Installing 5 piece drawer fronts

[Sam Layton]

I am almost ready to start building my kitchen cabinets. I will be using 5 piece drawer fronts on all of the drawers. My question is, how do you attach the 5 piece drawer front to the drawer box?

I am using riff sawn red oak and solid wood panels. The panels will float within the stiles and rails. Soooo, which do you attach, the panels, the stiles, both???

Thanks, Sam

[Steve Jenkins]

I use screws from the inside of the drawer box into the stiles. One on each corner near the top and bottom. For a shallow drawer I use just one screw on each side.Then the screws for the pulls go through the panel and the drawer box.

[Chip Lindley]

I might add, make sure your screws are not too short or long! Max holding power is needed over the long run! Too-short screws pull out more easily. Too-long cause the heartbreak of poking through a very nice drawer front! And, of course, drill pilot holes first. (not too deep!)

I take into account the possibility of *drawer-slam-abuse* in the future, and I toenail the screws in! (drive the screws at an angle) to provide a bit more holding power than is afforded by driving them straight in!

[Jim Rimmer]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a 5 piece drawer front?

[Steve Jenkins]

Like a door. two rails two stiles and panel

[Joe Leigh]

I did the same thing with my kitchen drawers. The solution for me was to use the 5 piece front as a false front screwed to the through dovetailed drawer front.

[Sam Layton]

Thanks for the response,

I like the idea of securing the stiles and the panel to the drawer box.

Thanks again, Sam