Cutting Dadoes in Drawers for wooden Runners
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I have built a chest of drawers cabinet and fitted wooden runners. The runners are pine to match the carcase and the drawers are poplar. My question is how much of a gap do I leave (deep and wide) in the dadoes in the drawer sides to allow for movement, etc. The finished unit will be in a Devon holiday cottage bedroom with central heating constantly set at 12 degrees C minimum and not damp! I was going to leave 1mm but is that asking for trouble (guests not able to get their clothes out of stuck drawers!!). I hope someone has the answer! Thanks for reading, Binks.
Remember the drawer will actually only make contact on the top side of the support. Any extra width allowance in either direction can contribute to a sloppy feel which is what you are trying to avoid obviously.
Shellac makes an excellent coating for drawer slides and sides, nice and slick.
Ive read to allow up to 1/8″ in width, but that seems like a lot to me.26 October 2014 at 10:55 pm #120148It would also depend on the atmospheric condition of you shop. Gaps have gotten smaller with the use of central air, heating and cooling. Before this, furniture was subjected to huge swings in temperature and humidity. Consequently, greater allotment was made.
That said, 1-1.5mm should be a pretty safe gap. The gap at the rear should be greater than the gap at the front though. The drawer will operate smoother this way. Plus you can leave the drawers partially open just to to be safe will the piece acclimates to the new environment.
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