I need some drawer front help!

[Jeff Monson]

I'm building some built in's, I have the 2 dresser bases done except for the drawer fronts. I was going to start cutting some stock for the drawer fronts when it finally dawned on me that
I have a pretty big problem. The drawer fronts are 5 piece inset. The problem is the upper drawers, I have 5" of height to work with. My program is calling for 1 3/8" rails, with 2 9/16"
center panels. When I get done with raising the center panel, the biggest center portion I can come up with is only 3/4". That's not much left to mount my pull hardware to.

Looking for some different ideas here, this is what I have come up with so far,

1. leave it at that, find some narrow pull hardware?
2. put in flat center panels and do an applied molding?

Here is a drawing of the project, you can see how narrow the raised panels are on the upper drawers for the desk and dressers.

[glenn bradley]

I would not frame doors that small in height. If you want the look,
- make some narrow molding that echos the profile and apply it with glue(?)
- Get a miniature (http://woodworking.rockler.com/c/miniature-router-bits) of your profile (http://www.sears.com/search=amana%20miniature%20molding%20router%20bits ?catalogId=12605&autoRedirect=false&storeId=10153&yikes_prod=true) and make those frames much narrower(?)

[Sam Murdoch]

Alternatively - in such cases I have left the stiles the same as all the other drawers/doors but then reduced the top and bottom rail dimensions. I might reduce the rails in this case to 1" or 1 1/8". Also don't get hung up on using the same pulls everywhere. You can get pretty nice effects using a pair of knobs on long but narrow top drawers and a different style bar pull centered on the lower drawers.

I would not make such short faced drawers raised panels in frames - flat panels only - or as others suggest in posts below, a good alternative is a raised panel slab.

Here is an example with the top drawers at 5-1/4" tall -

253299

[keith micinski]

I did something similar to what Sam is saying except I went we t even set and made my rails and styles about an inch wide. It looks fine. I like it better then a solid drawer front with an applied moulding.

[Peter Quinn]

Another option is to run a solid drawer front for the skinny top unit, it actually looks pretty good, sort of sets it off from the rest of the stack in a pleasing way. We've also done a flat plywood panel, maybe 1/2" thick flat panel, in the same species as the rest of the stock, then wrapped that in a rabbited molding made with the same cutter as the rest of the drawers. It mimics the wider drawers, solves the hardware issue.

[John TenEyck]

Several good options already. Another approach is to use a steeper angle for raising those particular panels, if you have that option available. I've done it with TS raised panels, and it works quite well.

John

[Kevin Guarnotta]

When I've run into this in the past, I usually just make the top drawer front a solid panel. Think about why the frame and rail system is used to begin with, and there should be no need for it on a small front.

[Joe Scharle]

Like Peter, I've done the drawer fronts as solid raised panels. I think too many rails in a drawer stack, look too busy.

[Jeff Monson]

Another option is to run a solid drawer front for the skinny top unit, it actually looks pretty good, sort of sets it off from the rest of the stack in a pleasing way.

That sounds possible, I'm not sure a solid flat panel would look good?? Do you put a bead on it or some other type of molding? I've done alot of upper drawers in kitchens by just raising the solid panel, but thats on overlay drawers. Do you have any photos of the work you described??

[Mark Bolton]

Suppose it all depends on what your willing to live with but a different panel raise would be my option if I had to stay true to the drawing. If its for yourself there is some fudge factor I guess. If not, its probably a little late and perhaps you have no choice?

[scott vroom]

+1 on making slab fronts on the top drawers.