False Drawer Front Installation
The great thing
about building drawers with false fronts is that it gives you a little breathing
room. The drawer doesn't have to fit the opening perfectly. That's the false front's
job. It's easier to trim a single board (the false front) to fit the opening rather
than build and fit an entire drawer box to this size.
The problem is keeping the false
front aligned until it's attached to the drawer box. I've used double-face tape
with some success, but I recently tried a new approach that works pretty well.
You start by drilling four countersunk
pilot holes (not shank holes) in the inside front of the drawer box. Then drive
the false front mounting screws through the front of the drawer box so the tips
protrude slightly. Once that's done, mount the drawer box in the cabinet as shown
below.
When I have the false
front trimmed to finished size, I shim it in the drawer opening to keep the gap
uniform on all four sides. (Pennies make great shims for a 1/16" gap.) With the
false front positioned, push it firmly against the tips of the mounting screws
sticking out from the drawer box front, as shown below. A piece of tape stuck
to the back of the false front can help you remove it from the opening.
Now, drill pilot holes
in the back side of the false front on the four marks left by the screw tips.
To attach the false front, line up the pilot holes you just drilled with the tips
of the mounting screws and drive the screws. You may want to clamp the false front
to the drawer box once you have the screws lined up. This just helps keep things
in position in case one of the screws happens to wander.
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