I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
TIA.
Dick Snyder
On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
> and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
> drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
> to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
> adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
> screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
> drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
> the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
> it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
> cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>
> TIA.
>
> Dick Snyder
>
>
Like Swingman I have done it the way he had described for many years but
I am currently working on 8 drawers on 2 tower cabinets and am going to
try out a new method that I dreamed up.
First off, decide where your drawer pull hardware is going to go on the
outer drawer front and predrill small holes in the outer drawer front,
just large enough to guide a couple of screws and put in a couple of
screws in that location but "just past" the back surface of the outer
drawer front.
Place the drawer front where you like it and screw the 2 screws into the
drawer. Your drawer front is now attached to the drawer in the correct
location. Open the drawer and put in permanent attaching screws from
the inside out.
Remove the first 2 outer screws and finish drilling those holes all the
way through and attach the handle.
"Larry W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Dick Snyder <[email protected]> wrote:
>>I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left
>>side
>>and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
>>drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I
>>want
>>to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
>>adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
>>screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
>>drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes
>>for
>>the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just
>>eyeball
>>it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
>>cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>>
>>TIA.
>>
>>Dick Snyder
>>
>>
>
> I'm just an amateur, wouldn't claim to be a "cabinet making guy" but
> how about clamping the drawer front to the drawer, then using a transfer
> punch or dowel center in the 1/4" holes to mark the pilot hole center?
>
> :wq
>
> --
> When the game is over, the pawn and the king are returned to the same box.
>
> Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org
I had a similar thought last night after stopping work.
Swingman <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
>> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the
>> left side and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch
>> plywood and the drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the
>> entertainment center. I want to attach the drawer fronts to the
>> drawers so I have some wiggle room to adjust them. I have put 1/4"
>> holes in the drawers. I have washer head screws. The washer heads
>> will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the drawer front a
>> little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for the
>> washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just
>> eyeball it though I could do that if there is no better way. What
>> advice do you cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>
> I've watched a lot of professional trim carpenters do this in various
> ways. Their preferred method is as you're doing, except they use a
> cabinet screw made by FastCap, with a big head, for the hole that is
> much larger than the shaft of the screw, giving them the wiggle room
> for which you're seeking ... the size of the hole they use means they
> don't need the precision in locating the hold.
>
> I'm not enamored of this method unless you really need 1/32 adjustment
> precision, which occasionally happens.
>
> Now what you're asking for, but my favorite method, particularly for
> overlay drawers, is to pre-drill two holes in the drawer; screw in a
> sharp pointed drywall screw, with just the sharp point sticking out;
> then, with the drawer closed and using a shim cut for the purpose on
> the bottom of the drawer front, align the drawer front and press it
> hard into the sharp points of the protruding screws; remove the
> drawer, holding both pieces together, and screw the drywall screws in
> just far enough to make an indention to start the real screws; remove
> the drywall screws and replace with the desired screw.
>
> I've tried every method there is and the above is still my standby;
> and you can do it much faster, and with a lot more precision, than you
> can explain it.
I need to remember that, Karl. Seems easy, maybe add some double-stick
tape to hold the front in place on the drawer.
--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid
Bruce <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>
>> On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
>>> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the
>>> left side and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch
>>> plywood and the drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the
>>> entertainment center. I want to attach the drawer fronts to the
>>> drawers so I have some wiggle room to adjust them. I have put 1/4"
>>> holes in the drawers. I have washer head screws. The washer heads
>>> will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the drawer front a
>>> little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for the
>>> washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just
>>> eyeball it though I could do that if there is no better way. What
>>> advice do you cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>>>
>>> TIA.
>>>
>>> Dick Snyder
>>>
>>>
>
> If I can get things aligned quick enough, I like a couple of dabs of
> hot melt glue.
> Position the front, let the glue set, drill the holes, remove the
> front, peel away the glue, reassemble.
>
> -Bruce
Bruce's method seems to me (a newbie, really) similar to the double stick
tape idea. But I like Leon's approach best ... I'll use that next!!
--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid
On 5/21/2011 7:57 AM, Leon wrote:
> On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
>> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left
>> side
>> and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
>> drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center.
>> I want
>> to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
>> adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
>> screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
>> drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot
>> holes for
>> the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just
>> eyeball
>> it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
>> cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>>
>> TIA.
>>
>> Dick Snyder
>>
>>
> Like Swingman I have done it the way he had described for many years but
> I am currently working on 8 drawers on 2 tower cabinets and am going to
> try out a new method that I dreamed up.
>
> First off, decide where your drawer pull hardware is going to go on the
> outer drawer front and predrill small holes in the outer drawer front,
> just large enough to guide a couple of screws and put in a couple of
> screws in that location but "just past" the back surface of the outer
> drawer front.
>
> Place the drawer front where you like it and screw the 2 screws into the
> drawer. Your drawer front is now attached to the drawer in the correct
> location. Open the drawer and put in permanent attaching screws from the
> inside out.
>
> Remove the first 2 outer screws and finish drilling those holes all the
> way through and attach the handle.
OK for what it is worth, I tried my method and it works like a charm. I
attached 4 drawer fronts to he first tower using the method mentioned
above and results were exactly as expected. The second set of 4 drawer
fronts with no fuss or tweaking took 4 minutes for all 4 drawers.
I'll attach pictures at a.b.p.w.
In article <[email protected]>,
Dick Snyder <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
>and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
>drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
>to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
>adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
>screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
>drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
>the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
>it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
>cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>
>TIA.
>
>Dick Snyder
>
>
I'm just an amateur, wouldn't claim to be a "cabinet making guy" but
how about clamping the drawer front to the drawer, then using a transfer
punch or dowel center in the 1/4" holes to mark the pilot hole center?
:wq
--
When the game is over, the pawn and the king are returned to the same box.
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org
On 5/20/2011 9:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
> and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
> drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
> to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
> adjust them.
Normally I don't like wiggle room on drawer fronts, I like it to stay
exactly where I put it. I always figure a way to insure the fronts are
where I want them before drilling/screwing. If I ever screw it up, I
could enlarge the hole later for needed wiggle room.
I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
> screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
> drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
> the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
> it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
> cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
Vix bits are used for centering holes in hinges, drawer pulls and what
not, but the accuracy of a vix bit would diminish the thicker the
material. You should get reasonable results if you are careful. Anyone
installing hinges, drawer pulls etc. should have vix bits.
Not sure if mine would work in a 1/4" hole, they might slide right in,
but would probably still work.
http://tinyurl.com/3w3fs9c
--
Jack
You Can't Fix Stupid, but You Can Vote it Out!
http://jbstein.com
> On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
>> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
>> and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
>> drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
>> to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
>> adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
>> screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
>> drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
>> the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
>> it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
>> cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>>
>> TIA.
>>
>> Dick Snyder
>>
>>
If I can get things aligned quick enough, I like a couple of dabs of hot melt
glue.
Position the front, let the glue set, drill the holes, remove the front, peel
away the glue, reassemble.
-Bruce
"Dick Snyder" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
>and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
>drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I
>want to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room
>to adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
>screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
>drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
>the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just
>eyeball it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do
>you cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
>
> TIA.
>
> Dick Snyder
>
Thanks to all of you for your help. I have posted three pictures of the
finished project in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking if you are interested.
Dick Snyder
On 5/20/2011 8:44 PM, Dick Snyder wrote:
> I have completed an entertainment center with 6 drawers, 3 on the left side
> and 3 on the right side. Each drawer is 1/2" baltic birch plywood and the
> drawer fronts are teak to match the rest of the entertainment center. I want
> to attach the drawer fronts to the drawers so I have some wiggle room to
> adjust them. I have put 1/4" holes in the drawers. I have washer head
> screws. The washer heads will cover the 1/4" hole allowing me to move the
> drawer front a little. The key to all this is to drill some pilot holes for
> the washer head screws dead center in the 1/4" holes. I hate to just eyeball
> it though I could do that if there is no better way. What advice do you
> cabinet making guys have for me on this problem?
I've watched a lot of professional trim carpenters do this in various
ways. Their preferred method is as you're doing, except they use a
cabinet screw made by FastCap, with a big head, for the hole that is
much larger than the shaft of the screw, giving them the wiggle room for
which you're seeking ... the size of the hole they use means they don't
need the precision in locating the hold.
I'm not enamored of this method unless you really need 1/32 adjustment
precision, which occasionally happens.
Now what you're asking for, but my favorite method, particularly for
overlay drawers, is to pre-drill two holes in the drawer; screw in a
sharp pointed drywall screw, with just the sharp point sticking out;
then, with the drawer closed and using a shim cut for the purpose on the
bottom of the drawer front, align the drawer front and press it hard
into the sharp points of the protruding screws; remove the drawer,
holding both pieces together, and screw the drywall screws in just far
enough to make an indention to start the real screws; remove the drywall
screws and replace with the desired screw.
I've tried every method there is and the above is still my standby; and
you can do it much faster, and with a lot more precision, than you can
explain it.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)
On 5/21/2011 7:56 AM, Han wrote:
> I need to remember that, Karl. Seems easy, maybe add some double-stick
> tape to hold the front in place on the drawer.
That works very well providing you're careful, but is not as fast, IME
... and the thickness of the tape can be an issue with the fit and
finish, although that's not a serious consideration with most projects.
I think Leon's new method is great, particularly if you have full say so
where the hardware is going ... but, and there is always a gotcha in
most methods, often our clients don't know where the hell they want
their hardware to be situated until they see the cabinets installed, and
this is something you can't change your mind on.
AAMOF, we've got one client right now that changes her mind 11 times in
10 minutes, and then again a week later on the same issue. :(
There are at least three of Leon's beautiful "Domino Drawers" that have
gone to waste ... even on a cost plus job, that aggravates my
sensibilites to no end. My tongue is almost bitten through at this point.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)