I’m making three narrow, walnut drawer, bathroom cabinets (<12″ wide). I’m attaching 3/4″ walnut fronts to finger jointed baltic ply drawers. I would like to run the grain vertical, but I am not sure of the downstream ramifications. The drawers will overlap the face frame. The drawers will have about 1/16″ gap between the drawer above and below. What should I be considering before running the grain in a vertical direction?
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Replies
By running the grain vertically you will potentially have a fair amount of wood movement horizontally across the 12 inch wide face, so it wouldn't hurt to mount the drawer face solidly in the center but attach it with screws in slightly over size slots or holes at the outer edges.
Finger joints for the drawers aren't needed unless you want to use this project to practice making them. Simple screws through butt joints or rabbet/dado joints would be very strong, you won't even need to use glue. You will also find that it is hard to prevent some tear out in the face veneer of the plywood when cutting finger joints.
Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007
Are the drawer fronts "slab" style? If so, could you make them from plywood instead of solid boards? Plywood would be less prone to expansion/contraction issues which may be a real problem if you're trying to work with 1/16" gaps in a humid environment.
I did this vanity last year in beech and used iron on edge banding for the plywood doors and drawer fronts. It's holding up fine after a year of the homeowners long, hot, steamy, showers.
nice cabs.
Thanks. I'm rather proud of them, myself.When the customer asked for the ultra-contemporary style, I said "Sure!" although I hadn't done it before. Then, when she said that she wanted Beech with a clear finish, I had to tell her that I thought Beech was only used to brew Budweiser. - lol
Nice job there.. What is the top made of? Did you stain the beech?
Thanks
The top is concrete (done by someone else - lol) No stain on the Beech, just precat lacquer.
Dave45,
before venturing too far, I would like to recognize John's response and thank him for it. Yes, the walnut fronts are solid stock about 11.0" wide (the cab nets 12"). You're suggesting buying walnut ply and then banding the edges. I could also resaw and laminate onto ply. Your suggestion is a good one and worthy of further consideration.My understanding is that the wood expands across the grain not with the grain. So, if the wood grain runs vertical, the expansion will go to the sides (horizontal). The 1/16" gap is at the top and bottom of the drawer, not at the sides. Thanks for your input.
I would definitely go with plywood in your situation. Wood expands/contracts across the grain like you said, but plywood does far less of that than solid lumber because of the way it's made (thin veneers laid cross grain, then glued together).I would also suggest a good quality, cabinet grade, ply to avoid twists, warps, bows, etc.
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