"Press to open" catches on a drawer ?

[Andy Dingley]

Client wants bedside tables. Wants them to be absolutely minimal in their external details. Wants a couple of drawers, but doesn't want drawer handles on them.

So we're thinking about spring loaded "press to open" catches. These would open the drawer a little, then you use the drawer face edges as drawer pulls to open it all the way.

I've used these on doors, but never on drawers. The ones I've used before need about 1/8" - 3/16" of push before the spring fires. I'm now wondering how to handle the edges of the drawers - I'd like to have them butt against the sides of the carcase, but obviously I need to allow some space for the drawer to move backwards, so as to fire the catch.

Any thoughts ? Thanks

[James]

Any chance of putting the drawer pull around the face of the drawer front. Just enough to use the finger tips to pull the drawer out.

James

Andy D> Client wants bedside tables. Wants them to be absolutely minimal in

[George E. Cawthon]

In my opinion, the drawer face should be flush with the surrounding wood, no overlap, when using thses. A drawer front that overlaps the carcase destroys the simplicity of design. But go ahead if you want, just make the overlap thin (most of drawer front flush with carcase) with a design that doesn't hint at the drawer being pushed in.

[Alan Bierbaum]

If you omit the bottom rail; you can make the drawer front with a lip on the bottom and simply pull the drawer open with a finger under the bottom.

[Bill Rogers]

Put them at the rear of the dawer with the drawer flush [with allowance] with the carcase, and room at the rear for the catch mechanism. The drawer front should be flush when locked.

A loaded drawer would resist motion, so you *really* need free-wheeling movement ...well waxed, teflon, or something like that.

Bill.

[R. Wink]

[Upscale]

These were designed for the front, but I don't see why they couldn't be adapted for the rear of a drawer.

[Andy Dingley]

Agreed, so I'm thinking of buying in metal runners with wheels, mounted beneath the drawer so as to be invisible. They run more freely than my usual waxed maple strips - even if I put a UHMW or HDPE slip in there..

I can still mount them at the front, under the drawer body and between the runners.

The idea of setting the drawer faces between the carcase sides is interesting, because I think that's the best way to hide the clearance I'll need to allow for the initial backward movement.