Tutorial - Inset Drawer Install

[Jeff Wright]

I don't pretend to be an expert (in anything), but I felt it might be helpful to post the procedure I use to make and install inset drawers. I much prefer the classic look of both inset drawers and doors and believe their extra effort is well worth the finished product. It is also my hope that others will contribute their ideas, suggestions and certainly critique of my methods. I have concluded that one never learns all there is to know about woodworking, so just enjoy the ride to more and more knowledge.

The large number of photos will require multiple posts. So please follow along and let me know your thoughts. The photos show a sharpening station I designed and built. I purposely built it higher than normal because I prefer to have the tips of my turning tools closer to my eye level while sharpening. It also saves the backs of older folks like me! The drawers are mounted on the lesser expensive Accuride 3732 side-mounted full-extension slides. Blum under mounts are extravagances I will reserve for the upcoming kitchen build.

I like to set my inset drawers about 1/8 inch inside the face of the face frame. I think I read somewhere this is a style preferred by Sam Maloof. Setting the drawer back a bit also helps hide any small imperfections in the drawer's reveal between it and the face frame. I try to achieve spacing between the drawer and face frame equal to about four index cards.

A word about the slide install: the directions call for a half inch space between the side of the drawer and the face frame. I try for an extra 32nd of an inch; any more than that and I find it becomes a tad difficult to have the slides mate easily between the slide part on the drawer side and the slide part mounted on the case. So if the directions call for a half inch spacing on each side of the drawer, I cut my drawer front of the box 1 1/16 inch longer than the opening.

[Continue on to my next post. . . .]

[Jeff Wright]

I first cut the drawer fronts to width and length. If I have made my face frame carefully to insure the drawer openings are square of of equal widths, I can cut all fronts the same length using the stop on my saw's crosscut fence. Since I designed the cabinet with progressively higher drawers, each drawer's front had to be sized one at a time. I cut the drawer fronts so that they are approximately 1/16 of an inch shorter than their opening. Any additional reduction in height will be made with a hand plane.

The drawer faces are sanded to remove any planer marks. Once the fronts are tentatively sized, I then drill holes on their back sides to receive the Blum drawer face mounting hardware. But BEFORE installing the plastic mounting hardware (a photo of these will appear in the next post), I insert a Blum device in each of the two drilled holes that will help mark where the screw holes must be drilled in the front of the drawer box. These screws will hold the drawer faces onto the drawer box. Note: You should be able to spot the laser lights on my drill press. Some folks say the laser lights are not helpful, but I find if you take the time to align them, they make drill press set ups faster and easier.

The drawer face is now ready to be inserted into the drawer opening and pushed firmly against the face of the closed drawer to make an imprint of where the screw holes must be drilled.

[Please see following post . . . ]

[Peter Quinn]

Looks like great work Jeff. I just installed a half dozen inset drawers in a cabinet at work. The shop I work in does mostly inset beaded doors and drawers on custom work, and I'm no expert at hanging those things, but a few of the guys I work with are quite good at it.

We use blum tandems almost exclusively, and while they are expensive for shop cabs, for production work on custom boxes they are hard to beat. They make clips for inset drawers that have little bumpers which allow you to tweak the amount of inset on each side and another adjustment for up/down that helps tweak the reveal. We also buy these little plastic buttons from CSH that come with a drill to match and centering finders. You drill two holes in the back of each applied front, one on each side, put the venter finders in the holes, place the drawer front in the hole, shim it to set the reveal and give it a little "bump". The center finders show you just where to drill screw holes. The little plastic buttons have a steel washer that is threaded in the center and "floats" a bit to allow quick and precise adjustment of the reveal both in the shop and in the field. It also allows you to install everything with the wood in the raw, remove for finishing, and reinstall with minimal handling later.

I suppose the old double stick tape trick works, though you get a gap at the back of a few thousands from the tape. And some just drill oversized holes, but you still have to locate the drawer face pretty close to the right place. The plastic buttons hold very well and make installing gross numbers of inset drawers a cinch. Heck, even i can do it!:D

For a reveal we use nickels, which I measured at .040" or a heavy 1/32". Here in New England a .020" reveal is asking for trouble wood movement wise, and you have to leave room for finish. I think our set back is roughly 1/32", as is the set back on the bead on the frames. I too like the drawers slightly inset.

[Jeff Wright]

With the Blum devices set into the forstner-drilled holes, I place the drawer fronts into the drawer opening and position it using index cards. Your reveal spacing will depend on the climate where you live. Since my shop is always air conditioned here in Florida, I am able to keep wood movement to a minimum. I'll typically place four index cards on the bottom of the drawer face. Once satisfied with the alignment, I tap strongly with my closed fist against each end of the drawer face to force an imprint mark on the drawer BOX front to show where I must drill mounting holes for the drawer front. I then install the Blum plastic mounting hardware in the holes on the back of the drawer front. Use care to be sure to install the plastic plug-like devices properly - the edge of the plugs have raked spirals that hold them in place securely. I install them so the angle of the raked spirals are heading towards the back of the drawer front. Once installed, the plastic plugs should (and must) be level with the back face of the drawer face. Otherwise, the fronts will not mount flush with the front of the drawer box front. Set your drill press accurately to insure the right depth.

[See following post . . . ]

[Jeff Wright]

I like to mount the drawer pulls next to give me something to hold on to when installing the front. Here I decided to use simple birch pulls secured with a screw. The hole for the mounting screw must be recessed on the back of the drawer front to allow for the screw head. Otherwise, the drawer front will not sit flush and tight to the drawer box front.

I purchased 3/4 inch long stainless round-head screws and washers to mount the drawer fronts. The 3/4 inch lengths work well having used 1/2 inch thick drawer box and 3/4 inch drawer fronts.

Using index cards I inserted the drawer front into the drawer opening and screwed the mounting screws securely into the Blum plastic mounting hardware. If I found the drawer fronts a tad too wide, I used a hand plane to take a few shavings off at a time until satisfied with the fit.

I found that as good as the Blum mounting hardware is, the drawer fronts are still likely to shift their position over time. Therefore, I like to add some additional wood screws to really lock the fronts in place. The photo below shows the extra countersunk screw added to the back. I prefer wood screws with the square drive heads. They are available at McFeeley's or now at Woodcraft.

This concludes the tutorial. Hope it has given you some ideas. And if you feel this post has been valuable, as have others like it, don't forget to contribute to SMC. I'm sure every little bit helps.

[Jeff Wright]

Looks like great work Jeff. I just installed a half dozen inset drawers in a cabinet at work. The shop I work in does mostly inset beaded doors and drawers on custom work, and I'm no expert at hanging those things, but a few of the guys I work with are quite good at it.

We use blum tandems almost exclusively, and while they are expensive for shop cabs, for production work on custom boxes they are hard to beat. They make clips for inset drawers that have little bumpers which allow you to tweak the amount of inset on each side and another adjustment for up/down that helps tweak the reveal. We also buy these little plastic buttons from CSH that come with a drill to match and centering finders. You drill two holes in the back of each applied front, one on each side, put the venter finders in the holes, place the drawer front in the hole, shim it to set the reveal and give it a little "bump". The center finders show you just where to drill screw holes. The little plastic buttons have a steel washer that is threaded in the center and "floats" a bit to allow quick and precise adjustment of the reveal both in the shop and in the field. It also allows you to install everything with the wood in the raw, remove for finishing, and reinstall with minimal handling later.

I suppose the old double stick tape trick works, though you get a gap at the back of a few thousands from the tape. And some just drill oversized holes, but you still have to locate the drawer face pretty close to the right place. The plastic buttons hold very well and make installing gross numbers of inset drawers a cinch. Heck, even i can do it!:D

For a reveal we use nickels, which I measured at .040" or a heavy 1/32". Here in New England a .020" reveal is asking for trouble wood movement wise, and you have to leave room for finish. I think our set back is roughly 1/32", as is the set back on the bead on the frames. I too like the drawers slightly inset.

Peter, I have used the Blum Tandem slides on an entertainment center I just completed. Great slides! Thanks for your suggestions.

[Alan Schaffter]

I think the enlarged hole method is easier and quicker.

Build the drawer box.
Build the applied fronts and drill holes for the pull screws at the drill press.
Carefully hold the applied fronts against the drawer box fronts and mark the location of the pull holes in the drawer box front with a pencil or the drill bit.
Change to a larger bit and drill oversized holes in the drawer box front (NOT the applied front!).
Mount the pulls and tighten the screws until the applied front doesn't slip.
Put all the drawers in the cabinet and tap the fronts up/down, left/right into alignment. There should be enough play due to the oversized holes. Pull screws with pan or truss heads heads will cover the oversized holes unless you made them too big!
Carefully open each drawer and anchor the applied front with a few brads shot from the inside. You can add additional screws from the inside if you want. Don't forget to tighten the pull screws.
That way you can wait until the cabinets are installed before you align the applied drawer fronts and don't need to worry about them not being aligned.


One last item, the screws supplied with most pulls are too short to go through both a 1/2" box front and a 3/4" applied front, so I just buy longer ones with truss or pan heads.

[Jeff Wright]

Alan, thanks for a great idea. I'll give a try. I assume if you were using drawer pulls requiring two mounting holes you'd do it the same, no?

[Alan Schaffter]

Alan, thanks for a great idea. I'll give a try. I assume if you were using drawer pulls requiring two mounting holes you'd do it the same, no?

Yes, in fact it is easier to do with dual screw pulls or two pulls since the applied front is held more firmly while you "tap" it into position.