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I would like to build a drawer similar to the picture below. I already have a panel-style door which is ~ 560 x 780mm with solid 20mm maple as stiles and rails.

I will be pulling this drawer ~ 20 times per day, 600 times per month, and 7000+ per year.

In the picture below, (taken from https://www.ovisonline.com/Rev-A-Motion-Single-50-Qt-Trash-Can-P493.aspx) it looks like the drawer is about 1/5 of the front.

Is this enough?

My concern is having a small drawer and the handle on the top, the force will be unevenly distributed, and eventually, the front be tilted forward and the screws coming loose.

I do understand no one has a clear answer without testing out, but my intuition from the picture 1/5 looks too little, and would like to hear if anyone has experience or thoughts.

enter image description here

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  • I would definitely share your concerns here. It's not just the potential for the applied drawer front to work loose due to the leverage, since fasteners can be doubled up (or tripled, or quadrupled) a very tall front like this with the handle placed on top is putting a lot of strain into the the drawer box itself. With insufficient strength there you could quite easily undermine the front, and pull that off. But anything can be strengthened. If you ridiculously over-engineer the drawer box and attach the false front very very securely you should be able to build something like this to last.
    – Graphus
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 6:41
  • Based on your comments to the answer, you have not actually asked the question you think you've asked. Please edit the question and tell us what you want to do, and what concerns you have. For example, "Is this enough?" Is this enough what? Be precise with your words! If necessary, open this image in a drawing app and put lines and circles about where you concerns lie.
    – user5572
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 14:07
  • I would recommend placing the drawer slide assembly at the top surface with a cutout in the top for one or two trash cans. The can rims can easily support the weight of the trash. This puts the drawer pull and the slider assembly generally in alignment and avoids any tendency to rack that comes with glides at the bottom. I have seen plenty of kitchen cabinets using this approach and mine works just fine for nearly 20 years.
    – Ashlar ♦
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 20:16
  • I think you're justified to be concerned about leverage/ loosening over time. There are better trash can slideouts in the market. Look for one with a metal frame that runs higher up the door.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Commented Jun 10, 2021 at 14:10

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Nothing is stopping you from making a false front the full height of the drawer and reinforcing the connection between the false front and the body of the drawer. This was the connection between the real front and the false front isn't stressed (so you can use short screws from the back) while the stressed part of the false front and the body of the drawer can be as beefy as you want.

I made a similar drawer (albeit under a sink, so not full height). The real front is 23" tall and the false front is 14" tall. It's used multiple times a day (and by young children as well) for about 2 years now without any issues.

High drawer

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  • Thanks for the answer. I do understand I can make it as big as possible but I understand now that my question was unclear. I actually want to make the drawer as small as possible due to aesthetic reasons and still keep it functional.
    – MLEN
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 5:10
  • That would depend purely on the height of the items you want to be in the drawer.
    – Eli Iser
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 11:47
  • Height? Or do you mean the weight?
    – MLEN
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 13:42
  • Ah, I understand now. You want to make the drawer box small, not the front low. You could always reinforce the front with a metal L profile.
    – Eli Iser
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 23:35

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