Building Drawers

[NickP]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and could do with some advice. I'm trying to build some drawers that will fit into the stairs using the riser as the drawer front. I've looked into runners and been recommended an option from Blum and also spoken to Hafele and been recommended their option. However, I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on the best way to make the actual drawer boxes that doesn't involve a jig.

One person has suggested just making boxes out of MDF, but I was wondering if anyone could suggest a lighter weight option or generally something better?

I'd also appreciate any insight on what runners people here would recommend? Thanks

 

[Just4Fun]

What will you put in the drawers? What weight will they need to hold?

 

[MikeG.]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The difficulties with stair drawers are many-fold. For a start, most stairs rely on the risers for strength, so removing them could leave you with a weakened and creaking staircase. Potentially, even, with stair failure. If you have had a stair built that accounts for the lack of risers, then you should be OK. The next issue isn't the runners, but what to attach them to. Anything other than extremely shallow (front-to-back) drawers are going to require runners which extend out behind the strings, so you need something flush with the strings on both sides on which you can fasten the runners. Organising this is going to depend on what goes on underneath your stairs.

The runners themselves are easy. Ebay and Amazon sell loads of good full extension runners for reasonable money, as do online retailers such as Ironmongery Direct. If your drawers are, say, 600 deep (front to back) you'll want 600 runners.

Finally, the drawers. You don't say anything about your skill levels or tools. I'd always dovetail or finger-joint drawer boxes, simply from the point of view of longevity, and I'd make them out of pine. In principle, in a setting like this, I'd make and mount the drawer boxes, then screw a face on. I have a neat trick for locating those precisely, which I'll tell you about if this is the way you want to proceed.

 

[Mr T]

All good points about stair fitting from Mike G. You need to check the spec of the runners as the boxes need to conform, many manufacturers specify a box 10mm shorter than the runners so a 400mm runner would fit a 390mm box. The fit across the width is also critical. For quick and easy drawers requiring only limited skills I would suggest biscuiting the front and back into the sides.

The blum tandem runners are good. Grass from Hafele are even better with lots of adjustability, but they are pretty pricy.

Chris

 

[NickP]

Thanks guys. I realise I should have given more info at the start.

I had the staircase constructed (from Pear Stairs) with the drawers in mind so the treads are thick enough Ash to not need the risers for support.

We're intending on using the drawers for shoes as the stairs face the front door (a 2 up 2 down house with door in side), so the weight should be massive from the contents. However, ideally, I'd like the bottom drawer to be 900 mm deep so that it could fit in 9 pairs of shoes. The next drawer would be approx. 20cm less in depth (the length of a tread), and the one up from that, 20cm less again, so that the back of the drawers would be to the same point when all closed.

Blum said that I could use a 750mm runner (Movento, I think) on a 900mm deep drawer - it just wouldn't fully extend. Hafele do 900mm deep drawer runners but like Mr T said, they £133 a pair.

 

[NickP]

Thanks Mike. My skill level is pretty low but not completely ignorant. I've been renovating the house in my spare time for the past 4 years so have picked up a bit of skills a long the way (I hope, at least). But, it's not my job. I'm just learning as I go.

I was planning on using MDF but I like the idea of using Pine. Nicer to work with but what thickness would it need to be for a box base approx. 865mm wide by 900mm deep? Also, is pine likely to warp over time?

I was wondering if it would be possible to use some sort of light metal for the boxes but have no idea how to construct the boxes, or if this is even possible.

 

[MikeG.]

The pine I would go for for the sides would be around 12mm thick, finished size after planing. Then a ply bottom maybe 10 mm thick, possibly with a stiffener glued to the underside (or the top) if the weights were high and there weren't internal partitions to give the baseboard some resistance to bowing. One of the reasons for the strong corner joints (dovetails or finger joints) is to secure the boards against movement, but frankly, I've made perfectly good pine drawers many moons ago with just something of a housing and some pins (don't call them nails.....that sounds really bad!). Glue doesn't work properly on end-grain, which is the reason for joints, or for a mechanical fix such as pins or screws.

The back end of the drawer is easier, as you can have the sides over-long, and house out to take the back. That's a strong joint. You don't have that option at the front. Maybe at the front the best bet at the beginner level would be to house out for a thicker front board to the box, such as ex-25mm (comes up around 20mm), and neatly screw through the glued corner joints to hold it all together.

This is one of those threads where someone coming in with photos of their dovetailed drawers and razor sharp chisels is just going to be wasted. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened, though.

 

[NickP]

Thanks for the info Mike. I definitely don't have the tools to make dove tail or finger joints. I wasn't planning on internal partitions to maximise storage space but if the drawer needed it, I'd add them.

 

[MikeG.]

This is what I would suggest for a reasonably robust drawer in a non-furniture setting for the non-experienced woodworker:

It isn't Chippendale, but it will do a neat job, and last. The planted-on drawer front will be the aesthetic element of it, and should look great.

 

[NickP]

How would you recommend cutting the sides to fit the back and front into them? For the tools I have, it may have to be just hammer and chisel. I'm guessing the base would also ideally be cut into the sides but it may have to be screws.

 

[MikeG.]

You need a square (a combination square ideally), and a Stanley knife. And make or buy a mallet for the sake of your chisels. Get your chisels very sharp. You'll need something solid to work on, and a "stop" to prevent your wood wandering off. Score a line across the grain with the knife running alongside the square, and chisel carefully up to it, taking just a mm or two off. Run the knife again, and chisel a bit more. Rinse and repeat. When you get deep enough you can use a fine hand-saw if you've got one, or you just keep going with your chisel. Turn the wood around and repeat for the other side of the housing. When you've got down deep enough, you can pare and scrape the bottom clean with a chisel just under the width of the groove.

If you've got a sliding chop saw you can use the depth stop to achieve much the same thing with repeated cuts. I'm sure someone will link you to a video showing these techniques.

The base is fine just glued and pinned on. You want some 20 or 25mm panel pins. Mind your fingers!

 

[NickP]

Thanks Mike!

 

[MikeG.]

NO problem. We were all beginners once. Practice that housing on some scrap first.