Drawer frame flexing when pulling handle due to large 44" width -possible solutions?

[Cory filder]

Hello,
I just built some drawers and I assembled the bottoms without glue. They are floating this was for ease of installation. However I've run into a potential issue down the line. Because the drawers are so wide, when Pulling on the side ( handle) on the half-inch Baltic birch, there is quite a bit of flex. I'm thinking over time this could be an issue especially with the drawer slides. I'm interested to hear and possible solutions.The best I can come up with is to have an additional quarter-inch piece glued to the bottom and a screw in the front and back. This would no longer make the drawers floating. I should mention that the construction is Baltic bird sides as well as the bottom.

Of course I could just screw right through the bottom but I do not know how well that will hold up.

I have not yet installed the drawer fronts. The plan is to make them 5 mm approximately
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[Jamie Buxton]

A bead of hot-melt glue will tie the bottom to the sides and front quite securely. Make sure to square up the drawer before you apply the glue.

[Richard Coers]

Glue a small cleat or quarter round to the bottom and front

[Thomas McCurnin]

I guess I am not understanding how the sides of the drawer would flex if the corner joints (dovetail, rabbet, finger joint, etc) were properly made. The bottoms usually provide little or no overall strength to the drawer, and floating is one of the typical designs, so something is wrong. I agree to add some glue to the dados holding the drawer bottom or just shoot a half dozen pins or brads into the bottom of the drawer side on the inside at a slight angle to hit the drawer bottom, or yeah some quarter round or shop made triangle cleat to the corners to reinforce them. I think I would try glue or brads first.

[Paul F Franklin]

Just adding the drawer fronts will stiffen the front and reduce the flex. In addition to the pull locations, you can screw through the drawer carcass into the front in several other locations (making sure to use oversize clearance holes) to really stiffen up the front assembly. I'd try that first before the other solutions; it may be all you need.

[Ron Selzer]

drawer front is too light, needs reinforced somehow. lot of good ideas given already pick one. I have a 4 drawer chest for my clothes, made out of 3/4 cherry, dovetail's and 1/2 baltic birch bottoms. The drawer fronts do not flex, no matter if pulled from side, middle. Over 50" wide.
Ron

[Cory filder]

A bead of hot-melt glue will tie the bottom to the sides and front quite securely. Make sure to square up the drawer before you apply the glue.

Does the hot glue last for years with temperature changes? Despite the fact that this is all made out of Baltic birch plywood, is there any issue with movement? I shouldn't think so since many people use glue all the time


Glue a small cleat or quarter round to the bottom and front

I'm seriously considering this is the option.


I guess I am not understanding how the sides of the drawer would flex if the corner joints (dovetail, rabbet, finger joint, etc) were properly made. The bottoms usually provide little or no overall strength to the drawer, and floating is one of the typical designs, so something is wrong. I agree to add some glue to the dados holding the drawer bottom or just shoot a half dozen pins or brads into the bottom of the drawer side on the inside at a slight angle to hit the drawer bottom, or yeah some quarter round or shop made triangle cleat to the corners to reinforce them. I think I would try glue or brads first.

glue and brads are fast and easy. The reason why this is happening has more to do with bending moment of the long span rather than joint stiffness of the corner. my Corners are pretty stiff. I do not believe there is a mistake so far, but rather an additional step as needed. My sides which are only 20 inches do not really flex at all. 44 inches is a long span with only 12 mm material and 3" high


Just adding the drawer fronts will stiffen the front and reduce the flex. In addition to the pull locations, you can screw through the drawer carcass into the front in several other locations (making sure to use oversize clearance holes) to really stiffen up the front assembly. I'd try that first before the other solutions; it may be all you need.

I was thinking this too only that my drawer fronts were only intended to be 5 mm thick. If I would've gone thicker, I think you're right there would've been no issue.


drawer front is too light, needs reinforced somehow. lot of good ideas given already pick one. I have a 4 drawer chest for my clothes, made out of 3/4 cherry, dovetail's and 1/2 baltic birch bottoms. The drawer fronts do not flex, no matter if pulled from side, middle. Over 50" wide.
Ron

3/4" is thicker than 1/2" also close drawers are a lot deeper at 6 inches or more which provides further stiffness

[Bill Dufour]

A drawer that wides needs two handles not just one. How thick is the wood. Can you add a drawer front latter.
Bill D

[Cory filder]

12 mm frame, 5 mm front ( plan) not executed yet. Wait a second. Why does the drawer need two handles? I only bought for one.I fitted one test drawer and it is ultrasmooth. I disabled the soft close mechanism which should cut down on flex.

[Jamie Buxton]

A drawer that wides needs two handles not just one. How thick is the wood. Can you add a drawer front latter.
Bill D

Putting two pulls on a wide drawer is common, but it causes a problem. If somebody pulls on only one handle, the drawer box may rack, or the drawer may rack against the casework. A single pull in the middle of drawer avoids those problems.

[Thomas McCurnin]

So based on the information provided by Cory, the OP, it is the drawer front which is flexing, understandable I guess since it is so wide. As others have posted, having a drawer front of 3/4 stock would solve this problem. Brads and glue would bond the drawer front to the bottom which might work. Try and see, no harm in trying. I'm assuming this is a casual cabinet since there is no finish drawer front and the entire thing is made out of plywood. If that is the case, and a drawer front cannot be added now to stiffen the drawer front, try a Simpson Tie, cut down to something less than the width and screw it to the back of the drawer front, or add some additional stock to the inside of the drawer front, like gluing some more matching stock. Both would stiffen the front, which seems to be undersized if it is flexing.

[Michael Burnside]

Is this a fine furniture piece or utility/shop? If the former, I would attempt to add 1/8" edge banding at the top (wood does not easily flex across grain) and be sure to glue the drawer bottom panel along the front and one place on each side. If shop furniture, I'd add a divider down the middle or 1/4" round or even a small angle bracket glued in place. Lots of "ugly" ways to fix that for shop furniture.

I've built a custom hutch that used 48" drawers and my wife wanted one middle pull. To overcome flexing, I used 3/4" maple drawer boxes, once the front was added there is zero flex. Jamie points out the downside if you add two pulls to such a wide drawer and IMHO something in the middle is best.

[Rick Potter]

Since the whole drawer is BB why not glue the bottom in, there should be no expansion to worry about. Also consider just another layer of BB glued to the INSIDE of the front piece. It would look like it was designed that way.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Rick said the same thing I need, but better. +1

[Larry Edgerton]

NEVER put two handles on drawers wider than 30". People are morons and they Will screw them up.

[Tom Bender]

Back before plywood and modern glue there were reasons to make slip in bottoms. If you're doing that now you're stuck in an incredibly old rut.

[Lee Schierer]

12 mm frame, 5 mm front ( plan) not executed yet. Wait a second. Why does the drawer need two handles? I only bought for one.I fitted one test drawer and it is ultrasmooth. I disabled the soft close mechanism which should cut down on flex.

I would never make a drawer that wide with a 3/16" front panel, let alone one that is 40" wide. I made a lateral file with two drawers that were 36 inches wide, but like all my other drawers the sides were 1/2" poplar all the way around. When I was looking at drawer slides I noted that the specifications for the slides limited the maximum width of the drawers. You basically need more robust drawer slides for wider drawers (https://www.accuride.com/hardware/Wide-Drawer-Slides) that have a bit more side play tolerance than regular slides.
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[Dan Hahr]

1. Everything needs to be glued to everything else, unless you use solid wood.
2. Very flimsy design due to the small dimensions.
3. Use 5/8" minimum sides, back, and sub-front.
4. Add drawer face of 3/4" and screw on through sub front. A 5mm front is a waste of time.
5. 44" width is very wide for a drawer. If you are putting heavy stuff in it, you will need to be using at least 1/2" bottoms.

Unless your drawers are for light stuff like maps, they are way too underbuilt to last.

Dan

[James Jayko]

It's plywood. Just glue the bottom in.