Inset Drawers - How big of a gap?

[72anthony]

I am constructing a built-in with inset drawers that will be on the same plane as the face frame and looking for some guidance on the size of the gap between adjacent drawers and the face frame.

The drawer boxes are about 27 inches wide and the drawer fronts vary in height from 5 to 11 inches. Drawer front material is 3/4-inch red oak, S2S, and is already acclimated to my shop. The wider drawer fronts will be glued up panels.

Thanks,
Anthony

 

[nclemmons]

I do around 1/16 usually, maybe a little wider to 5/64.    I think smaller is better if you can do it depending on your drawer glides.

neil

 

[Jonhilgen]

1/8" reveals all around when I do them.  Inset can be very unforgiving, and 1/16 is just a tad too close for comfort IMHO.

Jon

 

[builderbob]

1/8" reveals all around when I do them.  Inset can be very unforgiving, and 1/16 is just a tad too close for comfort IMHO.

Jon

+1 all day long with Mr Jons response!

 

[Brice Burrell]

I agree that 1/8" (or maybe 3/32") would be a better choice.  With you solid wood drawer fronts you could easily lose a 1/16" gap with wood movement caused by seasonal changes in humidity. 

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Absolutely 1/8"....unless you like spending free time adjusting reveals.

 

[mastercabman]

3/32"-1/8" is typical
Also a lot of cabinet manufacturer puts a 10* bevel on all 4 edges

 

[amt]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

I can't say I know of any manufacturers that incorporate a back bevel to there doors and drawer fronts. But anyway, a bevel would only make sense on strike & hinge sides of door (stiles).Top & bottom (rails)of doors , and drawer fronts ,would be pointless to bevel. Just to clarify , only application that might require bevel to stiles would be full inset door with barrel hinges.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

I can't say I know of any manufacturers that incorporate a back bevel to there doors and drawer fronts. But anyway, a bevel would only make sense on strike & hinge sides of door (stiles).Top & bottom (rails)of doors , and drawer fronts ,would be pointless to bevel. Just to clarify , only application that might require bevel to stiles would be full inset door with barrel hinges.

I've seen back beveled door/drawers before, maybe 5 degrees or so.

 

[farms100]

on furniture I usually go with the thickness of one of those prepaid store cards on the sides and a bit more than that on the top.  during the dry winter I'll make it a bit looser on top.

I usually assume 1/8 inch per foot for seasonal wood movement.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I am constructing a built-in with inset drawers that will be on the same plane as the face frame and looking for some guidance on the size of the gap between adjacent drawers and the face frame.

The drawer boxes are about 27 inches wide and the drawer fronts vary in height from 5 to 11 inches. Drawer front material is 3/4-inch red oak, S2S, and is already acclimated to my shop. The wider drawer fronts will be glued up panels.

Thanks,
Anthony

I assume you mean taller rather than wider drawer fronts.

1/16" on each side looks good so I'd make the drawer front 1/8" less wide than the opening and the length of the fronts won't change significantly through the seasons.

Certainly you should consider seasonal movement but that is just one of the factors needed to determine how tightly to fit the drawer fronts to the opening at the time of construction.

How dry is the stock?
Sounds like it's already dry and stable so no allowance needed

What is the grain orientation?
If the fronts are plain sawn you can expect the board to change significantly with the seasons. The closer it is to quarter sawn the less it will change. Depending on how wide the face frames are (and grain) they factor in to the size of the gap too.

What is the current season?
It's already August, how much more can you expect the wood to swell? If you cut it loose now it will be even looser in the winter but again, it depends a lot on the orientation of the growth rings.

Where will the piece reside?
If I built a piece now in the warm humid NE and sent it to Arizona I'd fit the drawers close to the face frame.

A small back bevel is a good idea too.

So, for the 5" fronts I'd deduct 1/8" from height and width of the opening regardless of grain orientation.

On the 11" fronts I'd do the same if the stock is quarter sawn. If the stock is plain sawn it depends on if it is expected to expand more or not. In my region it's more likely to shrink than expand from this point.

 

[mastercabman]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

I can't say I know of any manufacturers that incorporate a back bevel to there doors and drawer fronts. But anyway, a bevel would only make sense on strike & hinge sides of door (stiles).Top & bottom (rails)of doors , and drawer fronts ,would be pointless to bevel. Just to clarify , only application that might require bevel to stiles would be full inset door with barrel hinges.

I've seen back beveled door/drawers before, maybe 5 degrees or so.

5-10 degrees +/-
For the drawers,i think it's because if the drawer face is not really centered,the back of the drawer face should not hit the face frame,so no damage done.

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

I can't say I know of any manufacturers that incorporate a back bevel to there doors and drawer fronts. But anyway, a bevel would only make sense on strike & hinge sides of door (stiles).Top & bottom (rails)of doors , and drawer fronts ,would be pointless to bevel. Just to clarify , only application that might require bevel to stiles would be full inset door with barrel hinges.

I've seen back beveled door/drawers before, maybe 5 degrees or so.
[/
5-10 degrees +/-
For the drawers,i think it's because if the drawer face is not really centered,the back of the drawer face should not hit the face frame,so no damage done.

quote]that actually may be a good idea..so the bevel would ride up f.f. rather then crash into it

 

[Joe Duarte]

I use 2mm gaps (5/64) in all my doors and drawer fronts.
Joe

 

[mastercabman]

Is the bevel on the face frame or the door/drawer fronts?

I can't say I know of any manufacturers that incorporate a back bevel to there doors and drawer fronts. But anyway, a bevel would only make sense on strike & hinge sides of door (stiles).Top & bottom (rails)of doors , and drawer fronts ,would be pointless to bevel. Just to clarify , only application that might require bevel to stiles would be full inset door with barrel hinges.

I've seen back beveled door/drawers before, maybe 5 degrees or so.
[/
5-10 degrees +/-
For the drawers,i think it's because if the drawer face is not really centered,the back of the drawer face should not hit the face frame,so no damage done.

quote]that actually may be a good idea..so the bevel would ride up f.f. rather then crash into it

You got it!
I rather go back and do adjustment than fixing the face frame

 

[James McIntyre]

The gap around inset cabinet doors also depends on the hindge your are using.
So an 1/8" gap or 7/64" will work in most cases.

I always make the doors and drawer faces a 1/16" larger and if needed I plane or sand them down to size.

 

[Birdhunter]

I use a credit card for spacing.

 

[ChuckM]

This is an old thread, but the OP's kind of question comes up all the time in woodworking forums. The best solution is either use an online wood movement calculator or invest in a chart like this (price in Cdn), and do the simple math:
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ey-wood-movement-reference-guide?item=50K2401

If I build something for my shop, I can't rely on any 1/16", 1/8" etc. guidelines. The shop can be over 70% in humidity in the winter, and the cabinet inset doors or drawers -- made in the summer -- could have "exploded" had I not used the wood movement chart.

I dislike allowing for a gap that's bigger than needed. For aesthetic reasons, I prefer as close a gap as possible while allowing for wood movement. Excessively huge gaps are poor workmanship to me. Almost all Krenov's inset doors, drawers and boxes have tiny gaps.