[kiwichris]

Flipping the work piece that is...

Long story short... I'm planning on making some MDF cabinets with drawers in them when I get my new machine in about 4 weeks. I've been scribbling plans on bits of paper and I think I'm over-thinking the drawers.

The long(er) version:

Assuming I've got a slot all the way around the bottom of the front/back/sides to hold the bottom of the drawer in I believe I should have the 'inside-up' on those components to do the machining.

I'm going to have a 'front' panel attached to the front of the 'box' which will be wider than the box, so I was also assuming the front panel would be machined 'outside-up' to put a some detail on the drawer fronts. The front panel will be attached via the long drawer pull machine screws and some wood screws.

That leaves me with a dado joint at the back of the drawer, and a ???? at the front.

If I use a rabbit with the slot in the sides I have to flip the 'inner' front panel to make the rabbit and if I use a dado I need a slot for the sides to sit into the inside of the outer front panel so I'd have to flip that and not have the detail I wanted on the front.

You see what I mean... Over thinking it. :-)

So, do I just rabbit the front edge of the sides and have the inner front glued and brad nailed / stapled on? Is that strong enough for a drawer?

I'll be using light weight drawer slides, the type that go under the drawer and have two nylon rollers one on the rear of the drawer and one on the front of the fixed slide. (If that makes a difference)

Or, alternately.... Is there some cunning design trick that I should use that I don't know about and couldn't find using google.

Cheers, Confused.

[Mountaincraft]

You shouldn't have to flip them.. It's the same as building the cabinet boxes.. Insdie up.. your kerf on all pieces is cut with a 1/4" bit (for a 1/4" hardboard bottom).. and then you rabbet either the ends to receive the sides, or you rabbet the sides to receive the ends.. You install the bottoms in the kerfs as you assemble the drawers, or you make the back (or the front) shorter so that it ends before the kerf, and then you slide the bottom in, and tack it to the short side.. The drawer is installed so the front piece of the drawer box is flush with the cabinet.. The hardwood drawer front is simply screwed to that from the inside.. you can pre drill the holes for the screws (and the pull screws) as you cut the pieces...

At least that is how I would approach it, and how I approach it when I build them using traditional tools (ie table saw, etc)

[kiwichris]

Arrrr,

Thanks for that... Confirms that I was thinking about it too much. :-)

Cheers, Chris

[kiwichris]

While we're on drawers....

I priced the slides today and for the size I want they are $16 NZ per pair.

Given that I was going to make up 20+ drawers that's starting to look a bit pricey for workshop storage drawers..

If we're talking all MDF construction, what's the cheapest option, given that we're not taking about high-end cabinetry here.

I saw some white plastic 'rails' in the hardware store when I was looking at the slides which looked like a cheap option. The shelves would just run on top of them, or possibly in a slot run down mid-height of the side...

Do they work OK on bare or primed/sealed MDF?

Cheers, Me.
( Amateur hour in the workshop. :-) )

[Dropout]

Why not use the Blum Metabox or a knockoff of it?

[Alexthehun]

One trick I used for my workshop drawers: use 3 pieces of square hardwood profile, say 10 or 15mm square. One piece goes on the drawer side. The other two go on the frame and form a channel for the third one to slide in. Allow about extra mm play in the spacing of the channel and in the width of the frame-drawer spacing for easy movement. A good rubbing of candle wax on the drawer piece will have that sliding in the channel like greased lightning!! And it's a dead cheap solution.

[kiwichris]

Dropout: I did look at something similar, and they'd be ideal for kitchen / closet sized cupboards, but initially It's for smaller drawers for storage of craft / modelling / tools etc.

Alexthehun: That's not a bad idea... I was wondering about running the MDF on off cut bits of acrylic, or MDF on hardwood but anyway I look at it MDF running on _anything_ seems to be a bad idea from what I've found around the web.

Has lead me to wondering if plywood wouldn't be a better idea for drawers, although I'd have to get some different tooling/cutters for plywood as at the moment all I've got for my new machine is up-cut mills which I think would chip/tear the wood a bit?

Here in NZ plywood is cheaper than MDF for rough grade stuff. I've not priced some nicer stuff yet, but it's probably not too much more. Soon find out.

I did get around to figuring out the carcass though, per the photo... Cutting the kerf's and rebates out over the edge of the material etc.

It's only 80x70mm as I'm waiting for my new machine to arrive. (on the water, somewhere just north of Brisbane off the coast of Aussie about now) Kept me busy for 30 mins though. ;-)

Cheers, Chris H.