Building Overlay Drawers

Kitchen And Bathroom Renovation : Building Overlay Drawers

Anatomy of an overlay drawer: The basic drawer box is made using 1⁄2" plywood for the front, back, and side panels with a 1⁄4" plywood bottom panel. The bottom panel fits into 1⁄4" dadoes cut near the bottom of the front and side panels and is nailed to the bottom edge of the back panel. The hardwood drawer face is screwed to the drawer front from the inside, and it is sized to overhang the face frame by 1⁄2" on all sides. Note: This drawer is designed to be mounted with a center-mounted drawer slide attached to the bottom of the drawer. If you use different hardware, like side-mounted drawer slides, you will need to alter this design according to slide manufacturer’s directions.

Part                                Measurement
Sides      Length       Depth of opening, minus 3"
Sides      Height        Height of opening, minus 1⁄2"
Front      Length       Width of opening, minus 11⁄2"
Front      Height        Height of opening, minus 1⁄2"
Back      Length       Width of opening, minus 11⁄2"
Back      Height        Height of opening, minus 1"
Bottom   Width        Width of opening, minus 1"
Bottom    Depth        Depth of opening, minus 23⁄4"
Face       Length       Width of opening, plus 1"
Face      Height         Height of opening, plus 1"