adding drawers to a face frame
#11
We have some kitchen cabinets that would really be a lot more useful with drawers behind the doors. These cabinets all have two doors with a center stile in the face frame.   For each drawer, I can space out from one side, but behind the center divider is something I still have questions about. I guess for the bottom drawer, I could use undermount slides.

 I know there are slide hangers and sockets.  It seems like it would be difficult to get the center slide to work properly.  I am sure Blum has a solution for this, anyone have any suggestions?
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#12
Pocket screw a vertical plywood divider in behind the center stile and add spacers as needed.

Even with Euro style cabinets, you still need spacers for the slides since the door does not clear the cabinet side. 

Depending on your face frame widths and set backs, you will need to decide on the spacers needed to clear the frame.
Ralph Bagnall
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#13
(12-16-2017, 12:34 PM)EricU Wrote: ...anyone have any suggestions?

Get rid of the doors. What a hassle to have to open a door each time you need to open a drawer! Modify the face frame to provide drawer openings.
Wood is good. 
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#14
(12-16-2017, 12:48 PM)handi Wrote: Pocket screw a vertical plywood divider in behind the center stile and add spacers as needed.

Even with Euro style cabinets, you still need spacers for the slides since the door does not clear the cabinet side. 

Depending on your face frame widths and set backs, you will need to decide on the spacers needed to clear the frame.


First, I agree with ditching the doors. But that's a style choice.

I did what Handi suggested, with a slightly different method. I don't own a pocket screw jig. So I cut the plywood divider (I think I used double thickness ply to cut down on the odds of opposing screws colliding) a little short, attached a plywood T-top (maybe 4" wide), and screwed the T-top into the underside cabinet top. One advantage of that method is it gives you a chance to adjust divider perpendicular. Spacers and side-mount slides after that. 

Just for more fun, I had to cut down the existing face frame and add new rails and stiles. Dowel jig made (relatively) short work of that.
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#15
ditching the doors probably would put this in the category of things I would never get finished. Matching the wood the cabinets are made from is an issue, I have no idea what it is.
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#16
I've used the center divider idea and it's fairly easy and works well.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#17
sometimes the most obvious solutions are the best
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#18
I did it this way just a week ago.


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#19
how is that being held in the back? Sockets?
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#20
An easier install, though with the loss of about 1" of width on the drawers, is to build a box that can fit inside the opening and install the drawers in the box.  

Then you only have to drop in the box, fasten it to the bottom and put back the drawers.

If the cabinets were built using pocket screws, it might be possible to remove the center divider.  That opens up a couple of more options.  

1.  The box idea will not lose any space, as you install the boxes first and then re-install the vertical divider.

2.  You can saw out the center divider and replace it using pocket screws.

3.  If it is strong enough to leave the center divider off, then go with full width pull outs.  Attach the divider to the back one of the doors to hide the open space.  

4.  If you don't think it is strong enough without the vertical divider, you can back up the  upper horizontal one with some hardwood (screw and glue from the inside.
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