Potential issues with wide drawers?

[TH26]

Someone would like me to make them some drawers to go underneath their TV, the only thing is they want to drawer width to be 1.4 meters and to have push to open runners so there are no handles. For me these seem like extremely wide drawers and not something I have even considered doing before.

When I have been looking for runners they often state a maximum width which isn't anywhere near what I was after. I was wondering if anyone had any advice as whether the width means the runners can't take the weight with such a width or if it's a case of the runners coming out of sync and the drawer checking and getting stuck which could perhaps be worked around with a guide down the centre of the drawer?

My gut says suggest split the drawer width in two but I first wanted to get other people opinion as to whether it was possible to give them what they asked for.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Something like hafele's Dynapro Tipmatic drawer runners with the synchronisation rod might work. I've used them a few times on drawers that were over 1000mm wide. Email hafele and see what they recommend

 

[RogerP]

Plan chest drawers are about 1.4 metre wide to take size 0a paper. So should be possible to make what they want.

 

[Jacob]

It's not the width that's the problem it's the depth. Even a large plan chest has normally proportioned drawers; from square to sides having ratio of say 3/4.
Your wide TV drawer would presumably have little depth and the problem would be with racking. Perhaps have it on one central runner and central pull handle, or something?
Don't forget; the customer is always wrong. If it won't work tell them, and propose a better solution.

 

[petermillard]

I make Parson's tables for an interior designer and have done a couple with full-width drawers around 1200mm wide x 500mm deep. I used Blum tip-on for Tandem runners, with the sync rod - they state a maximum of 1400 wide, I think, so they may work OK for your intended use. You must use the sync rod though, as it ensures that the push-to-open mechanism is actuated on both sides of the drawer regardless of where the drawer front is pushed.

I usually use Grass Dynapro runners, but was impressed with the Blum - recommend getting the little jigs for the locating holes though.

Don't know how you're planning to construct the cabinet, but be aware that if there's potential for the top to sag (and at 1000mm wide it's likely) it won't take much to catch the top of the drawer front, depending on tolerances of course, and assuming the drawer front is inset; I glued a length of 10 x 4mm steel into a slot cut in the underside of the top of mine, which worked pretty well over the 1200mm width.

HTH Peter

 

[custard]

be aware that if there's potential for the top to sag (and at 1000mm wide it's likely) it won't take much to catch the top of the drawer front, depending on tolerances of course, and assuming the drawer front is inset

That's be my worry too, and even if the drawer isn't inset nothing looks worse than an uneven reveal along the front. "The Sagulator" is a good resource,

http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/

It indicates that if the top is made from 18mm Ash, and is 1400mm wide and 500mm deep then a 20Kg load in the centre (i.e. the telly) will bend it down by 0.96mm. So virtually 1mm of deflection. Taking just a bit off the thickness of the top with sanding (say down to 17mm thick), making the top 400mm deep, and increasing the load to 30Kg, more than doubles the deflection to 2.14mm. And substituting 18mm MDF for Ash then takes the deflection to a decidedly droopy 9mm!

Personally I'd be looking for deflection of under 0.5mm, which will mean a 25mm hardwood top and no more than 20Kg of load, Peter's solution of an inset metal strip, or possibly splitting the top drawer into two narrower drawers side by side with a drawer divider between them. This would give a torsion box effect to the top and stiffen it considerably.

Good luck!

 

[dzj]

In such a wide drawer, people will put god knows what, so the weight of the whole thing should be considered
when looking for runners.

 

[TH26]

Thank you everyone for all the help, it has all been really helpful and given me a lot of things to consider.