Thread: Recommended gap around drawers?

I make mine to fit the opening and then plane them down until they slide easily. If you try to make them with an allowance built in like that, you could end up with a sloppy fit.

I agree with silent C - plane the drawer down to create the gap (or "reveal" as I believe it is known).

I usually aim for about 1.5mm, but you may want a little more if the wood is likely to expand in heat/humidity. The trick is not so much the size of the revel itself but that it is the same on all sides of all drawers.

Makes sense ... thanks guys, much appreciated

We use 3mm packers between drawer fronts and 2mm between drawer fronts and carcase ends. Drawers run on metal runners. Length of drawer fronts are the same length as the hole and are sanded to fit after they have been screwed to the drawer boxes.

Hi Vernonv,

I use two laminex sample cards glued together to establish my gaps.
That's about 1.8 mm. I always cut the drawer fronts to zero clearance first then plane down carefully to arrive at that gap. It's when you are doing that that you realise the merits of getting your carcase joinery exact in the first instance both in square and parallel terms. If you are using false fronts for side mount or bottom mount drawer runners use double sided tape to get the drawer front fitted exactly first time. Put two or three strips of double sided tape vertically on the unseen front.Now position the false front carefully in the opening using the laminex spacers. Push the drawer forward slowly and strongly holding the false front in place whilst so doing. It helps a lot at this stage if you have not yet installed the carcase back. Remove the drawer complete from the carcase and screw on the false front with two or four screws. Remove the screws, lose the double sided tape and refit the front. It should be spot on. There are eccentric screw based fittings available from Hafele and Hettich that allow you some degree of adjustment once you have fitted the false front but they are not necessary if you follow my method. The real key is to get your carcase joinery spot on then it all flows smoothly and you feel good about it.

Best of Luck Old Pete

Whatever your target gap is, let the final measurement be driven by the the gages you use to verify centering. Imperfections in joinery can then be rendered invisible (or almost).

Cheers,
Joe

Thanks everyone for the ideas and suggestions. I'll keep them in mind when I start constructions (hopefully soon).