To Screw or not to Screw?

[David Eisan]

Hello there,

I am making a tiny little side table with a drawer.

http://members.rogers.com/moreweb/images/noslides.jpg

I will not be using those icky drawer slide things in the table, I will be going for a nice wood on wood fit. It is not like this drawer will be holding a hundred pounds of cutlery and operated fifty times a day. I need to attach two additional pieces of wood to the inside of each side apron board. One to make the inside of the "drawer box" flush from front to back with the drawer opening between the table legs. I also need to attach a drawer runner to each side to support the drawer bottom.

Now the question,

The filler boards are not that difficult to glue in, but the runners have to be placed exactly and I am worried about having difficulty clamping them in place with out them hydroplaning around, mucking up their placement. For some reason I have an almost bizarre aversion to using screws in furniture, but I am considering screwing in the drawer guides. Am I being to anal? Should I just go ahead and screw in the drawer guides? Should I then plug the screw holes? Or, should I just glue and clamp them in place and hope for the best?

Thanks,

David.

Every neighbourhood has one, in mine, I'm him.

[Chris Hull]

David,
It's a beautiful little table! What is thedrawer going to look like? If, as I assume, you are going to fasten your runners to the side fillers, why not glue them into a shallow dado or rabbet as location warrents? that would ensure paralellism and accurate positioning during glue up. I hope this helps.

[David Eisan]

Originally posted by Chris Hull
It's a beautiful little table! What is thedrawer going to look like? If, as I assume, you are going to fasten your runners to the side fillers, why not glue them into a shallow dado or rabbet as location warrents? that would ensure paralellism and accurate positioning during glue up. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

The drawer is more to show off and for looks than for function. It will be made from curly soft maple, hand cut dovetails and a rasied panel for the bottom. The drawer front will of course be walnut with the grain flowing through the three pieces that make up the front of the table.

David.

[Bob Oswin]

100 lbs load , 50 openings and closings a day, 365 days a year?

Something tells me it wont last a year with the current design.

I'll be betting on a set of decent sliders.


Bob

[danny haber]

David,

To insure that the wooden drawer guide is in the same position on both sides, I make up a guide block which is nothing more than a piece of scrap that I clamp on either the top or bottom of the box where the drawer will go. Cut the scrap to the dimension of where you want to place the drawer guide and clamp it in place. Next, glue the drawer guide just on top or bottom of the scrap guide block, butting it up to the edge of the guide block. At this point you can either screw, brad nail or just clamp the drawer guide in place. Remove the scrap guide block and repeat the procedure for the other side. Wipe off all glue squeeze out and let it dry. After the glue drys, wax the drawer guides and you are done. Hope this was what you were looking for and that I understood what you were hoping to do.....Danny

[John Miliunas]

I had a situation similar to yours some time ago. I found wire brads to be the answer for me. No, NOT ramming through the guides, but rather, nailing them in to the *glue side* of the guide, snip off the head at an angle to leave just a 16th or so protruding. That gives the guide enough bite into the accepting wood, so that it doesn't slide around when you glue/clamp it. Obviously, once done, do the wax thing, etc... Good luck! :cool: