How to make Professional Drawers for Cabinets

[@Corvid-]

I love the Schitt's Creek notepad.

[@philxcskier]

The cabinet shop I’ve worked for we made thousands of drawers for the similar Blum hardware. We used 5/8” melamine for all panels and didn’t cut a dado- our front and backs were cut 7/8” shorter than our sides, and that let our full thickness bottom sit between the sides, and left a 1/4” tail on rather side, with no need to notch out the back. We just pinned, then countersunk screwed a few Robertson screws to hold them together. This was a method that made running the table saw super efficient, when doing the width of the fronts, you would cut the bottoms and backs without adjusting the fence to be sure it’s exactly the same for all drawers in the cabinet.

[@MichaelAlm]

Interesting!! I'll have to try that

[@calvina.richardson407]

Just completed my first drawer build to make better use of some low, deep cabinets in our kitchen. Thanks a ton for this video and all the detail you put in. Never would have made it without this video.

[@MichaelAlm]

That's awesome!! So glad it was helpful

[@MichaelAlm]

CORRECTION: Tomorrow is the 26th NOT the 27th... The Patterned Plywood Serving Boards come out tomorrow the 26th (not the 27th 🤦🏼‍♂)

[@luismunoz7200]

Hey Michael, just started watching your video! Great job man! I did have a question, do you use a program do you use to design your projects? Or do you just draw everything? I'm working on starting my out woodworking business and I'm starting to learn as much as I can. Thanks for your time!

[@SheilaAllenAvelin]

This is great, it really clarified the process of installing each part of the slides, including leaving space beneath the bottom of the drawers to accommodate that 1/2 inch.

[@Etna.]

I always love to use hardware by the big 3 from Germany: Hettich, Grass and Blum. You can't do anything wrong with them. Regards, Etna.

[@davidschulte29]

Blum & Grass are Austrian ;)

[@Etna.]

@@davidschulte29 Dang it! My bet. Still my choice. I stand to my opinion. Regards, Etna.

[@_thegrayman]

👍👏 Thanks for the excellent tutorial. Respectful suggestion/short side project - Jon Peters-style zero clearance insert for the Kapex 😉 Best wishes, warmest regards 🇦🇺

[@tomdaniels7215]

AWI / WI / NAAWS only allow four joinery methods with drawers, so in that sense "professional" may be overrated. I love your work.

[@ChrisHornberger]

I love the extra time you spend to go over how you've tuned your order of operations. You're a great presenter. Well done, sir.

[@tsaltyginger]

I've always built drawer boxes like this and have personally felt like its the easiest and best way to make drawers. Great job showing this process. Can't wait to see the cabinets installed.

[@Royaloakwoodworking]

😮 12:38 😮 12:38 😢🎉😢😢😮😅😮😮😅😅😅😮😮😅😮😅😮😮😮😮😅😅😮😅😮😮😅

[@Maya-is7vd]

Michael, I want to thank you for all the work you put into your videos. Your videos are often my weekend treats. I often postpone watching longer than ~10 minutes videos in my feed, as I get bored, but your content is easy to watch, without unnecessary filler. I wish you continued joy and success.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!! Glad you like them!

[@philjacksonphoto]

I'm in the middle of remodeling my 1970s ranch - most recently, custom cabinets in the kitchen and office. I had to build 50 drawers and we did pretty good, but I loved seeing some of your methods for the next big cabinet job I have. Thanks Michael! Lookin so good!!!

[@jewdd1989]

I can’t wait for the fun part of building your kitchen starts! What I mean is I can’t wait for the design, for your artistic side to really show in these high quality, handmade cabinets! Honestly I can’t wait for every room to be built out the way it works for you two and see what furniture you design and build to go into this little retro house. I just love older homes and I think you’re doing it justice by preserving what you can like the fire place and cove ceilings and adding a more functional layout with custom, quality pieces that’ll bring it to modern times while respecting the past. Thank you for explaining how these specific drawers work! I have a vanity I need to put drawer slides in and decided the better option would be these under mount slides since I have very little room for drawers and thick custom trim I’d have to account for otherwise. I love that I can mount from the back and onto front frame. My vanity is a wimpy 31.25” furniture style cabinet for my tiny bathroom and unfortunately I just had to add custom trim that takes about another 1.5” from the space so my best bet are these slides. Anyways look forward to the next one

[@gzimoch]

Blum Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V. Bravo Rockler for innovations.

[@AaronGrandestaff]

Amazing craftsmanship! I would highly recommend upgrading your undermount drawer guides to match the quality of your cabinets though. Blum was previously mentioned in another comment and their Movento runner is amazing. Another way to figure for drawer width (especially when using plywood that isn’t true to thickness) is Opening Width minus 1-5/8” = inside dimension of your drawer.

[@therhyno7732]

Hey Mike, just wanted to say thank you for all the content over the years it has been an amazing learning experience watching your builds learning best practices for building and shop set up. I was curious if you could make a video about engraving for like a sign or a picture frame using the router or something other than the origin. Thank you in advance, if not that's fine still really appreciate what you do!

[@pauline_diy]

Excellent work, as usual. I really enjoy your videos because you teach very well. Thank you for explaining the role of the back metal brackets!! I’ve searched everywhere for that info and you clarified it. Much appreciated.

[@intern4life]

I just received my first few pairs of these slides last week, so this video couldn't have been more perfectly timed! I don't know how long you recorded/edited this, but the instructions that came with my slides do clarify that there should be a gap between the clip & drawer front when using 1/2" thick material 👍

[@MichaelAlm]

Oh right on! Good to know!!

[@devlinaj1]

Are you saying the clips should extend past the drawer front if using 1/2” thick material? That seems like it would make it so the false front wouldn’t sit flush to the drawer box. I only ask because I just installed some of these slides and the clips stick out past the drawer front and I’m trying to figure out how the false front would sit flat.

[@MichaelAlm]

@@devlinaj1 So apparently the clips are designed for 5/8" material, so if you use half inch it's best to make spacers like I did in the video.

[@ChrisHorsford]

I appreciate that you build the drawers with dados and rabbits. I guess I’m old school but I m not a fan of butt joints or pocket screws.

[@andyarcher2029]

The cabinets look great and will definitely make mine the same way. Just one quick silly question, what is the make and type of pen use use for your sketches as the ones I use keep smudging 😊😊 👍👍

[@pernilsson9493]

Wow, the imperial units system really shines in this one 😉

[@pernilsson9493]

But great video!

[@loichockey1]

I am in love with your Rosebud Motel notepad. This is hilarious 😂

[@LeighHart]

Love my original Alpine cutting board! Can definitely recommend.

[@MichaelAlm]

Great to hear!

[@josephlebo7320]

Thanks for this tutorial! I'm considering these for a few kitchen cabinet drawers. Also, where did you get the Rosebud hotel pad?!?

[@mchlmyhfr]

damn - american math seems like a nightmare as an european 😂😂

[@Craftlngo]

I'm always getting headache when I see all the Fractions. The whole system is so counterintuitive!

[@busomite]

It’s just fractions. You get used to it.

[@killymxi]

When people apologize for it so much - it's a telltale sign, even if they don't want to agree.

[@andrewplumb6544]

I'm a 69year old Brit and I've used both systems all my life. No big deal.

[@pjarnfelt]

I have a master's degree in computer science, but this kind of math is above me!

[@dannyh.7490]

If your interested in SAVING MORE MONEY on your drawer slides you can purchase them for Wurth Louis if you have one of their stores in your town or nearby. Wurth Louis is a cabinet makers supply store and all you have to do is create an account with them to purchase. I purchased 18" under mounts for just over $16.00 for their top of the line house brand( Pro 600). That's less than half what Rockler charges for the same size. I rarely purchase any thing from Rockler because, frankly they are very much over priced on most everything. I have a couple of friends that work for them and they tell me the same. Nice job on your cabinetry.

[@allen-mk9rd]

my experience with rocker exactly

[@annarenovationmaison9463]

oh my! I'm french and I'm so so glad that we use the metric system! So much easier to calculate measurements! No fractions! whouhou! 😅😂

[@markusheitmann]

Yes, he is back.. hope you had a awesome honeymoon!

[@MichaelAlm]

The honeymoon was perfect. Happy to be back!!

[@drewmagnus3564]

Do you ever use a cut list optimiser? Lots available online, I find them useful when breaking down sheets but maybe a pain in the arse when using a table saw? I’m only on a track saw. Love your videos, I’m learning so much!

[@mileshunter3280]

I'm beyond excited for the next remodel video -- get on with it!

[@slownsteady100]

Love your note pad. Oh, and the excellent work as well :-)

[@WiFredC]

Metric = better. Great vid. I am psyched to use these drawer slides

[@shadowmaster335]

on the dado stack thing, yeah, us ppl in the eu are forced to either cut twice or more, or use a router/table, since dado blades are banned for sale in the eu due to not meeting safety standards (something about the rod in which you insert the blades aren't long enough to account for potential self untapping bolts)

[@thewestendwoodworker]

Hi Michael. Great video as usual. I did buy the same Rockler slides that you are using here. I had 4 drawers to install. I had one plastic piece that was damaged when I opened the box. The slides have worked well to date. They are installed in cabinetry I made for a coffee shop and will get alot of use. I too am interested in how they hold up.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you! And thanks for the info!

[@danielmunch9568]

Just make the back and front panel the same with as the side panels but without the groove for the back panel. That way you can slide the back panel in after the glue up and screw it to the back and front panel. No need to calculate the exact dimensions of the back panel because you can measure them afterwards and if the back panel ever fails you can change it. Also when building them you can use some lamello dowels its much faster and holds up the same. That way you can save some time.

[@JonathanSick]

How was your stay in Schitt’s Creek? 😊

[@anthonymiller4133]

Nice Schitt's Creek reference

[@cblack1863]

ROSEBUD Hotel? Spicy!... Hourly rates by chance?... Seriously though, great video👍

[@CoastwoodDesign]

Nice work on the drawers. I’ve wondered if the extra work to rabbet the fronts and backs is worth it versus simply butting them together. Is it simply for alignment, strength or both? Also, I wonder if you could simply sand the overhanging tab flush on the clips rather than using a spacer. Rockler ought to include the spacer if it’s needed. That hardware looks the same as Hardware Reaources which I can get at my supplier for $10 less a set as well. I used them in my shop cabinets and really liked how easy they installed.

[@Chris-hh4ny]

Great video! Do you put finish on these drawers?

[@TheTrullGallery]

I'm a little curious. How did you screw the drawer slide clips to the 1/4" bottom? I thought for sure the screw would come through showing up on the inside!😮

[@RJKnoblauch0]

It won’t matter once the drawer fronts are on, but one thing I don’t like about the Rockler brand is they aren’t truly invisible like the Blum. Those front clips rest on the bottom of the front instead of behind the front. Either way though, if it functions just as well the savings may be worth it over a whole kitchen.

[@adamsjm3]

Very informative! Can’t wait to see more.

[@AirmanCS]

Can you do the dado groove with router right? Why choose the table for one but the table for another one? BTW love your workshop and vids

[@jalvrus]

Avoiding gluing to (only) cosmetic veneer is a good reason to use rabbets at the corners.

[@captainbundington]

When you add the slides to the larger cabinet that shares the center divider, do you use different mounting holes? Does it matter which holes you use?

[@natescustomcabinets5773]

The Clips are designed for 5/8'' thick ply.. I found the same issue when I tried them. To me they are just as good and as smooth as the Blum.

[@ourspacesinc]

Won’t the plywood rails warp over time? Wouldn’t solid wood be better?

[@MASI_forging]

Your work is always impress 👏👏

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video as always thanks for sharing

[@charliesnyder]

Where do you source your ply? I’m south of Tacoma but I always end up in Seattle looking for decent lumber! I’ve never purchased good ply before and don’t know any good places!!

[@michaelarighi5268]

I assume you thought about what was going to go into the drawers? My puzzlement was that the bottom drawers seem awfully deep. I can't think of what kitchen equipment I have that I'd want to stash in a drawer that deep, much less in 4 of them.

[@MichaelAlm]

We use them for pots, lids, appliances, and all sorts of things. Every kitchen is different I suppose.

[@joelw6215]

Wow someone that doesn’t use the gold plated Blum slides. Congrats for non group think ! I use my local suppliers brand and i pay 17$ for 21 “ which is like half of Blum and they work basically the same

[@wut255]

Was curious why you didn't using the quarter quarter quarter method in your last drawer video where you used brads. Glad to see you came around. :P

[@DunbarWoodworks]

I'm curious about the quality of the adjustable bits that go under the drawers. I just started woodworking and I've only built three drawers and I used these Rockler slides. I thought the adjustable bits seemed really cheap and easy to bump out of adjustment. Are the Blum slides similar in that regard,

[@austinbasiolli2705]

Hopefully you can answer this, but what bandsaw blade is your go to for general work?

[@sarahrusby2799]

Don’t be afraid of math people!! It’s awesome! (Says the engineer…we’ll see how that does or does not help me for my 1st cabinet build)

[@orbitforcreators]

Random question but what's the Khaki Hoodie you're wearing? It looks really good and comfy.

[@MichaelAlm]

It's from Timberland Pro. It's SUPER comfortable. I generally order a size smaller than I'm used to with their stuff. I wear a Medium and mine is a small. bit.ly/HonchoHoodie

[@orbitforcreators]

@@MichaelAlm 👍 thanks for the reply. Gonna check it out

[@JyB818]

Question... When you bang the drawer against the pin, do you have to worry about the side-to-side not matching? I've never used undermounts before

[@MichaelAlm]

As long as you didn't make the bottom too loose, you shouldn't have to worry about it. They should align.

[@JyB818]

@@MichaelAlmthank you!

[@karenmitchell6814]

Loving this series. Great tip on cutting largest pieces first. I have a question on your miter saw station now that you’ve been using it for a while. Do you find yourself catching your clothes or bumping your hands or legs on the square drawer pulls? I very much like the low-profile nature of those pulls but wonder about the “sharp, square” corners?

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! I haven’t had an issue with the corners. @wittworks put them in his shop and he loves them too.

[@pernilsson9493]

It’s always so nice to see those festools that we normies only dream about, handled by professionals

[@marchingknight11]

I've never used undermounts, but every youtuber seems to swear by them and I honestly don't understand why. The installation process as well as the math required to get the drawers right seems so much more complicated than side mounted slides. I could understand that if they provided a long-term benefit, but the only benefit I've ever heard anyone mention is "adjustability", which, honestly who is adjusting their drawer slides all the time? Is it just because you cant see them? I guess that's ok, but again, the drawer is almost always closed, so I don't mind the visible slides for the 3 seconds the drawer is open at a time.

[@wonderwonder30]

Preach it bro!

[@crewdog9023]

With undermount hardware like this you can just subtract 5/8" from the width of the opening for the drawer size instead of the 1' you would do for sidemounts. Once you get these down the use of these is pretty nice. The self closing feature is extremely nice.

[@felipecueva1685]

What finish do you use for the drawers and drawer box? Thanks

[@donclark2724]

was hoping to see drawer fininshing in video

[@mgena717]

What are footballs? I saw them on one of the panels, but I've never seen that before.

[@carlosayusolaslenguas5185]

Damn. Every time I watch a video like this with imperial measurements I feel so relieved. And then proceed to make silly mistake measuring multiples of 10 hahahahahhaha

[@dawlin20]

Another great video!

[@Lucas-kg7bd]

4:51 Sponsored by Rosebud motel i guess??

[@duallity2403]

Where did you get Baltic Birch plywood?

[@MASAL3410]

There's no off store nor online store in Indonesia selling that stuff. If we buy in Amazon, it will be so expensive....😢

[@anthonyvincent9990]

is that sides or sudes?

[@dgmchd]

almost accepted your apologizes for using inches! haha

[@hohohochimin]

Buy the name brand slides, they use the 32mm system. FAR easier.

[@whitexeno]

Which are nicer, rockler slides or blum?

[@crewdog9023]

Those rocklers look a lot like the KV undermounts...... which are horrible in comparison to Blum. When my shop was having sourcing issues with Blum we ordered KV's and ended up replacing all of them over then 6 months after installing them. The adjustment of the KV's is not as precise as the Blum and we kept getting call backs over the adjustments not staying in place and some of the slides no longer working after a couple of months.

[@whitexeno]

@@crewdog9023 thanks!

[@MrWizards1974]

It's so cute to hear amateur woodworkers talk about wood movement as if they really understand it but always get it wrong. 15:55

[@5280Woodworking]

Please explain and enlighten us all.

[@poelmeister]

This video, if anything else, is a screaming petition for the adoption of the metric system.

[@nicholyer]

err Michael, you know that tomorrow is the 26th, not the 27th, right?

[@MichaelAlm]

I realized that right after I uploaded 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ericserafim7954]

This video has more math than my whole high school 😂😂

[@ИгорьГорбачев-у1у]

👍👍👍

[@davidmiddleton3511]

Why not use metric.

[@bascodelagamma]

👍

[@yossid422]

Ya

[@micah06v8]

Dealing with measurements like that is the one time that I most feel like screaming "why we are the only morons that have not switched to the metric system yet!"

[@williammaxwell1919]

"No measuring"? = "Forget measuring; just drill and install"?

[@ellafoxoo]

Imperial measurements fried my European brain.

[@paulwhite7475]

Watching you work all that out in inches and I know why the Russians beat you guys into space

[@hazembata]

When you said invisible I thought you meant with magic or something....so disappointed. JK. Nice video.

[@germaneer776]

Hey 1st

[@schalkvandermerwe3838]

4th

[@MichaelAlm]

Hahaha!

[@mikesionu]

101

[@davisbergholcs696]

5th 🤣🤣

[@MichaelAlm]

🖐🤣

[@MoldyPirate97]

1st

[@preussathletics5109]

If you plan on doing real cooking in this kitchen, I beg you NOT to use an undermount sink. I cook everyday and over the past ten years I have chipped away at the edge of the sink from metal pots and pans. It just happens. I am very careful, but it just happens. Find a drop-in sink option that fits your style. If you will not be doing much cooking, forget what I just wrote.

[@twistedlimb4053]

1st?

[@Zerocool-kb4ej]

All i hear is abracadabra...dude switch to Metric allready

[@jpmorphhilson]

Weather it's frameless or euro, using back mounts has NOTHING to do with either. What are on talking about

[@jpmorphhilson]

Its not ½ inch less for width. It's ⅝. This video is literally all wrong.