Question on solid drawer front movement.

[Alex Elias]

I'm working on a chest of drawers for my soon to be born. There are going to be 4 drawers. The fronts are going to be screwed to the plywood boxes and the faces a solid walnut. 3 of them 6 1/2 tall x 30 wide x 5/8 thick and 1 of 5 x 30 x 5/8.
Here is the question. They are going to be recessed (flash) between the web frames and I’m planning on making a bead around them. The bead is going to be a piece of 1/8 thick walnut by 3/4 wide wrapped around the fronts and miter at the corners so it protrudes 1/8 from the front of the drawers to create a shadow line and brake the plain look a bit. Should I be concern with wood movement? I would hate for the beads to separate or break apart. Also what kind of gap should I look for around the drawers? I was thinking somewhere around 1/32 or 3/64 but wood movement worries me, would 1/16 be actually more adequate?
I live in Palmdale Ca (high desert)
Thanks for your feed back
Alex Elias

[J. Z. Guest]

The wood is going to move more up & down (as you look at the front of the drawer) than anything. I think I would allow more than 1/16" gap, not only for wood movement, but for ease of fit.

[Alex Elias]

Does anyone else have any imput here? I'm almost ready to make the drawers but I'm holding on some feedback.
Thanks

[glenn bradley]

If I understand correctly you are going to have miters at the corner in material that will be attached to the drawer front. Are you talking about cock beading (http://www.whitechapel-ltd.com/tech/cock_bead.shtml)? If the drawer swells enough and differently enough than the trim then yes there will be effects. As to whether the miters will open or there will be a different reaction, I can't say.

I would consider the environment that the piece will be in. Indoors, obviously. Do you heat with wood and cool by opening the windows? If so your humidity will vary along with mother nature more so than someone who uses HVAC and keeps things buttoned up most of the time. If weather changes are a concern and since the drawers are solid have you considered beading (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32679&cat=1,41182)the outer edge of the solid material instead of attaching trim?

[David DeCristoforo]

Typically, the bead would be milled into the carcase face rather than the drawer fronts to avoid the inevitable problems with wood movement that you are correctly anticipating. With solid fronts you would want to mill the bead directly into the drawer front so that the whole thing could move. An applied bead will "work" if you have a stable (laminated or veneered) drawer front.

YM

[Howard Acheson]

The short answer is that anything you put on the end grain edges will be a cross grain situation. When the drawer fronts expand and contract with changes in relative humidity, the miters in the edge banding will open and close.

[Alex Elias]

I did think about beading the drawer front but I don't have the tooling for it. I'll consider making the fronts out of plywood or rethinking the beading placement.


If I understand correctly you are going to have miters at the corner in material that will be attached to the drawer front. Are you talking about cock beading (http://www.whitechapel-ltd.com/tech/cock_bead.shtml)? If the drawer swells enough and differently enough than the trim then yes there will be effects. As to whether the miters will open or there will be a different reaction, I can't say.

I would consider the environment that the piece will be in. Indoors, obviously. Do you heat with wood and cool by opening the windows? If so your humidity will vary along with mother nature more so than someone who uses HVAC and keeps things buttoned up most of the time. If weather changes are a concern and since the drawers are solid have you considered beading (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32679&cat=1,41182)the outer edge of the solid material instead of attaching trim?

That is a good idea and if I do make the solid faces I will most likely go that route.


Typically, the bead would be milled into the carcase face rather than the drawer fronts to avoid the inevitable problems with wood movement that you are correctly anticipating. With solid fronts you would want to mill the bead directly into the drawer front so that the whole thing could move. An applied bead will "work" if you have a stable (laminated or veneered) drawer front.

YM

Thanks guys for your responses

[Steve Schoene]

Beading the drawer front can be done with minimal "tooling", all you need is a scratch beader which you can pretty easily make your self.

I don't think there is really a "typically" about whether stuck beading or planted cock bead goes on the drawer front or inside the drawer opening. Historically it has been done both ways with either kind of beading.

[David DeCristoforo]

"I don't think there is really a "typically" about whether stuck beading or planted cock bead goes on the drawer front or inside the drawer opening. Historically it has been done both ways with either kind of beading."

"Typically", in this case, is being used in the context of having solid wood drawer fronts. But in general, you are correct... it can be done either way.

YM