Heavy drawer construction / Workbench design

[Rob Will]

I'm looking for 12 pair of heavy duty full extension / over extension drawer sides suitable for workshop storage.

These slides will be used in a workbench where the drawers will be 32" wide and 20" deep.

Top drawer is 7" high
Middle drawer is 8" high
Bottom drawer is 12" high

The bench sits in the middle of the room and will be equipped with two 10" wilton vises. There is also provision for electrical in the floor under this bench. I intend to locate a 110V duplex receptacle on each corner post, under the overhang of the 3" thick top. Overall size of the top is 48" x 96". Storage drawers will be located on both sides of the bench thus giving a total of 12 drawers.

So bench gurus, how would you do the drawer layout differently, how would you build the drawers (what materials), and where is a good place to buy heavy drawer slides (capacity 150 lb. or more)?

I don't want to change this into a classic workbench because I need the 4' x 8 ' size as an assembly table, and I need the drawer space.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this "centerpiece" of the shop.

Rob

[Keith Cope]

Rob,

I've had good luck with hardware ordered through www.cabinetparts.com.

Keith

[Jamie Buxton]

For slides, check out www.wwhardware.com Look for slides intended for file drawers -- that'll get you into the 150 lb class. They'll be somewhere in the $30 area.

For drawer construction, use plywood, with lock-rabbet joints at the corners. The lock-rabbet can be made entirely on the table saw, is quick to build, and is sturdy enough for this application. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=356419&postcount=30

[Andrew Williams]

you could make drawer bottoms from solid wood, chamfered (panel-raised) to fit the groove. These are very strong and resistant to bowing. If you measure everything correctly they could even be made to slide on the bottom of the carcase frame.

[Joe Jensen]

I'm looking for 12 pair of heavy duty full extension / over extension drawer sides suitable for workshop storage.

These slides will be used in a workbench where the drawers will be 32" wide and 20" deep.

Top drawer is 7" high
Middle drawer is 8" high
Bottom drawer is 12" high

The bench sits in the middle of the room and will be equipped with two 10" wilton vises. There is also provision for electrical in the floor under this bench. I intend to locate a 110V duplex receptacle on each corner post, under the overhang of the 3" thick top. Overall size of the top is 48" x 96". Storage drawers will be located on both sides of the bench thus giving a total of 12 drawers.

So bench gurus, how would you do the drawer layout differently, how would you build the drawers (what materials), and where is a good place to buy heavy drawer slides (capacity 150 lb. or more)?

I don't want to change this into a classic workbench because I need the 4' x 8 ' size as an assembly table, and I need the drawer space.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this "centerpiece" of the shop.

Rob

I'll be a bit of a heretic. I bought my recent drawers from a drawer shop. Not sure I'll ever build drawers again for things like kitchens or storage. The drawers I ordered for the shop were 1/2" baltic birch, full dovetails, and 1/2" baltic birch bottoms.

Here are two examples. 21.5" wide, 24" deep, 5" tall = $18.55. and 27" wide, 22" deep, and 13.5" tall = $33.55. One small caveot, the company I used was local so was able to pick up and avoid shipping.

I had to do 20 drawers for a recent shop improvement project and the thought of doing all those dovetails in baltic birch kept me from doing it. I felt this was money well spent.
www.drawerconnection.com (http://www.drawerconnection.com)

[Rob Will]

Thanks for the ideas so far. Here's a pic of what I'm trying to accomplish.
Anybody got any suggestions on the layout?

How would you build this?

Can I build end frames and a center divider with 2x4's on edge and then connect everything with a top and bottom rail? In other words, do I have to build face frames with dividers between each drawer or can I use the ends and middle as stops with no dividers? Somebody help me with the correct terminology here.

Keep in mind that this is designed to support a very heavy workbench top hence the frames running along side of the drawers. For better appearance, the corner post look might actually be surface applied to add some mass to the corners. The corners could also be a good mounting location for the electric outlets.

Thanks again for your suggestions,
Rob

[daniel lane]

www.drawerconnection.com (http://www.drawerconnection.com)

Joe,

This site wasn't resolving for me, it appears the website may be http://www.dcdrawers.com (http://www.dcdrawers.com/) but let me know if that's not it!



daniel

[Vic Damone]

I bolted a small rollaway to the underside of a small workbench with a pattern vise at one end. It was only a few dollars more than the hardware I would have needed.

Vic

[Dave Harker]

I made my workbench drawers (for tool storage, such as circular saws, sanders, etc) from:

sides = 3/4" ply
bottoms = 1/2" ply

Good luck!

Dave

[Joe Jensen]

Joe,

This site wasn't resolving for me, it appears the website may be http://www.dcdrawers.com (http://www.dcdrawers.com/) but let me know if that's not it!



daniel

That's is, I typed from memory which apparently isn't good enough...joe