and smooth operation of mechanical drawer slides - whether the Blum Tandem types or side mount Accurides types (not the 70s 1 wheel on a side rail version) - dovetails constructed drawers serve no structural purpose but are now merely affectations.

PLEASE NOTE that on furniture pieces that I have built I nearly have always incorporated hand cut dovetail drawer boxes. My argument isn't anti dovetail but that the construction method is overkill for a 5 piece drawer box riding on good mechanical slides.

In cases where I have built a more production 4 piece box - as for office furniture - in which the finished cherry front is the only front of the solid wood or baltic birch drawer box - these, whether on mechanical or wood slides - I have incorporated a sliding dovetail for the connection of the sides to the front piece and the back into the sides.

Finishing these was easy enough especially if the entire box was painted or clear coated. In the situation where I had a painted exterior drawer face but a clear coated box, I finished the inside including the back of the drawer and its edges (so that the dovetail could show , after all that was the point of this construction - a "dovetail box") then resanded the face and painted it after a tedious bit of taping off.

These days for kitchen/bath cabinetry using mechanical slides - dominos have become my standard 5 piece drawer box construction method now, though for painted boxes I would not hesitate to build using finish screws and glue. My clients have never complained. For those who insist on dovetails I farm out the boxes and charge accordingly. The clients know they are paying extra. Maybe it seems silly to give work away but I just can't stand the tedium of production dovetailing. My 2¢.

[roger wiegand]

I'm about to replace another two glued/stapled drawers in my kitchen that have failed. I hope whatever you do will be better than the shortcuts they guys who built mine took!

[Martin Wasner]

One of the really nice things about soft close slides, people can't slam drawers shut anymore. That little shock in there does a lot for preserving the integrity of a mediocre drawer box.

Doors too. It's way easier on the joinery not having them slam.

[Mel Fulks]

Sam, you have patiently explained the modern reality.

[Bill McNiel]

Victor, if I tried that Domino method, I'd probably create shop-made dominos that are normal, solid stock that somehow ties into the project since they would be exposed. It would also insure that the mortise was fully filled. The commercial dominos have edges that are "less than pretty", IMHO, and I'm not sure I'd want to expose them. But I'm also intersted in Bill's input on that.

I use the Festool manufactured Dominos, they fully fill the mortice with no gaps (possibly because I brush glue in the mortice and on the Domino). I have never experienced any serrated edge gaps but I don't examine them with high power optical instruments other than my reading glasses. I use the LV flush cut saw, quick sand for dead flat/flush and then wipe the area with Arm R Seal which seems to match the prefinish nicely. Try the process with some scrap, I like the look and it does provide a mechanical connection that is simple and effective.

FWIW-For commissioned work I use Hettich Quadro slides which cost a little less than Blums but are, IMHO, easier to install and work really well. For shop quality I use KVTT 100s which are side mount but only cost $4.00 to $5.50 a pair vs $25 to $30 for quality undermounts.

Regards - Bill

[lowell holmes]

Is drawer side material available? It used to be.

[Bill McNiel]

Is drawer side material available? It used to be.

It is in Seattle.

[Terry Wawro]

Is drawer side material available? It used to be.

I know that my preferred lumber yard carries it. It's also available online. Search for "prefinished drawer sides"

[Victor Robinson]

I use the Festool manufactured Dominos, they fully fill the mortice with no gaps (possibly because I brush glue in the mortice and on the Domino). I have never experienced any serrated edge gaps but I don't examine them with high power optical instruments other than my reading glasses. I use the LV flush cut saw, quick sand for dead flat/flush and then wipe the area with Arm R Seal which seems to match the prefinish nicely. Try the process with some scrap, I like the look and it does provide a mechanical connection that is simple and effective.

FWIW-For commissioned work I use Hettich Quadro slides which cost a little less than Blums but are, IMHO, easier to install and work really well. For shop quality I use KVTT 100s which are side mount but only cost $4.00 to $5.50 a pair vs $25 to $30 for quality undermounts.

Regards - Bill

I'll definitely give this a try in the near future. Once you get going I imagine it's quite a bit faster than routing drawer lock joints. I remember someone detailing the technique on the FOG a few years back when they first started selling the 4mm Dominos and bits (maybe it was you...) and I recall that there was minimal if any gapping due to using the commercial dominos.

I've never used anything but Blum for undermounts and learned their....requirements....pretty well during my vanity project. Their setup provides a lot (maybe even too much) of up/down, side-to-side, and depth adjustability, especially if you use the drawer front adjusters as well. Easy for a dummy like me to get perfect reveals on inset drawers.

[Victor Robinson]

One of the really nice things about soft close slides, people can't slam drawers shut anymore. That little shock in there does a lot for preserving the integrity of a mediocre drawer box.

Doors too. It's way easier on the joinery not having them slam.

You are so right. The havoc that my toddler can wreak on the cabinetry is really minimized.

Blum killed the dovetail.

[Jim Becker]

Blum killed the dovetail.

They actually make a pretty nifty metal drawer box system, too. Ikea adopted it and it's also available to normal shlubs like the rest of us. I certainly wouldn't use it for fine furniture, but it's worthy of consideration, especially for "very modern" style kitchens and similar cabinet storage needs. I have the Ikea branded version in our laundry room and they have worked flawlessly for years. Soft close, too. So in addition to whacking dovetails, Blum might also squash wooden drawer in some Cases. (pardon the pun)

[Victor Robinson]

They actually make a pretty nifty metal drawer box system, too. Ikea adopted it and it's also available to normal shlubs like the rest of us. I certainly wouldn't use it for fine furniture, but it's worthy of consideration, especially for "very modern" style kitchens and similar cabinet storage needs. I have the Ikea branded version in our laundry room and they have worked flawlessly for years. Soft close, too. So in addition to whacking dovetails, Blum might also squash wooden drawer in some Cases. (pardon the pun)

Oh believe me, I know all about those Ikea Blum drawers. Our kitchen is Ikea (innards, fronts are custom mahogany)...around 10 years old and every piece of hardware is working flawlessly. We flipped it pretty cheaply - I wasn't really much of a woodworker at the time. I've been biding my time waiting for the right moment to offer the wife some "finer" custom cabs and new appliances...

I even have leftover Ikea/Blum drawers in my shop in various forms...my router table cabinet has 'em too.

And I agree, they can work quite well for modern designs, even high-end. The kitchen in question, however, will be more of a traditional style.