Making drawers 16 1/2” wide space?

[stoppy]

Again I’ve never made drawers. 16 1/2” space. If use 1/2” material, with Promark 1/2” thick slides, would you make the drawers 14 1/2” wide or do you make them slightly less wide (-1/8”) for a little play? Or a different number?

[jteneyck]

Generally, the drawer box is 1" +0, - 1/32" less than than the face frame or cabinet opening.  But the mounting instructions will give you the exact info. you need.  

John

[stoppy]

Generally, the drawer box is 1" +0, - 1/32" less than than the face frame or cabinet opening.  But the mounting instructions will give you the exact info. you need.  

John

Thanks John.  So a 16 1/2 opening would have a drawer box of 15 15/32 outside width.
I did some googling and figured out the drawer box is outside dimensions not the inside space. Da*n I wish I had had shop in high school 60 years ago.

[R Clark]

I just finished a dresser with 10 drawers using pro mark full extension slides.  Drawer cavities ranged in width from 12 1/4" to 38 1/2".

Drawer boxes were 1/2" thick stock.

I made the drawer boxes 1" narrower than the drawer cavity opening to accommodate the slides (1/2" in either side).

If anything, I make drawers a bit snug and then shave the sides using the table saw.  If a box ends up too narrow, a thin shim between the carcase and the slide can fix the problem.

[Stwood_]

I give em a 1/16" extra space.
If somethings out of square, which a lot of cab openings are not..................even a 1/16" isn't enough.

[Latech15]

I give em a 1/16" extra space.
If somethings out of square, which a lot of cab openings are not..................even a 1/16" isn't enough.

Build the cabinet, mount the drawer guides, then measure the space between the guides.....measure front and back.  You take two sticks that are neither one as wide as the drawer opening and slide them against each other until they just touch the guides on either end.  Put a clamp on them to hold them at that length and measure that.  Its more accurate than trying to measure with a tape measure deep inside a cabinet.

I am working on a cabinet now with three banks of drawers.  The two outside ones are perfectly parallel, the middle section is about 3/32nds narrower at the back. I had to make my drawers wedge shaped but they run smooth and perfect now.  No idea how the two outside ones could be perfect and the middle be out.

[Stwood_]

Build the cabinet, mount the drawer guides, then measure the space between the guides.....measure front and back.  You take two sticks that are neither one as wide as the drawer opening and slide them against each other until they just touch the guides on either end.  Put a clamp on them to hold them at that length and measure that.  Its more accurate than trying to measure with a tape measure deep inside a cabinet.

I am working on a cabinet now with three banks of drawers.  The two outside ones are perfectly parallel, the middle section is about 3/32nds narrower at the back. I had to make my drawers wedge shaped but they run smooth and perfect now.  No idea how the two outside ones could be perfect and the middle be out.

Yes. Been there..............

[stoppy]

This is the space I’m working with. There are 6 more spaces like this after I make this first insert for the old beer cabinet.

[Gary G™]

Jim

Your ID is 16-1/2”
Your slides take 1/2” each, leaving 15-1/2”
You want 1/32” for play, so the drawer OD is 15-15/32 and if you miss by 1/32” and come up with 15-14/32” you’re going to be fine.

[Gary G™]

The more I think about this particular project, the more convinced I am I would put the existing boxes at the curb and start from scratch.
It looks like it’d be easier to create frames from 2X’s, build drawers and skin it in plywood.