Premade Drawer Boxes

[ByronBlack]

I'm designing a new multi-work station and have a requirement for about 20 drawers of various sizes, does anyone know of a good place for pre-made metal or plastic drawer boxes?

I've already looked on screwfix and a few others, but so far only found kitchen drawers and they worked out quite expensive (£10+ each). I'm looking for something quite basic and inexpensive.

TIA

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Byron

Not a supplier, but if you make them from 12mm plywood and use a home-made finger joint jig (my design is on here somewhere) on the router table, they will be cheap, quikly made and strong

Cheers
Tony

 

[nickson71]

I have to say my first thought was make them too ........


Ian

 

[jasonB]

Woodfit do them complete with runners, depends what sort of quality you are after, PWS also do dovetailed ones if you want.

http://www.woodfit.com/index.php?cPath= ... er+Drawers

Jason

 

[ByronBlack]

Tony/Ian - I did think of making them myself, but i'm not particularly quick in anything I build and it would take me quite a long time to make 20 drawers of differering sizes, hence my requirement for buying in pre-made ones.

Jason, thanks for the link, but these work out more expensive than the screwfix ones. Maybe i'm looking for something that doesn't exist within my price range. I'll have to keep searching.

Thanks so far guys.

 

[AndyT]

If you want them cheaper than £10 each, try hanging around at the 'bargain corner' in your nearest Ikea and looking for something with drawers in that has been scratched or broken somewhere that won't matter. Or they might even have a drawer pack stocked separately where it's an optional extra to a standard cupboard carcass.

 

[wizer]

I think you'll be able to make the boxes up quite quickly and cheaply yourself. Rip sheets of ply to the correct height, run in a dado for the ply bottoms on either router table or using the CS, then to join use either biscuits or dowels.

Once it's all setup the process should be quite quick.

 

[JFC]

What about old fridge freezer draws ? Should find loads of them at the dump .

 

[Anonymous]

Byron
Don't underestimate the speed of finger jointed boxes. Quick rip on the table saw gives you 4 sides of same depth. One setting on the router table for all the dados and finger jointing a 6" box width takes 5 mins per piece and if several boxes are the same size, you fly through them.

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for all the suggestions, seems the popular option is to batch make them. I'm not sure about the finger-joint, I don't have a great record with making accurate jigs. (Thought: I suppose I could use pocket screws...)

Has anyone used one off those drawer-lock joint router bit setups? Are they quite quick to use, or do they require a lot of setting up?

Jason - good idea, i'm due a visit to the tip soon so i'll swallow my pride and go bin-dipping and see what I can find

 

[Gary]

Jason - good idea, i'm due a visit to the tip soon so i'll swallow my pride and go bin-dipping and see what I can find

Go on I dare you. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Byron

Come on over to Chez Tony and I'll sort you out with finger joints - the best bet for quick boxes

 

[DomValente]

Not pocket screws BB.

Dom

 

[Scrit]

I've already looked on screwfix and a few others, but so far only found kitchen drawers and they worked out quite expensive (£10+ each). I'm looking for something quite basic and inexpensive.

Errrr..... £10 IS basic AND inexpensive......

Thought: I suppose I could use pocket screws....

Now yer thinking - and much easier to set-up than a lock joint bit (not to mention cheaper if you already have the jig), although this:

can be cut using a router and a straight cutter, so minimal cost, and has the advantage that it can be worked with a plough plane plus a rebate plane (thought you'd like that!)

Scrit

 

[Charley]

Has anyone used one off those drawer-lock joint router bit setups? Are they quite quick to use, or do they require a lot of setting up?

Once setup it's very quick; I did a basic guide a few years back, you can find it here

 

[DomValente]

Don't really see how you could use pocket screws and make the drawers strong enough Scrit.
Unless they're incorporated with the lock joint

Dom

 

[Scrit]

Don't really see how you could use pocket screws and make the drawers strong enough

Providing the butted surfaces and the bottom are all glued in they will suffice for many domestic loads, Dom - our 'murrican cousins do use them (although personally I wouldn't normally use the technique); they have the front/rear inside the sides as opposed to the way we do it, presumably so that the screws are loaded when the drawers are opened and also to hide them from view when the drawer is extended.

Danny Proulx (the American author) used to build drawers from 15mm MFC and carcass screws...... which is simpler and requires no jig at all.

Traditional cheap pine drawer boxes often had the front rebated into the sides and glued and pinned/nailed whilst the rear was inserted into a housing and again glued and pinned. Using that technique with grooved out sides reduces drawer making to a 10 to 20 minute task (once the timber has been prepped)

Scrit

 

[DomValente]

Fair enough, but then he's going to have to make draw fronts as well, although I agree, overall even with making the fronts it would be quicker.


Dom

 

[JFC]

Its how Tonto and i make our draws .

 

[DomValente]

Its how Tonto and i make our draws .

Oh God, now he thinks he's the Lone Ranger

Dom