Attaching Drawer Box fronts

[JCLP]

Good morning everyone. I have drawer boxes made of 5/8 baltic birch and I need to attach drawer fronts to the boxes. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to do that. Do I glue, screw, brad nail, etc. the front to the box.

Thanks,
JC

 

[wow]

Usually you drill two holes through the front of the drawer case roughly centered from the top to the bottom and in about 1/4 to 1/3 the width of the drawer from each edge. Then insert screws through those holes into the back of the drawer front. They sell a special screw for this purpose, but any shallow flat-head screw should do.

If you decide to pre-drill the drawer front, be careful not to drill all the way through! Guess why I am warning you?

[embarassed]

 

[tjbnwi]

A couple of squares of 2 sided tape will hold the front on while you install the screws. Makes alignment easier.

Tom

 

[neeleman]

Blum has a special front mounting piece (2951000) which has a slopping nut inside a plastic cover.
The holes need to be drilled at Ø15x11 mm.
The front is then connected with at least 2 M4 screws and can be adjusted afterwards.
If all is well you can secure with some extra normal screws from the inside.
[attachimg=1]

 

[Brent Taylor]

I have started to use pin nails to hold the fronts in place then follow up with a pair of clamps & 4 screws from the backside. Before I would shoot a hole where the handle would be mounted, but I have changed handle style & the old way would not work any longer.

 

[Billedis]

I use the Sommerfeld jig, drill the hole/holes for the pull, align on the front of the drawer in the cabinet, then drill through those holes into the drawer, pull the drawer out, and drill the holding screws into the corners of the drawer front, then remove the pull screws, drill the pull holes in the drawer, attach the pull and you are done.  Bill

 

[jools]

I shut the draw then hot melt glue the front on with just a couple of blobs. The hot melt glue gives you a little time to get your shut lines/reveals correct.  I then secure with a couple of pan headed screws from inside the drawer box. Some handles require fitting first as the screws are not long enough to pass through draw box and front
Regards jools

 

[semenza]

    I like to drill holes for the pulls first so that I can align/center them easily working on a flat bench or drill press. I drill holes that are 1/32" - 1/16" oversize (depending on the size of the pull base) to build in a touch of adjustment.

    I attach most fronts with four washer head screws (two for very narrow fronts). Plunge four holes through  the drawer box with the Domino 5mm or 6mm bit (narrow setting). Or drill oversized holes. Either way you get adjustment range. Make sure the screws are not too long. Pin or just clamp and get the alignment close if attaching with the drawer in the unit. But I like to attach the fronts on a bench also with the front face down on the bench to make it easy to center and drive screws.  Adjust as needed. When all is lined up well drill through  the pull holes on the front and through the box. I like to attach the pulls right through the drawer box in most cases. Attach pulls and adjust as needed.

    I tried the Blum adjusters. I didn't like them much. I forget exactly why. It may have just been that they didn't work well for my methods. Not sure anymore?

Seth

 

[Sparktrician]

One caveat I would offer is to use screws long enough to go 2/3 of the way into the drawer front from inside the drawer box.  In one former job, we had problems with installers using 3/4" screws when the drawer box fronts were made of 1/2" material.  The end result was that customers complained (and rightly so) that the drawer fronts would come off the boxes.  Despite instructions to use 1" screws, we still had issues with some installers not getting the concept.  Neeleman's posting (above) about the Blum adjusters is a good one.  They help get the drawer front adjustment dead on before setting the front in place with the screws.  We would pre-drill the fronts for the handles to get the placement right, then once the fronts were properly aligned and set on-site, we would drill the rest of the way through the drawer box before setting the handles. 

 

[Greg M]

I use the Sommerfeld jig, drill the hole/holes for the pull, align on the front of the drawer in the cabinet, then drill through those holes into the drawer, pull the drawer out, and drill the holding screws into the corners of the drawer front, then remove the pull screws, drill the pull holes in the drawer, attach the pull and you are done.  Bill

By FAR the easiest, fastest and most accurate way to attach door fronts.  Sommerfeld has a video on it.  You can skip to 16:30 to see how to mount the draw front.

 

[grbmds]

Do you glue the front or merely screw it to the drawer box?

 

[Greg M]

Do you glue the front or merely screw it to the drawer box?

If you use Sommerfeld's technique then you've got 2 screws and the handle holding the draw front in place so there's no need for glue.  Plus I wouldn't want to glue the draw front because I might have to remove it some day.

 

[Sparktrician]

Do you glue the front or merely screw it to the drawer box?

Screw ONLY.  Got to be able to compensate for adjustment needs. 

 

[smartcarpie]

I use the pinner to tack inset fronts on. Adjust box to where I want it (usually middle of range), shim fronts to even margin and shoot a couple in.

Pins are flimsy enough to allow a little adjustment if needed. Then a light clamp and run the screws in. Solid wood I sometimes use four screws to prevent cupping if fronts are going to lose moisture.

 

[honeydoman]

Put drawers in align front. Shot pin nails. Pull out drawer  clamp  (leave drawer on glides). Put 2-4 screws from back done deal. Simple and easy.  No glue.

I also use under mount glides.

 

[alice]

when using side mounted slides I drill a oversized hole and a fender washer with a washerhead screw but if you use blum movento undermount slides they have adjustment side to side up and down and tilt adjustment or both. the slides are a little more money but the time saved and less frustraction

 

[JCLP]

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas. Attached a few drawer fronts with great success.
Cheers,
JC

 

[honeydoman]

So Jc's. How did you do it?

Cheers