Dovetail Drawers: A Perfect Blend of Form and Function

Nothing is more frustrating than unmet expectations, especially when your expectations are fully realistic. For instance, you expect that when you open a kitchen drawer from your exquisite white shaker kitchen cabinets ensemble, the front piece will not come off in your hands.

That’s reasonable, right? However, with particle board drawers that are glued, stapled, or screwed together, you can’t be as confident that your expectations will be realized. Kitchen cabinet drawers are opened and closed about 7-10 times a day, or 3500 times a year! That amount of use will eventually pull staples or screws from the soft particle board that composes many drawers, and presto! You’ve got a drawer front dangling from your hands and possibly the contents of said drawer strewn about the kitchen floor.

Dovetail drawers present the perfect solution to this persistent problem. The dovetail joint is constructed from interlocking channels created by carving wedge shapes (called tails and pins) on the ends of the drawer box sides and on the back of the drawer front. The wedge shapes interlock together like puzzle pieces, and are exceptionally durable and resistant to force.

Dovetail joints are vastly superior to other types of drawer construction in three important ways:

Strength

In dovetail drawers, the drawer front and sides are joined together from top to bottom, instead of only having a few points of contact where the staples or screws would be.

Durability

Standard dovetail drawers are also made from solid wood, which is much stronger than particle board. Solid wood construction is far more durable, and by design, the dovetail shape allows for a longer life of pulling the drawer box in and out.

Also, the drawer glides in this type of construction are hidden beneath the drawer rather than running along on both sides, which protects them from receiving as much wear and tear as they otherwise would. This fashion uses gravity as a strength, rather than resisting it, which inevitably fails in the end.

Craftmanship

Although particle board drawers are cheaper, faster, and easier to produce, they are vastly substandard in quality. Dovetail drawers must be made carefully so that all of the pieces fit together perfectly, resulting in a truly superior and much more attractive product.

When it comes to your kitchen cabinetry, dovetail drawers play a vital role in lifespan and performance. Test the difference as you plan your dream kitchen with Summit Cabinets; they’ll meet your expectations, and so much more!

Summit Cabinets is a cabinet factory outlet in Corona. They specialize in delivering the bathroom & extra-ordinary kitchen cabinets online at wholesale price.