Wood choice for side hung drawers

[atgcpaul]

I'm working on a pair nightstands and I need to make a single drawer for each of them--maybe 5" tall. I wanted to attempt side hung drawers for a clean look.

I have several boards that are nearly all sapwood which I think would make a nice contrast but I have some concerns about wood movement. Does sapwood move more than heartwood? This wood is all flatsawn. Using the Woodweb Wood Shrinkage calculator and assuming it's 15% MC and will go down to 8% in the winter (I'm guessing), it's expected to shrink 1/16" over 5". That seems like a lot to me.

My concern is that the groove in the side of the drawer will bind on its runner if I don't make the groove wider. If I make the groove wider, then the drawer might be sloppy--I don't know; I don't think I've handled side hung drawers before, but I like the look.

All this wood is from a neighbor's tree I salvaged after a storm so I want to use just this lumber if possible. I also have some white ash lumber but that is also flatsawn and also moves nearly as much as walnut according to the calculator.

I do plan on making the runner out of ash, though.

I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Paul

[C. in Indy]

I went through a phase where I rebuilt about 8 worn/busted antique machinist chests for my senior nephews. All of them had side-hung drawers. Observations were:

- Typically only the bottom (& largest) drawer had any significant wear to the grooves. The material of that drawer-side was probably Poplar (even on a Gerstner chest).
- The groove wear tended to not much affect the 'mounted' position of the drawer. It was more of a problem of the drawer sagging too much when it was extended out from the case.
- Ash for a side-strip should be durable. Maple is also very good.
- I doubt that you need to worry about having a hard-strip / soft-groove or anything else to manage friction from a material dissimilarity standpoint. 2 hardwoods will work fine if they have some wax on them.

Have fun; your project looks great so far!

[Bill Holt]

No expert here! The WoodWeb calculator may be correct, but 1/16" movement on 5" walnut is not what I have experienced. For a rule-of-thumb allow 1/16" for 12" of width. This is a number I picked up here on WN when I was a rookie. I have made several frame and panel projects, some breadboard lids and tables, as well as my workbench. No problems so far.

Now I have a question: If the drawer is only 5" deep, the rail wont have to be larger than 3/4", so do you need to worry about the wood movement of the drawer side or the rail?

[hbmcc]

Would "made with salvaged lumber." Then, "XX was used for drawer sides and guides for durability and long life" be satisfactory? An ideal is a commendable goal, but process makes it so.

Light (soft) wood for box sides and guides will wear quickly. Hard wood should be matched in density and species for even wear patterns. Corners bear the most on flat surfaces, goring those areas most exposed to pressure. I have well used furniture with guides shaped like "C's" and "S's". Rounding the corners can reduce that wear.

The box sides need to be as close to quarter grain configuration as possible, to minimize seasonal movement. Flat grain will cup and flatten forever, or until you throw away the furniture in frustration.

[WoodTinker]

Would route stopped dados in the carcase sides for the stationary strip. Would be better than just screws I think.

Some nice learning going on!

YMMV

[Bibliophile 13]

Walnut is pretty stable once dry. The sapwood is a little softer than the heartwood, as you may have noticed, but for a nightstand I wouldn't worry about excessive wear.

[Gentleman Jim]

I have a cherry chest I built 25 years ago with side hung drawers. Cherry runners and poplar sides. No issues with the drawers since it was built. Poplar is a good choice for a southern made piece of furniture, historically accurate if that concerns you.

Take care

[atgcpaul]

Walnut or ash sides?  Didn't matter because the universe and my own stupidity decided in the end.

I decided to use walnut for the sides and it only seemed right to also dovetail the drawers.  I spent a good chunk of Saturday and Sunday milling lumber to size then cutting and fitting the DTs, etc.

Last night I was sanding the carcass and then I wanted to see how the drawers fit.  WTF?!!!  How is it too narrow?  By 2"!!!!  When I measured for the drawer front and did many trial fits before laying out the DTs, I had the carcasses in the wrong orientation--skinny end up.

I had a restless night of sleep, woke up at 5:30 (not by choice), made coffee, and took the day off work and started all over again with ash sides.  I've never worked with ash before but appreciate that it doesn't stink like red oak.  It's definitely the hardest wood I've DTed with, but I think I did OK.  Sides need a little more cleaning up, but I think I'm going to meet my deadline.

Paul