Hello group,
New to the group (mostly lurking and learning), relatively new to
woodworking.
I was given a set of drawers made of MDF and finished with latex paint
(semi-gloss). I built a cabinet for them and am using them for shop
storage.
The bottoms of the drawers are made of 1/8 inch hardboard, but
unfortunately, are simply nailed to the botom of the drawers, rather
than being set into dadoes. I find the drawers won't take very much
weight before the botoms sag, which causes the drawer below to "hang
up" on the one above as I try to open them.
To remedy this and improve the weight carrying ability, I thought of
removing the botoms and gluing rectangular strips (1/2 x 3/4), to the
inside perimeter of the drawers and then droping in a 1/4" or 3/8"
plywood bottom onto the strips.
I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a glue that will bond MDF (or
other wood material), to latex paint, as I don't want to have to sand
down all the drawer boxes.
Perhaps some also has an alternative way to "fix" these drawers ?
If it were just a few drawers, I would simply scrap these and build
new ones with a better design, but there are 14 of them and I have
several other more pressing projects I'd like to be working on.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer some suggestions.
Dave J.
> Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer some suggestions.
Welcome to the group. I think your idea of supports inside the drawers
is a good one - at least a lot better than the current drawer design.
As far as gluing to MDF or latex paint, I've had good luck with Gorilla
Glue (or similar polyurethane glue). You will probably want to rough
up both surfaces with coarse sandpaper or a rasp first, dust them off,
and make sure they're at least a little bit moist, then use gorilla
glue and clamps. Far easier than sanding to bare wood, though. Be
aware that this glue foams, so you'll probably get some foamy
squeeze-out that hardens, but it's fairly easy to scrape off.
Good luck,
Andy
On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:36:31 GMT, "dadiOH" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>Use caulk. Cheapo "painter's" latex type would be fine. If you don't
>completely trust it (I would) add a couple of small screws or brads.
>
SNIP
Thank you for your reply to my inquiry. The latex caulking sounds like
an interesting idea. I didn't mention in my original post - I
aboslutel intended to use brads or screws to hold the strips, in
addition to whatever glue.
>The strips below the bottoms won't keep them from sagging though...to do
>that, add strips *above* the bottoms too.
SNIP
As to the sagging, I may not have clearly explained my intent. I know
the sagging cannot be prevented because the existing bottoms are just
too thin. My intent was to REMOVE the existing material and go to 1/4
or 3/8 plywood, which would not sag.
Thanks again for your ideas
Dave J.
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:44:08 -0500, Robatoy <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I have one of those cheapo rabbeting bits with a multitude of bearing
>sizes, right down to 1/16".
>If you were to run that along the inside perimeter of the drawer box
>(bottom), it would remove the paint and give your cleats a nice toothy
>surface to adhere to. So what if you can't get quite into the
>corner..just make the cleat a bit shorter.
Very good suggestion - thank you !
Dave J.
Dave Jenkens wrote:
> Hello group,
>
> New to the group (mostly lurking and learning), relatively new to
> woodworking.
>
> I was given a set of drawers made of MDF and finished with latex paint
> (semi-gloss). I built a cabinet for them and am using them for shop
> storage.
>
> The bottoms of the drawers are made of 1/8 inch hardboard, but
> unfortunately, are simply nailed to the botom of the drawers, rather
> than being set into dadoes. I find the drawers won't take very much
> weight before the botoms sag, which causes the drawer below to "hang
> up" on the one above as I try to open them.
>
> To remedy this and improve the weight carrying ability, I thought of
> removing the botoms and gluing rectangular strips (1/2 x 3/4), to the
> inside perimeter of the drawers and then droping in a 1/4" or 3/8"
> plywood bottom onto the strips.
>
> I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a glue that will bond MDF (or
> other wood material), to latex paint, as I don't want to have to sand
> down all the drawer boxes.
>
> Perhaps some also has an alternative way to "fix" these drawers ?
>
> If it were just a few drawers, I would simply scrap these and build
> new ones with a better design, but there are 14 of them and I have
> several other more pressing projects I'd like to be working on.
>
> Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer some suggestions.
>
> Dave J.
How about using a slot cutting bit in a router to make some dadoes in the
side and front of the drawer. You could trim off the bottom of the drawer
back to slide the plywood into the slot. Since the dadoes won't meet
properly at the front corners, you could simply trim the front corners of
the plywood bottom to fit. You could clamp a 2x4 (or something) along the
side to give you a broader base for the router to ride on.
Dave Jenkens wrote:
> Hello group,
>
> New to the group (mostly lurking and learning), relatively new to
> woodworking.
>
> I was given a set of drawers made of MDF and finished with latex paint
> (semi-gloss). I built a cabinet for them and am using them for shop
> storage.
>
> The bottoms of the drawers are made of 1/8 inch hardboard, but
> unfortunately, are simply nailed to the botom of the drawers, rather
> than being set into dadoes. I find the drawers won't take very much
> weight before the botoms sag, which causes the drawer below to "hang
> up" on the one above as I try to open them.
>
> To remedy this and improve the weight carrying ability, I thought of
> removing the botoms and gluing rectangular strips (1/2 x 3/4), to the
> inside perimeter of the drawers and then droping in a 1/4" or 3/8"
> plywood bottom onto the strips.
>
> I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a glue that will bond MDF (or
> other wood material), to latex paint, as I don't want to have to sand
> down all the drawer boxes.
Use caulk. Cheapo "painter's" latex type would be fine. If you don't
completely trust it (I would) add a couple of small screws or brads.
The strips below the bottoms won't keep them from sagging though...to do
that, add strips *above* the bottoms too. Strips 3/8 x 3/8 or 1/4 x
1/4 above and below would fix them fine.
Alternatively, glue the drawer bottoms to all drawer vertical parts.
The strips are better.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
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...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
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On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 21:03:10 GMT, "Bob S" <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Bob,
>Welcome Dave,
Thank you.
>
>I think if you just do a bit of sanding where the strips will be mounted and
>use regular yellow glue they will be fine for light loads. The latex has
>most likely soaked in real well to the MDF and the glue should have no
>problem adhering to the sanded sections.
OK - I'll perhaps try that on one drawer to see how it works.
>
>To make the strips stronger add 3 screws thru the MDF and into the strips.
Didn't put it in my original post, but was going to use brads or
screws.
>Drill thru the MDF (use same size bit as the major diameter of screw) and
>countersink the heads.
Thanks for that tip. I have done that previously when joining
materials.
Have a related tip I would like to share. After driiling and
countersinking the piece the screw will pass right through, flip it
over and slightly countersink the hole where the screw will come out
of. This area allows a space for wood particles that lift up out of
the blind hole that the screw goes into in the other board and allows
a super tight fit between the two boards. Especially good when
screwing into particle board or MDF. Not my original idea - I saw it
in a book of tips and am just passing it on.
Dave J.
In article <[email protected]>,
Dave Jenkens <[email protected]> wrote:
> I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a glue that will bond MDF (or
> other wood material), to latex paint, as I don't want to have to sand
> down all the drawer boxes.
I have one of those cheapo rabbeting bits with a multitude of bearing
sizes, right down to 1/16".
If you were to run that along the inside perimeter of the drawer box
(bottom), it would remove the paint and give your cleats a nice toothy
surface to adhere to. So what if you can't get quite into the
corner..just make the cleat a bit shorter.
On 20 Dec 2005 09:50:57 -0800, "Andy" <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Andy,
>Welcome to the group.
thank you.
SNIP
>As far as gluing to MDF or latex paint, I've had good luck with Gorilla
>Glue (or similar polyurethane glue).
I have ELMER's band Pro Bond polyurethane, which is probably similar.
SNIP
> Be aware that this glue foams, so you'll probably get some foamy
>squeeze-out that hardens, but it's fairly easy to scrape off.
Thank you for that tip. I have worked with polyurethane previously
doing some boat repairs and discovere the foaming.
Dave J.
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:28:21 GMT, "Saudade"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>How about using a slot cutting bit in a router to make some dadoes in the
>side and front of the drawer. You could trim off the bottom of the drawer
>back to slide the plywood into the slot. Since the dadoes won't meet
>properly at the front corners, you could simply trim the front corners of
>the plywood bottom to fit. You could clamp a 2x4 (or something) along the
>side to give you a broader base for the router to ride on.
Great idea, Saudade. I don't have a slot cutted bit, but I can
possible borrow one.
thank you for the idea,
Dave J.
>
Welcome Dave,
I think if you just do a bit of sanding where the strips will be mounted and
use regular yellow glue they will be fine for light loads. The latex has
most likely soaked in real well to the MDF and the glue should have no
problem adhering to the sanded sections.
To make the strips stronger add 3 screws thru the MDF and into the strips.
Drill thru the MDF (use same size bit as the major diameter of screw) and
countersink the heads. Use plain old pine for the strips unless you have
some scrap hardwood lying around that you can cut into strips. Glue the
strips to the drawers, add the screws and then secure the drop-in bottoms
with small brads or glue.
Bob S.
"Dave Jenkens" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Hello group,
>
> New to the group (mostly lurking and learning), relatively new to
> woodworking.
>
> I was given a set of drawers made of MDF and finished with latex paint
> (semi-gloss). I built a cabinet for them and am using them for shop
> storage.
>
> The bottoms of the drawers are made of 1/8 inch hardboard, but
> unfortunately, are simply nailed to the botom of the drawers, rather
> than being set into dadoes. I find the drawers won't take very much
> weight before the botoms sag, which causes the drawer below to "hang
> up" on the one above as I try to open them.
>
> To remedy this and improve the weight carrying ability, I thought of
> removing the botoms and gluing rectangular strips (1/2 x 3/4), to the
> inside perimeter of the drawers and then droping in a 1/4" or 3/8"
> plywood bottom onto the strips.
>
> I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a glue that will bond MDF (or
> other wood material), to latex paint, as I don't want to have to sand
> down all the drawer boxes.
>
> Perhaps some also has an alternative way to "fix" these drawers ?
>
> If it were just a few drawers, I would simply scrap these and build
> new ones with a better design, but there are 14 of them and I have
> several other more pressing projects I'd like to be working on.
>
> Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer some suggestions.
>
> Dave J.
Good tip - thanks,
Bob S.
>
> Have a related tip I would like to share. After driiling and
> countersinking the piece the screw will pass right through, flip it
> over and slightly countersink the hole where the screw will come out
> of. This area allows a space for wood particles that lift up out of
> the blind hole that the screw goes into in the other board and allows
> a super tight fit between the two boards. Especially good when
> screwing into particle board or MDF. Not my original idea - I saw it
> in a book of tips and am just passing it on.
>
> Dave J.
Dave Jenkens wrote:
>> The strips below the bottoms won't keep them from sagging
>> though...to do that, add strips *above* the bottoms too.
>
> SNIP
>
> As to the sagging, I may not have clearly explained my intent. I know
> the sagging cannot be prevented because the existing bottoms are just
> too thin. My intent was to REMOVE the existing material and go to 1/4
> or 3/8 plywood, which would not sag.
Depends on what you put in the drawers. :)
For a bottom to sag it has to *bend*. A tight fit twixt top and bottom
strips plus glue helps keep it from bending.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico