Stop trying to use every inch

In this video I talk through how I go about determining drawer box sizes and spacing for cabinets.
To find out more about installing drawer slides, check out these videos.
Side Mount
• Installing Full Extens...
Under Mount
• How To Install Blum Un...
#cabinets #cabinetry #drawer
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[@billj5645]

I think most people would be doing this the other way- starting with 25" tall opening, subtract the 1" space times 3, subtract the 1/2" drawer guide times 3, leaves 20.5" for the total height of the 3 drawers. The bottom drawer in an office is used for files so that somwhat dictates the height of that drawer, what's left you split between the 2 upper drawers.

[@GregLohr]

Agreed. If I already knew my drawer box heights, it would be easy to add them up and put some space between them. I struggle starting with a carcasse height -- especially if it could change, too, because that adds more options / decisions -- and then deciding on the heights of drawer boxes and what's the necessary spacing between them based on the intended use.

[@richardcagle5475]

Yup. That's how my brain works. This seemed confusing. Especially the bit where he was like "don't worry about that leftover inch". What? It'll work itself out? What?

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

@@richardcagle5475Richard, I agree that this part of Jason’s vid left me stumped. IMHO, “it’ll just work out” leads to a measurement problem that needs to be addressed (i.e. a mistake that needs to be fixed). I do intend to use a version of Jason’s method, since most of my work is custom. I will, however, account for the entire carcass space I’m working with.

[@michelinekensley6846]

Mr. Bent, I have been worried about making custom cabinets for our RV renovation. I have never built a box let alone a cabinet. Your channel has been one of my best sources of information. I am very very grateful for your videos on cabinetry and come away feeling confident that I can do it. I don't think it will be perfect, but it will be better than just winging it. As a seamstress I am used to measuring and building things and have very rudimentary woodworking experience with hand tools. So, we will see how it goes. Thinking of making my own channel for far away family to see. Maybe I'll tag you so you can see how well your instructions help. Sincerely, A Truely grateful beginner

[@bentswoodworking]

I’m so glad to hear that you are finding the content helpful. Makes everything I do worth it.

[@megalesimes]

Truly a life saver. Out of the dozens of videos I’ve watched, this is the only one the explains the thinking behind the build, like the math that goes into it and not just doing it without explaining why or how. Thank you.

[@jeffwalston807]

In the middle of building a cabinet. I've watched a lot of videos and nobody has explained the spacing very well. Been scratching my head on this. I was able to see and follow this very easy . Well done Thanks

[@micahjdiamond]

I follow most of the top woodworking content creators on KZbin that focus on educational videos like these, and I have to say out of all of them, you’re second to none in the way you articulate and explain things in an easily digestible way that even a hobbyist woodworker such as myself can understand. Thank you for taking the time to make videos like these!

[@bentswoodworking]

Thank you!! I really appreciate you saying that

[@GK-qz3cm]

Great explanation of the drawer measurements. Thanks for assisting me in learning.

[@robandcathyloperfido5129]

I'm starting to do a "custom" kitchen for myself. Building my own cabinets and layout. This video is perfect for my wife to help understand what is important in laying out the cabinet drawers. As always an excellent presentation and explanation. All your cabinet videos are the best I've seen (and that's a lot of them)!

[@jacko293]

You have this way of addressing the unforeseen problems that no one thinks about until it's to late and everything is cut. Thanks for that explanation.

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@colorfulquecreations]

This video is all the weight in gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been struggling with this for a while now and could not find any videos out there showing on how to do the math for installing drawers. This video was on time!! There are tons of videos on how to make and install drawers but the videos out there that were made always skip this step which is so important for a newbie like myself. I could hug you for this video this has been my stumbling block for months and the reason I have not built any cabinets. Thank you again for explain it so well keep making good videos like this and I will watch your videos all the time!

[@bentswoodworking]

So glad you found it helpful. Cabinets are the most intimidating thing to people, that’s why I enjoy making cabinet relate videos to help make it less mystifying.

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

Very helpful & timely (even though you posted it 3 years ago). I’m what Rob Cosman would call a wood miser. I also suffer from an addiction to use every inch of space in the carcass when sizing drawers. Your simple suggestion should help me with this unhelpful addiction. I’ll heed your advice, since all of my work is custom to fit a given need or space. I mostly use side mount slides, so I will account for every inch of carcass space, but your standard method of spacing drawers on custom work just became my go to method. Thank you from a satisfied subscriber.

[@flatlander523]

Jason - Wow! Just found this and it is perfect for my current project. I have reached the point of installing drawer slides and making boxes. Your video should be the gold standard for us newer woodworkers. In fact all of your videos are absolutely great. Thanks so much for doing this one and now I am off to the shop to implement my new knowledge.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad it helped!

[@jaymond80]

Thank you so much for this video. This is one of the main things that has kept me from building cabinets for my shop. Drawer spacing feels like black magic and no one ever explains this. Wood is expensive and I can’t bring myself to just try it out and risk messing it up. Great explanation. Thanks again!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@scottmorris4914]

Thank you. I have seen many videos on making cabinets, but nothing about drawer layout within that cabinet. You gave me the requirements for the layout, the spacing.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@joelwinter4956]

"Space maximization" is an affliction I suffer from deeply. "Every 1/16" needs to be used--I *can* do it, so I should...." I appreciate the forgiveness you offer here!

[@orbeuniversity]

Thank you for this video. Exactly what I was looking for. You explained really well the principles behind building drawers. I have zero experience building drawers and a limited amount of tools, so I am looking to build very simple drawers. I don't have a table saw, nor jigs so I am looking for a very basic build to store my tools. Other "DIY Simple Drawers" videos assume you have all the tools: table saw, pocket hole jig, etc; your video is really for the rest of us. Thank you again.

[@jeffhansman2829]

Excellent explanation and advice. I've been stuck for weeks (and resisting all the while) trying to figure out how to put in three drawers of dissimilar heights in a carcass. Now I have a battle plan. Thanks!

[@Droog75]

I have procrastinated in doing summer cabinet projects for my new home due to the subject matter you’ve addressed. This video content was all ultra informative and useful! Going to draw up my plans now.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad it was helpful!

[@abad_gtr1123]

i'm in the middle of building my very first "cabinet"...a stand for my drill press...and already fell into the trap of trying to jam as many drawers in as i could. i've now figured out that i need to ditch one of the drawers to allow for better spacing (using side mount slides). this video definitely helps in the thought process going forward....thanks!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@CALB2009]

@Bent'sWoodworking&More~. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is the EXACT issue I've been struggling with as I attempt to draft a plan for customizing my Master Closet. You are right about it creating anxiety! I am planning to build custom drawers units in the closet...I have debated the pros & cons of undermount vs side mount slides in my head dozens of times, but the SINGLE BIGGEST "unknown factor" that's tripped me up is determining the amount of vertical space to leave between each drawer! I swear.....I have wasted so much time worrying about this particular question. Your video was truly a game changer for me!!! THANK YOU! ~~Christy~~

[@SarahS-zq8ru]

THANK YOU FOR THIS! I was getting so frustrated with building drawers for a cabinet, and I kept procrastinating the install when my project hit snags, and I knew it was my fit, so this helped A lot!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad I could help!

[@GGallion7]

Thanks!

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@chefgordie]

Hi Jason. I find your content very helpful and frequently refer to your videos when I hit a stumbling block on a project. What I appreciate the most is that you comment on almost every user post, even if it's just a thank you. So thank you for thanking us!

[@bentswoodworking]

I try my best to be involved. And you are very welcome.

[@Personalized_Workshop]

Luckily and thankfully I watched this prior to doing any non standard cabinetry. I landed here because I’m doing a couple single drawer, single door frameless cabinets using Blume under mounts and was looking for any tips I could pick up on from your drawer construction (pocket screw joinery) and frameless drawer fronts. Thank you, all your videos have been very helpful and informative.

[@bosschief8872]

Great video. Just built my wife a cabinet and the size and spacing drove me crazy. This really simplified the whole process. Thank you again!

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@shafimuhammadjatoi2956]

I made a built-in for my daughters closet(first project ever). I did watch your videos on the cabinet which helped me get started but yes I did get stumped on the exactly what you spoke about.I ended up having to redo my drawer fronts since some had too many gaps and others were rubbing against the top or bottom. So thank you for speaking about this. Your work is greatly appreciated.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@amynoble3269]

FInally!!!! Thank you for explaining this process in way that a beginner woodworker like me could understand. Thank you!!!!

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

I've seen this before. I should have watched this as a refresher before I tried to do what I just did. LOL I made two cabinet boxes to sit my laser on. I did that a while back. But I never added the drawers. Working on that tonight. I've made lots of drawers before. Some already had plans. Only one custom piece. And I don't remember having any issue with designing the drawers. This was supposed to be a quick project. LOL NOPE! It would have been. I was totally over thinking it. I want three drawers. I'm doing side mount. Still going to allow for the 1" between. And 1/8" on the bottom. So now I know exactly what size my drawers need to be. And all it took was watching those 5 minutes of the video. Doubt I'll forget it next time. But if I do... I know right where to find this video. Thanks!

[@markchambers3414]

Excellent Explanation. Thank you. I'm building my first cabinet with drawers and side mount sliders. This video was an great help.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@gregorythomasd07]

I absolutely love and appreciate this video! This has been a question I’ve been trying to answer for a while now and it’s shocking how little information there is out there on it.

[@VampireOnline]

I'm planning a cabinet for under my 3D printer and I am WAY over thinking the drawers. I needed to hear this! Thanks!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@jeffstewart395]

Very good video. My recommendation is to use a story pole for this type of layout. It would also help explain the process.

[@bradenwatson8474]

Thank you for covering this. I'm guilty of overthinking drawer spacing and I let projects go too long because I get flustered on this exact topic. Thanks again!

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@ivandomenech2660]

That Drill Sergeant hat there, though...! Thanks for your service, and for these great videos. All TLOs achieved!!!

[@bentswoodworking]

Lol good to know

[@brianbraynen4178]

I am one of those builders that think i have to use every inch of space and i ran into problems when it comes to the drawer face becuse the space is so small you hsve to be dead on when spacing the drawer faces, but i am definitely going to use this method from now on ,thank you

[@timkelly6660]

Really appreciate this video. Not as much for the math, but for the no BS about keeping it simple. I always find myself turning it into a science project trying to eak out even 16th of space when it really doesn't matter. SOmetimes I sit myself down and give myself a good talking to, but it as good to hear it from someone else now and then. Thanks!

[@rodrigoosorioporras7029]

I was actually doing that, thinking i should take all the space, but your proposal it is quite good and actually lets me relax a bit, thank you for making this video, I have subscribed now :D

[@charleselkins4546]

Thanks for the video. I was wondering about this. It seems to me that what to an experienced cabinet maker seems obvious is often a confusing aspect of a build process. I am sure that doing it several times I could figure it out, but is nice to have some one demonstrate it.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@Couldnt-think-of-a-clever-name]

I usually draw everything up on sketchup and let it do the math, but I like using the under mount slides and don’t normally remember to account for that spacing on the bottom. This is good reminder and helps point out the overlooked obvious.👍

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@austinmooney]

I fell into this trap building my kitchen cabinets! I since had talked myself out of ever doing a large cabinet job again because of the headache. You definitely changed my view! I’d also love to see a drawer front video for custom work!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad to hear that

[@susana5052]

I want to thank you for posting this video. I’ve worked in mostly new constructs plus existing homes (not sticks & bricks but from the drywall in). QUESTION: What would you recommend I do at this point? I haven’t paid the balance of $9000 BUT I’m concerned that he could put a lien on my home or worse, we go to court. To add to this problem, I’m disabled I’m basically home bound. Thank you for your time if you happen to see this post and reply. BACKGROUND: I’m at the homestretch of install of my custom cabs for a 10x16 galley kitchen. No appliances, sink or plumbing has been done. It’s just plywood tops waiting for countertops/backsplash, uppers/lower boxes installed. The cabinets are frameless, slab, full overlay. Since it was a full tear out we agreed the the ends would be flush with 1/8” space between doors and drawers. He said “no problem”. We did go and see one of the jobs he had just finished and it was exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately he “forgot” or mismeasured and some ends were flush where the boxes terminate and the others show the boxes visible and uneven. Also all joints at the ceiling trim and boxes are clearly visible and pretty big especially being “custom”. He said that it was “impossible” to fill in the gaps with anything and we would have to accept the visible gaps at the places where frames meet to each other, at trim and boxes, at the ceiling because we live in an earthquake area. Before any work was started I did exactly what you show in this video BUT I’m guessing my custom cabinet guy didn’t agree with my numbers and built by his numbers which was not apparent until now that he installed the cab doors and drawer fronts. Now I’m stuck with drawers that are too short to store the items I planned to use the drawers for. No matter what I say to my cab guy refuses to admit that I gave him my numbers and says I agreed with his numbers. He has no drawings or any agreement that I approved. Although I have drawings that were sent to him via email which he approved via email and now said he never received. So I’m having to live with lots of gaps, cabs that are not covering boxes and I’m not sure what I can do if anything. I can accept the short drawers BUT not the spaces that the naked eye is able to clearly see is NOT something I can live with. I wish he had told me that he wouldn’t or couldn’t build to the specs that were agreed upon. I have worked with clients that had unrealistic expectations I am NOT one of those people. Although for the price I am charged, this kitchen it should be spot on without any issues. Especially since he had an empty room to work with. I also understand that working with an older home in an earthquake area it’s hard to have no gaps at the ceilings and walls but they are very big and I know there must be a way to fill in those gaps so they are not so noticeable…as they were to a neighbor I invited in to look at the kitchen without telling them what my issues were. They pointed out the same issues that I have.

[@davidfriedman3962]

I needed to watch this, thank you! I watched it twice and it was very helpful particularly about leaving sufficient space making me pause and give me and my workbench space!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@michaelosullivan8325]

I totally suffer from your diagnosis over complicating glad I found your channel you seem very informative

[@bentswoodworking]

Happy to have you here

[@daveoringo9900]

Thank you for this Sir! I’ve been struggling for a while now on how to determine the size of the drawer box and what should be the clearances for each box.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@randysmith3828]

Man I wish this video would have came out two weeks ago lol, I just built a cabinet for underneath a down draft table that I built. I had no idea how to go about it. In the end it turned out fine for a shop project but it’s far from perfect. The draws are all the same size but beings it was my first time ever building draws, my spacing between doors is inconsistent due to the bottom cabinet being elevated because of the slide. I learned a lot doing that project but this video is going to be watched over and over before I do my next one, thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@lundyswoodcrease5876]

Wow! This was super helpful. I also really appreciate how you still highlight how measurements vary when using the side mount slides. The pace you teach at and detail you provide is a testament to your skill as an educator, DI. Whenever you open your cabinet building school for noobs in small shops I’ll be first to enroll and book a flight!! Especially if Hans is a guest evaluator. ;)

[@bentswoodworking]

That would be fantastic!!!

[@joelluesse4408]

Im so grateful to have a resource that answers my questions in such a clear and concise way. You are an wxcellent teacher. Than you

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@104Tomcat]

Wish I had seen this before I built my FIRST cabinet. I made the "maximize space" design errors that you talked about. Thanks for the valuable advice that should SAVE" me next time.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@ianatkinson1973]

Hi Jason. Great content and even better explanation. I've just started using undermount draw slides, I thought they would be so much more difficult than side mount, how wrong I was. The simple explanation of the drawer measurements has opened my eyes to how difficult I was making it. Thank you so much for the simple lay man's terms.. Keep up with the great content

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@prabhatsapkota3462]

Explained very clearly, probably I will never gonna forget.

[@SAMUELPEREZ-yc8uq]

Perfect. I tried it and all is GTG now. Thank you for keeping it KISS.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@zaldyvar]

Wish I know this sooner, I was Learning building cabinets & drawers last year and just figuring this out . Good to know for newbies DIYer like me. Always great content/info . Thanx for sharing. 👍👏🏻

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@sethfowers448]

Guilty of trying too hard to maximize every inch of a custom cabinet! I second the idea of giving yourself more wiggle room both in drawer height and in cabinet space use. I found it to be easier to open drawers and set things inside if they are have a better gap between them. Thanks for the content

[@bentswoodworking]

Definitely agree with that!

[@GGallion7]

Thank you, you did a great job covering everything by explaining all the risks that may be encountered. The video is appreciated.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@kyungrix1112]

I have found that when I maximized the space that I often had things getting stuck between the drawers or would grind against the drawer above it. Having more space between drawers won't eliminate that completely but it lessens the chances of it and reduces whatever scissor action damage might occur when things get pinched

[@Matthew-ur3gl]

This is good info that's rarely talked about outside of pre-prepared plans. Thanks for covering what was maybe a difficult video to create.

[@haroldaubry8344]

Nice video. Very appropriate. I’m an amateur woodworker and definitely feel I need to use every inch. It becomes quite challenging to get the drawer boxes to all fit and drawer fronts to fit with small 1/8” clearances….especially when my boxes may be slightly out of square.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@carlosbanegas6616]

Your explanation was very clear and concise, thank you now this helped very much in the process when building a custom cabinet.

[@FastPaceProcessing]

loved it! planning to build drawers for first time. missing piece to my puzzle thanks!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad it was helpful!

[@christopherdekonstrukt444]

I ordered the TSO parallel and squaring guides, after the holidays will order a Festool cordless track saw system with a 55" and 106" track. My current track saw limited to 48", table saw 30". Tired of cutting larger sheet goods on the floor with guides and a circular saw and ending up with either out of square or irregular cuts.

[@ATopDesignWoodworking]

Finally!! Thank you Jason. No one even explains this part.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@ATopDesignWoodworking]

@@bentswoodworking definitely, you should do drawer front one too different kinds inset and overlap

[@randykniebes5364]

GREAT, GREAT job explaining the drawer spacing.... I can make my custom cabinet from here!!!!!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@HienNguyen-dp3yv]

Thank you so much for sharing such a precise and informative video. I have been looking for video with this kind of instruction for a long time. Thanks foe answering my prayer. Now. I know exactly how to space out my drawers. Keep up the good work 👏

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@maurell-webb820]

Great info and perfect timing. All of the videos I've watch from your channel have been very helpful. Thank you!

[@bentswoodworking]

Happy to hear that

[@jbb5470]

I am brand new to your channel. This is the third video I have watched and have been very impressed! Great content and techniques for building cabinets. I have been wanting to build a few for my garage / shop area, your videos will be and excellent resource. Thank you for posting !!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@avrilcox4442]

Thank you for this! I have struggled with that and drawers have been something I avoid. Ready to try again

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad to hear that

[@dragon66leo]

Awesome explanation, it helped me out and easy to understand 😀

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad it helped!

[@garybadger325]

Great video on how to figure spacing when you have the decided on the number of the drawers and their sizes. It would be great to show how you would go about figuring out the drawer box sizes knowing the inside dimension of the cabinet and using the LR32 system and Blum undermount slides? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[@bentswoodworking]

I have some plans on doing some videos using the LR32 system

[@darthbleh5523]

I fell into the “trying maximize space” trap building some shop cabinets. Getting ready to build some drawer boxes for another project so this video is good timing. Thank You.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@barneyboyce9960]

Thanks for this video. Simple but very informative.❤

[@WiFredC]

I like when you use metric better. Just sayin’….. I have not done under mount Blum or other yet. Will dig up your vid on that. Thanks for all your great help.

[@bentswoodworking]

I’m glad you found the video helpful.

[@fourseasons9608]

Thank you Brent! This has been very helpful and I will be using this method today.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@xdarkyoshi3161]

your videos are very good and have a wide message thank you

[@gulzeb]

I'm the 1000th like, yay. Thank you for the detailed video on spacing and also the one about using the Blum slides. I need to build garage cabinets soon, so they will be very helpful.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@jonswoveland]

Thank you for making this video! It's helped settle my drawer layout anxiety!

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@tommaxwell429]

Good explanation. Curious as to why you picked undermount glides. What are the pros and cons of side vs undermount. Seems to me it is simply a trade off between maximizing width of your drawer box vs depth of your drawer boxes. I will say that I think side mount glides make all of these calculations a little easier. With side mounts you know box width is 1" smaller than the opening. For height I use the IKEA method of sixths. With a 30" opening in a 34.5" high cabinet, the bottom drawer front takes up 3/6 of 30" or 15 inches, the middle drawer front is 2/6 of 30" or 10 inches, and the top drawer front is 1/6 of 30" or 5 inches. Then subtract from each drawer to create a 1/8" reveal all around. That will depend on which edge of the drawer face you are talking about and if it is top, bottom, between drawers or wall edge or between to cabinets. Really easy to do in Fusion 360 or Sketchup. IKEA makes the actual box height about half the door front height. In this example the bottom box would be about 7.5" tall, the middle 5" tall, and the top about 3" tall. You can say what you want about the quality of IKEA products but they have some dang good engineers working for them in their design department. Everything fits together perfectly and looks well proportioned when installed. Thanks for the video!

[@ArmyVet76]

Definitely gonna do this technique. I’m always freaking about “ Wasted Space” lol. Thanks for this great information…

[@bentswoodworking]

You’re welcome

[@chrisjaustin88]

This is good info. Would you mind doing a video though on calculating drawer face spacing while trying to achieve continuous grain?

[@bentswoodworking]

Great idea for a future video

[@CrawfordMethod]

Lets say you are doing a cabinet with 4 full overlay drawers and you want continuous grain: cut a single piece of wood that covers all the drawers, scribe it to the wall or adjacent cabinets etc. basically get the side and top and bottom overlays perfect. Then mark the parting line between the drawers on the face and cut down the center of the parting line. The thickness (kerf) of your saw blade is your finished clearance between your drawers, and you are virtually assured that all your drawer edges and grain match up perfectly. Pro tip: tape your parting line before you mark them with masking tape to help keep tear out to a minimum. I use a 2.2mm kerf blade in my tracksaw and it makes the perfect reveal line between drawers in a modern frameless full overlay cabinet.

[@katherinecarroll3706]

I made some drawers and tried to maximize the drawer sizes and them had a spacing problem. Won’t do that again. Learned the hard way? Good advice. Thanks

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@Jv__ruys]

Really good step by step, cleared my mind Thanks so much👍🏻

[@Oregon4now]

This was very helpful to me. Just wanted to take a minute to thank you!

[@markiuzzolino]

Great tips! Unless I missed it, what’s the proper spacing on the sides of the drawers?

[@leonpowers8762]

Thanks for the video! It will be helpful for I have not built any cabinets like this but I am wont to build 3 cabinets with drawers and put together with one solid top for chest of drawers.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@pennyroyal3813]

With custom cabinets I calculate the height of the drawer fronts first. Then I calculate the drawer box sizes using a 1" spacing and a ¼" space at the bottom. One day I'll try using undermount slides.

[@The_Ol_Bizzaroo]

I wish I would have seen this before building my first set of drawers. I made the drawers so close to each other when they opened and closed they rubbed on the drawers above and below.

[@bentswoodworking]

Yeah that’s another common issue I wish I would have mentioned

[@johnvillegas1683]

The info was very good and you explained it perfectly.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@JustPerfectM]

What about the depth of the drawer?

[@Dunc2222]

Outstanding instructional video, thank you. The only part I did not fully understand was (at the 9:59 mark) when you said, “that 1 inch (unaccounted for) is basically dead”. Can you please elaborate on what you mean? (Let me guess, and you can correct me if I get it wrong: on each drawer, there is 1/2” between the bottom of the drawer slide and the bottom of that drawer? If so, then that would add up to the “dead” one inch.) This brings up two more questions: 1) Does this suggest that if using side mounts, each of the top two drawers could be 5.5” tall? 2) What are the virtues of under mounts vs side mounts? Do they support more weight? Thanks again.

[@GregLohr]

That confused me, too. If I'm doing the math, I might as well do all the math.

[@barriowoodworks]

We sometimes get in our own heads by over analyzing the whole build. Good stuff Jason.

[@bentswoodworking]

👍👍

[@ChrisHornberger]

I generally just add .5 to the drawer, or factor it in. For a 10" drawer I'm burning 10.5 to get there inclusive of the slides, and so forth. I find - for me - accounting for that 1/2" as part of the overall drawer assembly (box + undermount slide) makes all the factoring easier. $.02

[@szlash280z]

I built a bunch of shop cabinets 9 years ago and I tried to maximize the space. I'm talking about apprx 1/8" between all the drawers. Since I also like to overfill the drawers I constantly run into things rubbing on the drawer above or below when operated and things getting wedged between the drawers. I repeated this mistake on 3 different projects... and it happens on each one. 😅😅😅

[@crzyworm623]

Good info and something often skipped in most videos. I have struggled with spacing in the past, but it usually becomes a problem for me, when trying to create equal sized drawer fronts and having to account for the additional height for full overlay on the top and bottom drawer. The more drawers, (if designed to be all equal size) the more they start to not line up as they should. I guess the simple answer is to make smaller drawer boxes, and allow for more space between top of drawer box and bottom of next undermount. Giving a bigger buffer to adjust the front placement without risking an undermount drawer slide not being covered. But maybe you have a better answer? Thanks .

[@bentswoodworking]

That would be my recommendation

[@dellsdiy]

There must be a simple formula to use when making overlay drawer fronts and using side mount slides. Just to cover the top and bottom edges of the cabinet box, that's an additional .75 inches being added to the the top and bottom drawer front not including the space between the top of the drawer and the bottom of the top stretcher. Throw in another variable when you have lets say 4 drawers and the top three are the same size and the bottom is larger. There must be an easier way lol

[@carlosbanegas6616]

Very informative videos, liked the detailed explanations you gave specially on doing custom work.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@shockjock35]

I haven’t built any cabinets yet. I always wondered how to determine the spacing. You’re right, I haven’t done it because I couldn’t find a standard or rule of thumb to figure that spacing. I better understanding of side mount slides. Plus I think those less expensive lol. Thanks for the confidence to go for it

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@frankcherry3810]

Everything is Custom here in Thailand. I have to mill everything from 25% moisture rough sawn lumber. What I would give for Kiln dried lumber

[@bigblocky]

Thanks, this helped me out quite a bit.

[@bentswoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful

[@yk19981]

really informative video, thanks for sharing

[@claudecjs]

Great information. Big help.

[@WiFredC]

How fast was the train going? Great stuff, BW!

[@SD-zk2te]

I am tracking on the one inch space needed between the drawers but what about the very bottom of the drawer? How much space should be allotted? In the video you said half an inch for under mounted but what about side mounted drawer slides?

[@rogerchamorro9127]

You mentioned to allow 1 inch between drawer top to drawers slide. How much do you allow from the bottom of the cabinet to the bottom of the First under mount drawer slide?

[@markdeveer3252]

Can you use Blum undermount slides for vertical pull out storage drawers?