Gluing drawer false front to drawer box?

[jgourlay]

Working on a fairly complicated chess table, I ran into a problem with inset drawers.  Originally I had planned a drawer box with decorative front,, halfblind dovetails, and wooden runners:  very standard.  My design error is now forcing me to go to Accuride type slides.  The drawer front is cut, and I don't have replacement stock.

I figure I have two options.  One is to glue more thickness to the sides, and rout in a slot for the slides.  This would involve taking two quarter sawn pine pieces, 12" x 3", and gluing them fact to face.  The other option would be to not touch the sides, but make the 'drawer' narrower than the front, then attach the false front.

The false front would 3" wide x 24" long face sawn paduak. Here is a complication.  Because of the decorative front, I can't screw in from the back.  The front has a pocket routed into it leaving a 3/8" full thickness border all around.  What will go in the pocket is a satinwood strip, and some ebonized walnut beading.  The thickness of the wood in the pocket is about 1/4" --just enough to hold a screw head under the satinwood if I'm super careful about countersinking.  But...it's iffy.  So what I'd like to do is glue the face front on.  

The front of the box will be something other than paduak.  Maybe walnut, or maybe that same quartersawn pine.  What I need to know is how bad the risk is of glue separation 50 years from now because of movement differentials across that 3" width.  What do you think?  Or would it be better to face glue more thickness on the sides and rout that slot?  Aesthetically, I like that option better, but it seems it would be super hard to get the fitment right for slides.  What do you think?

[Hank Knight]

The front of the box will be something other than paduak. 

Why? A 3" X 24" piece of padouk should be easy enough to come by. Even if you had to wait a week for delivery, it would seem worth it, given the time and effort you've already pit into the puece.

[jteneyck]

50 years?  Who knows?  But my opinion is that it will still be solidly bonded.  3" is no wider than many cross grain M&T joints, and they hold just fine.  You're gluing face to face; I don't see a problem.  

John

You can always remake it in 50 years if it fails.

[EricU]

go to a museum and see how many of the furniture pieces have no failures at all.  Very few from what I have seen.  They are still seen as important enough to be in a museum.

[rwe2156]

go to a museum and see how many of the furniture pieces have no failures at all.  Very few from what I have seen.  They are still seen as important enough to be in a museum.

We like to stay in Savannah, GA at B&B's which usually have some antique furnishings.

I remember one we stayed at they had completely refabbed it and had several containers of furniture shipped over from England.

Suffice to say, I started checking them out and was quite surprised at the (lack) of craftsmanship.  Beautiful pieces on the outside, but quite another story on the inside.

Very little regard to wood movement.

[CLETUS]

Very little regard to wood movement.

Wood movement gets blown out of proportion around here...

[Handplanesandmore]

In my decades of woodworking. I have had only one small build coming apart due to wood movement.

That track record has been made possible...because I have since paid attention to wood movement. I had one solid cabinet door (about 12" wide) expanding on me for almost 3/32", and the door would have cracked if I had not allowed for wood movement in my planning!

If you always build only small cases or boxes, or use plywood, etc., wood movement may not be your concern. 

Simon

[AHill]

I built a custom cabinet that fits under my workbench.  I made the carcase from 3/4" BB ply, and the drawers are 1/2" BB ply.  I glued 3/4" curly maple to the drawer fronts.  No issues at all after 2 years in Missouri, 8 years in the SoCal desert, and now about 8 months in central Florida.  If wood movement was to be a problem, I'd have seen it by now.

[mike4244]

Use whatever glue you are comfortable with. I use hot hide glue but white or yellow glue should also last as long as you. After that I wouldn't worry about it.
An advantage with hot hide glue it is reversible if the initial glue up was a bit crooked. Also you could apply the glue, let it cool. Then install the drawer front , hold it in place with a couple of 23 ga. pin nails. Then heat the front with a heat gun ,press the front with a gloved hand or a piece of scrap wood. 

mike

[jgourlay]

Gentlemen, thanks!