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I re-built this bathroom cabinet a few years ago to replace the plywood face frame and doors from when our home was just a "hunting shack." The doors were made from dead oaks (oak wilt is a problem here) milled off our property. The drawer insides were made from bigtooth aspen (poplar), also milled off our property. The cabinet is about 12 inches deep, floor to ceiling, and about 20" wide. Because the drawers are so shallow, I used sliding dovetails for runners. (The bathroom is just too small to get the whole cabinet in the picture.)

Thanks for looking.

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Comments

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Very nice looking cabinet. Like the drawer slides, and the finish shines. Very good build.
 

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4,420 Posts
Interesting, Jenn wants to do something like this in our bathroom…thanks for the inspiration.
 

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Really nice job. Plenty of storage there!
 

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nice job…i like the color…
 

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Very nice job.
 

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Well done should go a long ways in functional daily uses. Thanks for posting Blkcherry
 

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Another great project. Make do is one of the best. It makes you appreciate it more.
 

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Very cool. Nice Drawers. Wow sliding dovetails for the slides.
 

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I know how difficult drawers can be. I've seen this cabinet before and just love it. Are those really dove tails are just a straight bit? I've seen this done before. Everything had to come out perfectly square for this to happen. You did a great job here.
 

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I'm back with a question. It looks like from the picture that the rail the drawer slides on sticks out from the cabinet. I don't understand how the drawer front would sit flush with the cabinet then. Help me here. I build a drawer and then go buy the drawer slides and it never seems to work for me. Well, I should say, not when they are mounted on the side. Just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong.
 

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Janice,

I hope I can help you with your questions. Yes, they are sliding dovetails, but a straight bit will work, too, and give you a little more room for error. The rail that the drawer slides on is attached to the face frame and sits perfectly flush with the front of the face frame.

If the drawer or cabinet is more than just a trifle out of square, you will have problems with the drawer moving smoothly. You can reduce or eliminate the problem by shimming the rail (part inside the cabinet) to make it square. This can be tricky because sometimes it is hard to see exactly where the problem lies. With the workbench, because I reworked the larger drawers, they were a real bear with getting a smooth action. I sanded sides of the drawers, shimmed other places, and still have one sticky drawer that I have to work on further, but the cabinets weren't really square. (That's what happens when you try to recycle; you have your own problems plus someone else's ;-( !)

Some hardware is easier to install than others, but make sure to get a installation sheet and measure accordingly. Also, you may find that bottom center-mount slides give you more tolerance, which may work better for you depending on your needs.

If I haven't answered you clearly, don't be afraid to ask again. I wish you success with your drawers!
 
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