What's the max width for a drawer?

[BigguyZ]

I'm building a built-in for my closet, and the potential max width is about 43" or so. Now if I go for a single drawer over that width, is that going to be too wide? I'm worried that if I have a 4-5" high drawer that's 43" and loaded with clothes, that the drawer might sag. Is that likely?

I've been assuming that I'll be using plywood for the drawer materials, BTW. I don't know what else would be as strong and inexpensive. Then I'll do false fronts with either an edge banded birch or solid hardwood.

Thanks!

[MikeMcCoy]

You can check the Sagulator but I built a chest several years ago that's 40" wide X 10" high. A 4 or 5 inch high clothing drawer isn't going to hold a lot of weight.

[cabinetman]

That's pretty wide for a drawer. You could do it with 1/2" or more thick sides and 1/2" or more thick bottom, and a full extension slide with 75lb capacity. You didn't say how deep (front to back) you want it, but you more than likely will get some side to side movement when the drawer is pulled out. If it is shimmed well you will still have smooth action. Two smaller drawers would be the alternative.

I've made many wide and deep drawers, like under platform beds, and architectural plans drawers, that were very wide with no problems.
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[LarryG]

With a plywood body, a 4-5" depth, and good-quality slides, that should be okay for clothing storage. We have some wood flat files in the office that are about 38" wide (they'll hold a stack of 24x36 originals, which are surprisingly heavy) and the drawers are only about 2-1/2" deep.

One thing to watch for with drawers that large is sagging bottoms. Unless you must have one large, undivided space in the drawer, you might consider subdividing the drawer into two compartments, side by side, so that the bottom will be in two pieces that are each ~21-1/2" wide. IOW, the drawer body would be five pieces rather than the usual four; and the center divider would have a rabbet for the bottom on both sides. If this is unacceptable, you might want to increase the bottom thickness to 3/8".

[scorrpio]

1/2" plywood, glued into 1/4" deep grooves on all four sides of the drawer frame should greatly resist sag.

[BigguyZ]

The divider idea isn't bad at all. The depth is going to be about 20-24", but I don't need a single compartment in the drawers, so I could split them in half to add some rigidity.

But no one thinks I need to go with 3/4" ply- 1/2" will be good enough? If that's the case, that cut costs pretty well.

[LarryG]

But no one thinks I need to go with 3/4" ply- 1/2" will be good enough?

For the drawer body, you mean?

For a 20-24" deep (front to back) drawer, 1/2" is fine. You'll have a thicker front due to the false front being sandwiched onto the actual body. That leaves just the drawer back. You could make that single element out of 3/4" if you're nervous, but I doubt that it's necessary.

[gwyneth]

Just wanted to add a thought about user interface issues. If the drawer is on the bottom, wide is good because you can see everything and retrieve stuff.

The higher you go, the more annoying a wide drawer will be. Of course, I speak from the perspective of being 5' tall, but even a couple of feet up, think about operations--opening, keeping open, bumping into it, etc.

[cabinetman]

If you plan to put in a center divider, I would use a one piece bottom. If you choose to use 1/4" or 3/8", just screw the bottom into the divider. The divider would be the same height as the back (if you slide the bottom into a groove in the sides and the front. It is also the same height as the distance on the side from the top edge to the top of the groove.

Making the bottom in two pieces is a weak fabrication, that can easily fail.

[JimD]

Another option to avoid issues is to make the bottom up a bit and add a center support under it. I dovetail drawers and I normally put a 1/4 inch bottom into the bottom dovetail. If I moved up a dovetail, I would loose another 7/8 inch of space but would have space to put a thick solid wood or plywood support under the center of the drawer bottom to resist deflection. With a good center support even 1/4 may be OK if it will hold clothes. For heavy stuff, I would probably use 1/2 Baltic birch - which is also what I like for drawer sides and backs - fronts too if it will have an overlay front in addition to the BB. Baltic birch is a step up from the ordinary big box plywood. It has birch plys in addition to face pieces. More typical plywood is softwood or poplar plys which are weaker and the softwood tends to have a lot more voids.

Center guides work well for wide drawers and the guide structure also provides some support for the bottom. I used this on a bedroom set for my daughter and it has worked well. The drawers are about 3 feet wide and 18 inches or so deep and operate smoothly. The fronts are maple, the sides and back 1/2 baltic birch plywood and the bottoms are 1/4 plywood (luan which isn't really 1/4). There is a solid maple center guide under the plywood bottom glued to the bottom, the drawer front, and the drawer back. Because the guide sticks down 3/8 or so, I put the plywood drawer bottom in the bottom dovetail where I normally put it.

Jim