Stop my bottom falling out of my drawers!

[PerranOak]

So, I have a drawer, 230mmx135mmx37mm.

Since it is so small, I wanted to maximise the depth. Therefore, the sides and back are 6mm narrower than the front and I planned to glue a ply base that would not be seen from the front and would be glued to the bottom of the sides and back.

Now I'm wondering if the bottom will fall out?

 

[StevieB]

Depends how much weight you put in the drawer Its more traditional to put the base into a rebate so its flush with the sides and back rather than sitting the sides and base on it but with a good wood glue such as titebond I would think you should be OK.

Steve

 

[wizer]

I would not trust glue alone. Screws for reinforcement is the way to go. Tho, I'd not build a drawer in this fashion myself..

 

[PerranOak]

Thanks Steve/wizer.

Trouble is, I've already lost 6mm and a groove would need to be another 5mm-ish from the bottom and I couldn't countenance a further loss of depth.

Nothing heavy will go in it.

Me neither (normally) wizer! Little tiny screws? The sides are only 7mm thick.

I just wondered if there was a clever trick.

 

[xy mosian]

I take your point about the small screws.
Alternatives might be dovetailed pins/nails or I do have somewhere some 19mm nails with ring shanks and a flat head, for nailing hardboard to floors I think. I'll try and find a source. Of course staples could be used, toshed ones might spring out through the sides but they would hold well.

xy

 

[JoinerySolutions]

On a drawer that small glue would do it. Another way though for next time would be to leave the sides full height, run a 3mm groove 6mm up and rebate the 6mm ply to suit, then glue it up. Result is longer glue line and it is trapped in place.
Rob.

 

[TobyB]

If I'm imagining this right, could you add some "mechanical" strength with a rebate in the front, not full width so it's not seen, that the floor could key into this?

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Perran,

You can also make drawers this way.

You won't save on your depth, but this is as strong a method as any.

If you have to stay with a glued on drawer-bottom:

With the thicknesses you are working to, try Railway Modellers' track pins. They are extremely fine, don't split timber easily, and have good holding qualities. They are virtually invisible when they are hammered flush.

http://www.themodeller.com/products/Tra ... -R207.aspx

http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/product ... rack-pins/

HTH
John

 

[Chris Knight]

Glue will be plenty strong enough.

 

[Boatfixer]

Another vote for glue on something like this - modern glues are much stronger than you would think. I would use West epoxy but only because I use it daily - it would be a bit of overkill in this situation. That boat in my avatar is nearly twenty years old, gets raced in all weathers and doesn't have a single mechanical fastening holding the hull together, just epoxy fillets. Most wood glues would be plenty strong enough for your drawer bottom.

 

[Digit]

I was gonna offer the same solution as John. One of the objections to fitting the base onto the bottom of the sides is the possibility of sagging! If this happens the base can rub on the drawer below or the frame that it sits in, that is another reason why the base is normally in a slot.

Roy.

 

[PerranOak]

Brill, thanks all.

I really can't afford to lose any more depth so I can't use the proper groove method - SWMBO wants them as deep as possible given the space there is.

There will be very little weight in them as they're so small.

I hoped that glue would be enough but it "feels" wrong.

I had fantasies about tiny double-ended dovetail fillets and all sorts but, if glue works, glue it is!

 

[PerranOak]

If I'm imagining this right, could you add some "mechanical" strength with a rebate in the front, not full width so it's not seen, that the floor could key into this?

Yes, thanks that's a good point.

 

[PerranOak]

Hi Perran,

You can also make drawers this way.
You won't save on your depth, but this is as strong a method as any.

If you have to stay with a glued on drawer-bottom:
With the thicknesses you are working to, try Railway Modellers' track pins. They are extremely fine, don't split timber easily, and have good holding qualities. They are virtually invisible when they are hammered flush.
HTH
John

How is the slip fixed?

I like that track pin idea. There's a model shop just down the road, I'll get some anyway!

Cheers.

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Perran,

Usually the slips are glued and pinned to the drawer side . By using a pin push, you can put the pins through the groove and then set them to get them right home.

I dismantled some old drawers that were joined with plain old fashioned animal glue. The slips were as tight as the day they were fitted.

HTH

John

 

[Oryxdesign]

Another vote for glue on something like this - modern glues are much stronger than you would think. I would use West epoxy but only because I use it daily - it would be a bit of overkill in this situation. That boat in my avatar is nearly twenty years old, gets raced in all weathers and doesn't have a single mechanical fastening holding the hull together, just epoxy fillets. Most wood glues would be plenty strong enough for your drawer bottom.

I really like Wests too but generally when I mention it here I get disdain!

 

[devonwoody]

I thought this thread was about a female problem with her underwear

 

[PerranOak]

Sexist! :shock: :wink:

 

[PerranOak]

I thought I'd try glue and the track pins.

They are so small! Problem is, they bend when I bang them in to a practice piece.

I accept that glue will be strong enough for this teeny drawer but are there any really tiny screws around?

 

[xy mosian]

PerranOak,
This might be what you're looking for:-

http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A331379/Sc ... Goldscrews

Now my metric/imperial screw conversion chart suggests that 3mm, as above, is equivalent to No. 4's.

If these are too big; what size are you looking for?

xy