Inset Drawers

[Tapper]

I'm building a set of base cabinets with inset drawers for the shop, a bank of 15+ ft. In the process of building the boxes now and have the full extension slides, side mount. Looking for a consistent and easy method of attaching the fronts to the boxes (realizing this may be an oxymoron!). I've Googled it and read several different suggestions.

If anyone has used a jig they like I'd be interested in it or any other ideas you may have.

Thanks,

Doug

[atgcpaul]

I'm building a set of base cabinets with inset drawers for the shop, a bank of 15+ ft. In the process of building the boxes now and have the full extension slides, side mount. Looking for a consistent and easy method of attaching the fronts to the boxes (realizing this may be an oxymoron!). I've Googled it and read several different suggestions.

If anyone has used a jig they like I'd be interested in it or any other ideas you may have.

Thanks,

Doug

I only had to do this for 2 sets of drawers side by side, not 15'.  I used nickels as the spacers from top to bottom and a dime as a spacer on the left and right edge of each drawer front.  I stacked up the 4 drawer fronts with the nickels in between and made size adjustments to the fronts until the fit was good.

I then removed all but the bottom drawer box, put my coin spacers in place, applied double stick tape to the bottom drawer front, and pressed it in place.  As insurance I used 2 Irwin quick clamps to hold the drawer front to the box and screwed in from the inside of the box into the drawer front using self-tapping panhead screws.  I repeated the process going up the bank keeping the nickels in place and resting the next drawer front on top of the installed one below.  The top drawer was the trickiest since the front could move slightly with just the double stick holding it as you try to open the drawer, but it worked for me.

[Cooler]

I have a pretty easy method.

After all the drawers are built and are in place I pre-drill two holes for mounting the drawer faces to the drawers.  I make those holes significantly undersize for the screw in question.

I then drive screws through those holes from the inside so that only the points are proud of the surface on the outside face of the drawer.   I then press the drawer front against the drawer and the two screws will make marks on the drawer front. 

I drill shallow pilot holes where the marks are. 

I remove the screws from the drawer front and then open up the holes to a slightly over-size for the the screws to fit.  I then start those screws into the pilot holes in the drawer front and tighten.  The over-size holes allows for some small adjustments.  Once  you get it exactly right, drill for the drawer pulls.  Cabinet screws have a large face on the head that allows for the over-size holes and a Kreg jig makes hole drilling for the handles easy.

In some cases I have to put a piece of stock behind the drawers to keep them from sliding back as I press on the drawer fronts. 

I do one drawer at a time and make sure each drawer aligns with the one above.

If you take your time and follow this method you should be able to get good alignment on your drawer faces.  This has always worked for me.

[joe1086]

Inset drawers for the shop

[zaret]

i do a ton of inset drawers, and use the blum 20mm adjustable "button" system, and have for years.  it's easy, reliable, and gives you some adjustability.  

https://www.richelieu.com/us/en/category...u-29510012

[Bill Holt]

I use playing cards to arrange the alignment of inset drawers before the counter top is installed.  Seems quick and easy to me.

[Tapper]

Thanks to all who have responded thus far - some good ideas. As a separate question, do you install the slides after the boxes are assembled or do you install them on each standard (side panel) before assembly?

Thanks,

Doug

[fredhargis]

If the cabinet is big enough, and on my bench, I install them after the carcase is assembled. But if it's a very narrow cabinet, I've installed them before assembly. What I didn't like about that was having to pin the slides in place somehow, and the extra weight I was swinging around as I put things together. For the drawer fronts, I start at the bottom drawer, get the fornt positioned. The If I can clamp it with f clamps I will, if I can't clamp it I'll use a pin nailer on the inside...2 usually holds things while I pull it out and screw things together.

[Tapper]

If the cabinet is big enough, and on my bench, I install them after the carcase is assembled. But if it's a very narrow cabinet, I've installed them before assembly. What I didn't like about that was having to pin the slides in place somehow, and the extra weight I was swinging around as I put things together. For the drawer fronts, I start at the bottom drawer, get the fornt positioned. The If I can clamp it with f clamps I will, if I can't clamp it I'll use a pin nailer on the inside...2 usually holds things while I pull it out and screw things together.

There will be 7 cabinets in total and the inside dimension of each cabinet will be 19 1/2" in the clear side-to-side. My thinking is that this should allow plenty of room to install the slides comfortably, especially if I leave the back out when installing the slides, and allow for any adjustments necessary. I can slide the back in afterwards, square up the cabinet and then staple it in place. 

Still open to suggestions about both of these operations, i.e. installing the drawer fronts and pros and cons of installing slides before or after assembly.

Doug

[jteneyck]

First off, I'm for whoever asked why you would use inset drawers for shop cabinets.  Practice maybe?  Otherwise, I don't see the point.  Inset drawers are harder to install and let more dust into the drawer boxes, neither of which pleases me with shop cabinets.  

Anyway, I install the slides after the boxes are made.  If I have multiple cabinets with the same drawer sizes, I make a story pole for the C/L of the slides and use that to lay out where to drill the holes.  A Kreg jig would make installing both the slides and drawer boxes really easy, but I don't own one.   I will if I ever build another kitchen, however. 

For the drawer faces I fit them all into the cabinet with spacers first, 1/16" to 1/10" depending upon how tight I want them.  Wide drawer fronts need more space top and bottom to account for seasonal movement and since it's getting to be the low RH time of year it's time to consider "loose in  Winter, tight in Summer".  Inset drawers in cabinets with no faceframes are easy, just clamp them in place and drive screws from the inside.  But that often won't work for Cabinets with faceframes, as well as the top drawer of any style cabinet.  For those I drill two oversized holes in the drawer box and just hole the drawer front tight to the box and drive one screw, then check to see if all is well.  If it's not right I loosen that screw and slide the drawer front left, right, up, down, then retighten the screw.  If there's not enough play with the hole I move to the other oversized hole and repeat the process.  If I still can't get it right I take a break because I must be having a really bad day.  

An even easier method when using drawer pulls is to predrill the holes in the drawer fronts, shim them in place in the cabinet, and then drive a washer head screw threw the holes in the drawer front into the drawer box.  Then install the screws from inside the drawer box to hold the drawer front.  Next remove the temporary screws through the drawer front, drill through for the drawer pulls and use the long screws to install the pulls.  

As for screws, I use GRK Cabinet screws.  No predrilling of the drawer front required, even in hard maple and similar.  With narrow drawers, two screws, with drawers wider than about 3" it's 4 screws.  

John