5-Piece Drawer Front Question

[Tom Bain]

I’ve done several projects in the past with slab drawer fronts, but working on a cabinet where I’m going to use a 5-piece front to match some existing cabinetry. The drawer fronts will be shaker style with 1/4” plywood as the panel and painted. My question is how best to attach the fronts to drawer box? I’m now realizing that (a) there is going to be gap between the drawer box and drawer front where the panel is and (b) 1/4” isn’t enough to screw into.

So, how are these types of fronts normally attached? I could try and screw into the frame I suppose although not sure if there is enough overlap, or glue some appropriately sized “filler” material onto the backside of the panel.

Suggestions welcome!

Thanks,
Tom

[Wayne Lomman]

Preferably put your screws where they will pick up the frame. The stiles should be wide enough to allow this. Handles/pulls needs screws long enough to go through both the front and the drawer box. Cut a packer to infill the gap between drawer and front so that tightening the handle screws doesn't bow the front. Cheers

[Matt Day]

If you can’t catch the frame with screws, don’t use 1/4” ply. Use 1/2” and rabbet it into the frame instead of dadoing. Then you can attach wherever you’d like.

If not infill the gap as Wayne said.

[Sam Murdoch]

Yeah, simply add a filler panel that flushes out the back (or very slightly under flush - use peel and stick sandpaper as a extra fill layer if needed).

[Scott Buehler]

Fast cap makes small L braces just for that purpose, I use them all the time

[Scott Buehler]

https://www.wwhardware.com/fastcap-kolbe-korner-drawer-front-mounting-brackets-fckk

[Tom Bain]

I took one of the drawer fronts on the existing cabinets I'm trying to match just to see how they did it. Turns out they used a raised panel bit on thicker material and then just put the raised panel in "backwards" allowing them to screw into the thicker panel. I don't have a raised panel bit, but I do have 1/2" ply handy so I will probably go with that and just rabbet the edges to make it work ... or add a filler panel as suggested.

Thanks.