Clearance for draw base

[Peter Wells]

I'm building some draws for a piece of furniture, none of them are over 24 inches wide and 18 inches deep. The sides are made of 5/8" baltic birch and the bottom is 1/4". I've cut grooves for the base in the sides, 1/4" up from bottom and 5/16" deep. Widthwise the plywood is a snug fit in the groove so I can slide the plywood in with a gentle push. My question is how much clearance should the plywood have in the bottom of the groove. I'm only gluing the corners where the sides meet and not the base. Put another way if you're holding the draw with the base installed how much side to side play should the base have?

thanks,

Peter

[Tim W]

If I have understood you correctly the answer is 'some' or 'a little'. IOW you don't want the base to prevent the drawers from assembling correctly but there is no _need_ for the base to be loose, so cut the bases just comfortably less than the space they are going in.

Tim w

[LEGEND65]

Depends on how reliably you can cut the bottom square. In "Dovetail a Drawer" Frank Klaus cuts the bottom without any gap at all and uses it to square up the drawer. I usually leave a little play, more because I can't be bothered to measure the opening accurately than for anything else.

[bent]

With my FSSRs solid to one another I found 1/8" ply bottoms for utility drawers are fine. The Rear piece modified height lowest cut is coincident to the upper face of the drawers bottom piece, so the bottom can slide in with the FSSR assembled. Then the bottom was cut an extra depth equal to the thickness of the Rear (and the depth of the grove in the Front). A single centered screw upwards into the Rear from the bottom through the bottom holds the bottom in (and up), For expansion, the bottom is otherwise free floating, and you can change it for any reason: spills, breakage, even finishing.

[bent]

Oh ya, afaik, and the proper way is to put the grain lines of the bottom running side to side so the expansion is F to R. Use a little slot &/or oversized hole for the bottom. Again afaik, theres nothing wrong with a total of 1/16" S to S play. Nothing more than say my spelling ability.

[bent]

As if plywood has a predominant grain direction ;). And if a dado is used for the Rear into Sides, theres a little overhang to be used as a (potentially redundant, but not foolproof) drawer backstop, saving wear and tear on the assembly. Note that ebony wood must be used at all times.

[Swingman]

"Peter Wells" wrote

Assuming that draw = drawer, and base = drawer bottom:

With _plywood_ drawer bottoms, cut them just wide enough to slide in comfortably without having to hammer them in, while the drawer sides are parallel to each other.

Confucius say: "Holy grail of cabinet making is "square" ... and well cut, "squared" drawer bottoms insure "squared" drawers, that go into "squared" casework ... all of which makes woodworking velly preasant!"

[Tim W]

Wise words. Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest

[Peter Wells]

Thanks to all who replied.

Peter

[bent]

Who's baby is that? Whats your angle? I'll buy that.

[Leon]

You have helped me understand what a draw is, can you show me a drawering? ;~)

[Lee Michaels]

"Leon" wrote

I will make a wild guess here.

A drawering is a drawing made with a Texas drawl.

Afterall, them Texas boys do things differently.

[Robatoy]

Boy! That was a mouthful. ...wait... that's San Francisco...

[bent]

Well I for one was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Leon" wrote >

[Leon]

No, actually we Texas boys call a drawer a drawer. A drawing a drawing. The Boston folks call a drawer a draw and a drawing a drawering. ;~)

Now our South of the border neighbors get up in the morning and before getting dressed they have to shoes to wear either brown choose or black choose. ;~)

[Tanus]

LOLOLOL