Chest of drawers?

[Dibs-h]

Now that I have a workshop, Wifey wants a chest of drawers for Son#1.

Was thinking MDF and painted. No show piece - just plain and functional. Have domino!

Any ideas on the construction - haven't got round to digging my books out, but admittedly they all mention traditional construction techniques. :shock:

Any ideas\thoughts? Initial thoughts are 2 large at the bottom and 2 smaller at the top, 3 rows tall.

Cheers

Dibs

 

[mailee]

Yep, as Bob instructed me, just build a box with your domino and screw commercial runners to the sides, easy. I used to make them the traditional way with drawer frames but this was too time consuming for MDF. I still make dovetailed drawer boxes in pine though.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Now that I have a workshop, Wifey wants a chest of drawers for Son#1.

Was thinking MDF and painted. No show piece - just plain and functional. Have domino!

Any ideas on the construction - haven't got round to digging my books out, but admittedly they all mention traditional construction techniques. :shock:

Any ideas\thoughts? Initial thoughts are 2 large at the bottom and 2 smaller at the top, 3 rows tall.

Cheers

Dibs

To look good you want the draw hight all to be different. With your 3 rows think goldilocks bears Bottom big, medium and small at the top. Something like 4, 3, 2 would probably work.

The easiest fastest would be 3 draws then all you need is a frameless carcass, 3 draw boxes and draw slides then sit that on a plinth. Think kitchen cabinets. You can make the top draw look like a double with the draw fronts. You could even put in a divider so it acts like 2 draws.

In fact you have just inspired me to do something similar as it is easy and fast to make.

 

[Dibs-h]

Thanks for the replies chaps. What about face frame ones? Appreciate the face frame will be timber.

Whilst it isn't intended to be a showpiece - I'm loath to make something that resembles some cheap tat.

Also - what about dividers?

Cheers

Dibs

 

[johnf]

I turned some reclaimed pine flooring into this

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Thanks for the replies chaps. What about face frame ones? Appreciate the face frame will be timber.

Whilst it isn't intended to be a showpiece - I'm loath to make something that resembles some cheap tat.

Also - what about dividers?

Cheers

Dibs

The same as above except with a face frame.

If you want to go with 2 top draws the face frame makes that easy as you can attach the draw slides to the face frame.

As for resembling cheap tat, that really comes down to workmanship and the fittings you use. You make it look good with the detail on the edges and draw fronts.

 

[Dibs-h]

Jerome

Cheers for that. By cheap tat - I meant 1 big open carcass. :lol:

With a face frame, am I right in thinking that the drawer fronts would not overhang the actual drawer boxes? So do\can they?

Assuming the front didn't - I assume one would need to use undermount slides?

Cheers

Dibs

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Jerome

Cheers for that. By cheap tat - I meant 1 big open carcass. :lol:

With a face frame, am I right in thinking that the drawer fronts would not overhang the actual drawer boxes? So do\can they?

It's personal choice both overhang and inset work. Paul-Marcel has a nice set of Youtube videos of a Sculpted Mahogany Vanity with his he has a face frame and overhanging draw fronts This is part 8 fitting the drawshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uThtpHFyxvo he isn't using draw slides so his will have taken longer.

With inset you probably want to have some moulding on the face frame or on the draw front.

Assuming the front didn't - I assume one would need to use undermount slides?
Dibs

With inset draws undermount slides are easier and look beter

 

[Dibs-h]

Cheers Jerome for that. Will be having a bit of a mull over, methinks.

And a Google round as to who does good undermount slides.

Cheers

Dibs

p.s. when you say

With inset you probably want to have some moulding on the face frame or on the draw front.

Do you mean around the drawer opening? Not the whole piece in general? I was actually thinking of it all being plain.

 

[Dibs-h]

Any suggestions for what\who\where\how much for undermount slides?

Cheers

Dibs

edit: I've received catalogues in the past from Sagastuna or something similar - Japanese sounding. Anyone know who I mean?
2nd edit - got it - sugatsune

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Cheers Jerome for that. Will be having a bit of a mull over, methinks.

And a Google round as to who does good undermount slides.

Cheers

Dibs

p.s. when you say

With inset you probably want to have some moulding on the face frame or on the draw front.

Do you mean around the drawer opening? Not the whole piece in general? I was actually thinking of it all being plain.

Yes round the drawer opening or on the draw. This means you don't have to be so exact. the detail takes the eye away from the exact spacing of the draws. With an overlay draw the shadow of the overlay will hide very slight misfitting.

However with all the skills you have been perfecting in your workshop you will have a perfect fit.

 

[mailee]

I use these for my full extension soft close runners Dibbs:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/adfix-ironmong ... 4340.l2563

 

[Dibs-h]

I use these for my full extension soft close runners Dibbs:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/adfix-ironmong ... 4340.l2563

Cheers for that Alan.

I also found these earlier on whilst Googling - http://www.salicedirect.com/acatalog/in ... lides.html

I've sort of got my head round the construction of the boxes (drawers),including the slides (which thankfully aren't eye watering), just having a bit of a think about the construction of the bigger box. I'm inclined to go face frame with the drawers fronts flush with the face front.

Now just a question\s of

1. Drawer fronts oversized or not (but still flush), if that makes sense.

2. Do I need or should I fit the (can't remember the name) the elements that go horizontally between one drawer and another that effectively stop stuff falling out of the back of one drawer and into another, but also add rigidity. As the thing is free standing - inclined to fit them. But then again the face frame & back should both give it noticeable rigidity.

3. The exact specifics of the slides - but I dare say getting a pair and experimenting should resolve that one.

Dibs

 

[sometimewoodworker]

If you need anything between the top two draws behind the face frame depends on how tall your draw boxes are. Many chests of draws don't have anything.

Draw slides: buy them Before you make the draws.

Before you start on boxes buy your draw slides.

And did I mention that you make your boxes to fit your slides?

 

[mailee]

I have used those Futura slides in the past Dibbs. They are very good slides and comparable with the ones I posted but they are only single extension and not soft close. HTH. :wink:

 

[Dibs-h]

I have used those Futura slides in the past Dibbs. They are very good slides and comparable with the ones I posted but they are only single extension and not soft close. HTH. :wink:

Cheers Alan

Hadn't spotted that not so little difference.

Dibs

 

[Benchwayze]

You say you have a Domino Dibs.

So it wouldn't be much more work to make up some pine frames, to be dominoed into the MDF sides. (Or maybe even slip-dovetailed in.) Spaced as suggested with the deepest drawer at the bottom, make the drawers accordingly. The frames would separate the drawers and act as runners. You could also rebate some 3mm mdf into the frames to act as dust barriers. That wouldn't look 'tacky' as you put it.
HTH
John

 

[Dibs-h]

You say you have a Domino Dibs.

So it wouldn't be much more work to make up some pine frames, to be dominoed into the MDF sides. (Or maybe even slip-dovetailed in.) Spaced as suggested with the deepest drawer at the bottom, make the drawers accordingly. The frames would separate the drawers and act as runners. You could also rebate some 3mm mdf into the frames to act as dust barriers. That wouldn't look 'tacky' as you put it.
HTH
John

Cheers John

I was thinking of metal concealed runners rather than timber\etc., will use the idea of pine\mdf frames as dust frames.

Just mulling over the overall dimensions, etc. and working out how many sheets of mdf are required. Probably be 600 (or tad less) deep and maybe 1200 high or 900. Was thinking 18mm mdf for the actual frame, but wondering what the thickness should be of the drawers sides\back\front. The drawer bottoms - was think ply as it will weigh less.

Hhmm - have loads of MDF lying about somewhere in the workshop, will have to check the dimensions as that might dictate a few thing.

Cheers

Dibs

 

[Benchwayze]

You're welcome Dibs. If I'm not going the traditional drawer-chest route, I like churning it over, to find inexpensive, but reasonable ways of doing things.

A further thought. You could also use a frame at the top to connect the sides there, and fix an overhanging top onto that; with a bit of moulding beneath, for appearance, if you don't want to rout the MDF edges.

For drawer stuff, I'd go 12mm ply (The exterior grade, if you don't want to go to the expense of Birch-ply.) The last time I used ply for drawers I used finger joints, with a dowel drilled not quite all through, from the bottom, for added strength. I did those joints on the router, so I would imagine with a dovetail jig, you could dovetail the ply too.

Best of luck.

John

 

[Dibs-h]

Cheers John.

Been over looking at the other side (WWUK) and it seems quite common to make paneled drawer\door fronts out of MDF. What would appear to be 18mm sides and perhaps 6mm panel run in a groove - quite liking that. Suspect in those cases where the drawer sides\back are also MDF, these looks to be also 18mm MDF, jointed in numerous ways (doms, biscuits, PH screws).

Haven't decided whether the top will overhang, but suppose that can be decided later on. Might have to do a search to see if I can find posts of folk who've done something similar.

Cheers

Dibs