Supporting a

Drawer
A drawer alone just an open box is an oddity. For it to work
as intended, it has to be installed in a case in a way that allows it
to be opened and closed. The movement has to be smooth, and
once open, the drawer has to be able to stay open without your
help. This movement can be controlled in several ways. Some
mounting systems are integral to the case, while others are
add-ons. Regardless, the mounting system should be carefully
planned along with the case and drawer design.
C H A P T E R T WO
26
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 27
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Most of the subassemblies that support drawers in a case or table
must be incorporated as you build the piece itself. Sure, hard-
ware makes it easy, though fairly expensive, to hang drawers in
an open, undifferentiated case, but this approach is largely lim-
ited to kitchen cabinetry and similar built-ins. Most of what we
consider furniture is built using traditional approaches.
The traditional approach to casework is to partition the case
using drawer dividers. A divider is a rail and, yes, a lot of
woodworkers just call it a rail extending from one side of the
case to the other. It separates the drawers visually and physically.
But drawer dividers do more than separate one drawer pocket
from another. They also keep the case sides straight and parallel.
As such, they need to be integral to the overall design and con-
struction of the case.
ABOVE A chest of drawers may use the case
bottom as the support for the lowest drawer
and simple frames composed of dividers and
runners to support the others. The solid chest
walls guide each drawer into its pocket.
TOP LEFT In cabinetry constructed from sheet
goods, the interior is sometimes divvied up
into drawer pockets with solid panels. Its an
expedient approach, since you neither have to
dress stock for dividers and runners nor cut
joinery to assemble frames.
BOTTOM LEFT If drawers of different widths are
to be housed in a chest, the internal archi-
tecture is bound to be more complicated. In
the lower portion of this chest (viewed from
the back), full-width drawers are supported by
dividers and runners that are attached to the
case sides. The top two tiers house multiple
drawers, so back rails are used to support
intermediate runners and guides.
Runners, Guides, and Kickers
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 29
A half-blind dovetail, often called a sliding dovetail in this application,
joins divider and case side in a way that resists tension stresses well
(even without glue). The tail on the divider's end slides into a match-
ing slot in the case side. Just one divider holds the case sides in place,
making case assembly fairly easy for the lone woodworker. Two or
three raps with a dead blow mallet will seat a properly fitted joint.
A stopped dado is a
simple way to join
a drawer divider to
the case side. Rout a
shallow dado, just a
bit shorter than the
divider's width, and
square the ends with
a chisel. Notch the
front corner of the
divider. Fitted snugly
and glued, the joint
is sound.
In a case for lipped drawers, a shouldered half-blind dovetail looks
better because it shifts the tail out from under the lip, so it can be
seen. Cut a dado, then rout the dovetail slot.
C H A P T E R T WO 30
Installing Runners
Of course you need more than
a drawer divider to support a
drawer you need runners
under each drawer side. A run-
ner, simply, is a strip of wood
that extends from the divider to
the back of the case. Typically,
the runner is joined to the
divider with some form of tenon
either a conventional mor-
tise and tenon or a stub tenon
housed in a groove.
Inevitably in casework, the
runner is cross-grain to the side.
Its got to be attached to the side,
of course, but in a way that allows
the side to expand and contract.
Otherwise, it can prompt the
side to split or buckle.
TOP RIGHT The mortise-and-tenon is the tra-
ditional way of joining runners to the drawer
dividers. Assemble the joint without glue so
the tenon can shift in and out in the mortise.
Though the case side to which the runner is
fastened expands and contracts, the runner
stays connected to the divider.
MIDDLE RIGHT A loose tenon fitted to matching
mortises in the runner and divider is a mod-
ern variation of the mortise and tenon.
BOTTOM RIGHT A quick-and-easy connection
between runner and divider is afforded by the
groove and stub tenon. You cut the groove
stopped or through with a slot cutter on
the router table. Then lower the cutter slightly
and cut the stubby tenons with it.
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 31
LEFT Runners can be seated in a shallow dado cut across
the case side. Use no glue in the assembly. A tenon a
loose one here joins the runner to the divider, and
screws driven through oversized or elongated holes in the
runner fasten it to the case side. The dado aligns the run-
ner and keeps it from sagging.
BELOW LEFT A simple method from the 17th and 18th cen-
turies is to join the runner to the divider with an unglued
mortise-and-tenon and nail the back end to the case side.
When the side expands and contracts, the tenon shifts
slightly in and out of the mortise.
BELOW In a case with full-width drawers, no back rail is
necessary. Chamfer the end of the runner to reduce the
length of mounting screw you need, and screw it to the
case side. Building in a period of high humidity? Leave a
gap of about
1
8" between the runner's shoulders and the
divider's edge. The joint with the divider is unglued, and
the gap will close as humidity declines.
Where a runner will be trapped between the divider and a back rail, you can glue
the mortise and tenon between the runner and the front rail (LEFT), leaving the joint
with the back rail unglued. Join the runners to the divider, then set the rail in place
and drive it home (ABOVE).
C H A P T E R T WO 32
Dovetail pin
Stopped dovetail
groove
Runner housed, but
not glued, in shallow dado.
Drawer divider
Case side guides
drawer
Drawer dividers (both front and
back) glued into dovetail slots.
Runner
Mortises routed
in both divider
and runner.
Loose tenon
Typical Web Frame Construction
Properly assembled and mounted, a web frame allows solid-wood
casework to expand and contract. Cut the runners about
1
/8" short
and join them to the drawer divider with glued mortise-and-tenons.
Leave the joint between runners and back rail unglued to allow the
case sides to move.
Add a dust panel, if
desired, by grooving
inner edges of frame.
The simplest web frame consists of a drawer divider and a couple of runners.
Here, the runner is linked to the divider with an unglued loose tenon. A single
screw will fasten the back end to the case side, fixing the runner at that spot.
As the case side expands and contracts, the space between the runner and
divider will vary.
Web Frames
Often, the system of drawer dividers and run-
ners is turned into a complete frame, with two
(or more) runners trapped between rails front
and back. The resulting frame, usually called a
web frame, can be constructed and installed in
a variety of ways, all derivative of how drawer
dividers and runners are joined to each other
and to case sides.
The drawing (bottom) shows a workable
way of constructing and installing a web
frame. Typically, the parts of the web frame are
not glued together, though the frame rails are
glued to the case.
In most cases, the runners should be
slightly (about
1
/
8") short at the back so that the
side can shrink, closing this gap between the
runner and the back rail without pushing the
rail out.
In a frame-and-panel (or post-and-panel)
assembly, wood movement is moot. The run-
ner can be edge-glued to a rail in the side
assembly, or it can be set into dadoes in the
side assembly stiles and glued, so long as it
isnt glued to the panel. The runner could also
be mortised into a drawer divider and glued to
the back stile.
In plywood construction, a runner can be
glued into a shallow dado or simply glued and
screwed directly to the plywood side.
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 33
Web Frame in a Post-and-Panel Case
Drawer divider is mortised into post.
Case back
Post-and-rail frame is stable.
Only the solid-wood panel
housed in it moves
Because web frame is joined
to the posts only, it can be glued
solidly together.
Drawer guide glued to end of web
frame only. It fits between posts
when case is assembled.
Keep a drawers
contents clean by
fitting a dust panel
into a web frame.
Before plywood was
invented, a solid-
wood panel would
be incorporated to
double as a runner.
Nowadays, plywood
or hardboard panels
are fitted to the web
frames.
A web frame to support three drawers needs a back rail. All the
runners are suspended between it and the drawer divider using loose
tenons. The divider has two dovetail grooves for vertical dividers, and
drawer guides will be glued to the wide runners.
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Guides
A drawers movement in and
out of its pocket usually is
directed by the case sides. But
sometimes, as in a case with a
face-frame or a post-and-panel
case, you need drawer guides.
The guides form a channel just
a tad wider than the drawer (so
the drawer cant get cocked and
wedged half-closed).
Guide flush with stile's
edge, glued to runner only
Case side
Face frame
Web-frame rail
Runner joined to rail
with glued mortise-and-tenon.
Runner and Guide
in a Face-Frame Cabinet
Guides are sometimes needed to control the drawer as it moves in and out of its pocket. In this
utilitarian cabinet with a face frame, extra strips of wood attached to the web frame form a
channel just wide enough for the drawer.
1. Guides
Chances are that a drawer in
a frame-and-panel chest will
cock slightly when you close it
and the end of the side will jam
against the side assembly's rear
stile. So a guide, planed flush
with the stiles, must be glued
to the drawer runner, so the
drawer always opens and closes
smoothly without jamming.
1
1
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 35
Two wide runners and
two narrow runners
trapped between a
drawer divider and a
back rail form a web
frame to support three
drawers. This is a test
fitting. As I assemble
the case, I'll glue the
divider to the case sides,
then the runners to the
divider, and finally glue
the back rail to the case
but not to the runners.
Center Runners and Guides
Side-by-side drawers, often
included in dressers and other
chests, need support in the
middle of the chest, away from
the sides. The usual approach
here is to suspend a wide runner
between the drawer divider in
front and a rail in back. A vertical
divider with a guide behind it sep-
arates the neighboring drawers.
Vertical drawer dividers partition the low, wide space between
horizontal dividers into narrower drawer pockets. This divider is
joined to the assembly with sliding dovetails.
To control the movement of the drawers, glue guides to the wide
runners, directly behind the vertical drawer dividers. A wide straight
scrap, set against the vertical divider and clamped to the horizontal
divider, aligns the guide.
Drawer Divider
Back Rail
Vertical drawer divider
Kicker
Center runner
Drawer guide
Center Runner and Guide
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Kickers
An important element in most drawer mount-
ing systems is the kicker. A kicker prevents
the drawer from tipping down as it is pulled
open. It is just like a runner, but generally, its
mounted above the drawer side. A single cen-
ter kicker may be used for a top drawer.
Center Kicker
Kicker
Kicker is
mortised
into fascia
board.
Nails through
back secure kicker.
Kicker bears against
drawer back to
keep the drawer level.
Side Kicker
Web frame doubles
as kicker for
drawer below.
Stationed just above a drawer, the kicker keeps it level as its
pulled open. Typically in a chest of drawers, a runner doubles
as the kicker for the drawer beneath it. Thats the case in this
chest, despite the staggered arrangement of its drawers.
S U P P O R T I N G A D R AWE R 37
Tables with Drawers
Adding a drawer or two to a table makes it
more useful. A drawer in a bedside table
holds (and hides) what would otherwise
clutter the tabletop. In the kitchen, it
becomes a work table, the drawer hold-
ing utensils. In the den, drawers in a table
transform it into a desk.
But drawers make engineering the table
more challenging because it occupies space
where a solid apron would otherwise be.
A critical design variable is the drawers
width. If the drawer (or drawers) span
the space from leg to leg, then a double
rail construction is appropriate. Two rails,
turned on edge, connect the legs, forming a
drawer pocket. The top rail is almost always
let into the top of the legs with a dovetail
joint. The bottom rail joins the legs with
either a twin mortise-and-tenon joint or a
sliding dovetail.
The same sorts of runners and guides
and kickers that support drawers in a case
serve in the table. But because the tables
aprons almost invariably have their grain
running from leg to leg, you can just glue
the parts in place. You dont have to accom-
modate wood movement.
Two drawers fitted side-by-side under a
table top are always separated by a vertical
divider, and it ought to join the horizontal
drawer rails with either a twin mortise-and-
tenon or a sliding dovetail joint. The latter
offers the best structural support because it
locks the parts together mechanically in a
way the other two joints do not.
Behind the vertical divider, of course,
must be a center runner, guide and kicker
almost exactly like what youd use in a case.
Instead of back rails, youd mortise the
runner and kicker into the back apron, or
better, into ledgers glued to, and stiffening,
the apron.
A couple of cautions are in order. When
planning a table with drawers, remember
that the wider the span, the more likely it
is that the drawer-rail assembly will sag.
Remember too that the total height of the
drawer rail assembly should be no more
than 6" if you expect to sit with your legs
under the table.
At the back, the runner and kicker are mortised into the apron.
Sturdy framing supports multiple drawers in a table. A vertical divider mortised into
upper and lower rails stiffens them. The runner and kicker, also mortised into the
rails, double as cross members. The drawer guide is glued to the runner.
Drawer guide glued to apron.
Face flush with legs
Runner glued to guide
Kicker glued to apron.
Face flush with apron edge.
Drawer dividers
Rear apron
Side apron
Runner, Guide and Kicker in a Table