How do these wood drawers not expand???

[mike waters]

These are solid wood (it seems, especially since dovetails are used)

How does the build handle expansion?
Plywood back and plywood bottom?
I see some "sectional walls" inside the drawer, but they are adjustable and not glued into a dado.

thank you..drawers.jpg

[mike waters]

oops. didnt mean to reply

[Michael Pyron]

I don't think any expansion is going to exert any great amount of stress on anything...or contraction...the plywood bottom should not be glued (though perhaps carefully nailed) so that allows for movement in wood, the back may react differently than solid wood, but it's only held in place by the dovetails, so what's going to happen?

the drawers in my 45 year old dresser (got it as a kid and still have it) are made of all solid wood with a plywood bottom...the dovetails just started to break apart slightly (glue failure or lack of glue?) a couple of years ago but it's still holding together...yeah, yeah, need to glue up those few dovetail joints that are loose

[Jerry Miner]

Expansion is not an issue here because:

1. The widths of the drawer sides are relatively small
2. The grain is all running in the same direction (parallel to the floor)

Expansion/contraction is a bigger issue when:

1. the board (or panel) widths are relatively large
2. two pieces are joined in conflicting directions ("cross-grain construction")

Plywood back and plywood bottom?

Drawers can be (and have been and are) successfully built with either solid wood or plywood bottoms. A solid wood bottom should be made to "float" in a groove so it can expand/contract and stay in place

[Lee Schierer]

The outside dimensions of the drawer boxes are not likely to change with moisture changes. Wood does not change length appreciably along the length of the grain. The drawers might get a bit taller or shorter with seasonal moisture changes, but if they are mounted on slides, that expansion should cause no problems with the joints. If the bottoms are plywood, plywood doesn't change much dimensionally in either direction due to the cross grain glue up that makes it. The plywood bottoms could be glues in place if desired to prevent racking.

[Andy Giddings]

Looks like they have undermount slides which will cope with the sort of expansion most households will incur. If they were hardwood runners I'd be more concerned

[mike waters]

thanks a lot gents.
once again saving the day

[Frank Drew]

I might be wrong, but from the photo it looks like the drawers are riding on undermount slides so there wouldn't be any need for the kind of tight fits that can cause problems with wood expansion with traditional wood-on-wood drawer mounting.

[johnny means]

More importantly, how does the end user resist the urge to rip that door off every time they access those drawers.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Expansion is not an issue here because:

... because it is magic wood.....

[mike waters]

Hahahaha I was thinking that lol