Do you finish drawer sides?

[silentC]

Simple question: do you finish the sides of drawers? What about the insides? Finish or leave them raw?

I'm talking about drawers that use traditional wooden guides, not those metal slides.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Simple question: do you finish the sides of drawers? What about the insides? Finish or leave them raw?

I'm talking about drawers that use traditional wooden guides, not those metal slides.

You're probably not asking for advice from a hack like me, but....

No. I sand 'em & arris the edges, but finish 'em? Not usually.

Two exceptions: I finish the back of the front when it's all of one piece - as compared to the front plate being added to a "box" - 'cos I tend to use cheap woods where movement is an issue. (Well... I did say I was a hack! )

And for purely cosmetic reasons I finish off any inbuilt dividers I put into cutlery drawers, although I still leave the inside of the drawer back and sides themselves raw. This looks odd at first sight, but I find it also looks right.

Also, I've started finishing the leading inch or two of the outside of the drawer sides. This is because it looks better when the drawers are left slightly ajar... no "raw wood" leaping out to assail the eyeballs from the cracks.

In the past I'd assumed old furniture was done this way, not because of carelessness exactly, but because it wasn't a concern if they were a bit "sloppy" when finishing the back of the front plate. Now I suspect it's for the same reason I'm doing it. (Wish I'd listened in woodwork classes, way back when... )

[silentC]

Nothing wrong with being a hack!

Yes, I was wondering about the ends of the fronts if I don't finish the sides. You would have to go around the corner I suppose so that it all looks good when the drawers are closed or slightly ajar as you say. The sides are to be half-blind dovetailed to the fronts, so that would mean overlapping the tails with a 3/4" wide strip of finish (shellac btw). I guess I could mask it to get a straight line.

Was just curious what others do.

[Geoff Dean]

The few drawers that I have done (crapiarta pine and stain) I have finished everything - that is insides and outsides, front, back and both sides.

Now that I think of it the back is a complete waste of time.: (I need the practice)

Guess it does seal the timber though.

Never really thought of doing it any other way. However, when a drawer is pulled out, it looks finished, as opposed to having raw edges showing.

[silentC]

OK. The main reason I think it's worth considering is because the finish might make the drawer a bit sticky. You generally leave the guides and runners raw so that they run smooth and I figure that finishing the sides will defeat that purpose to some extent. Also after being pulled in and out for years, I'd imagine the finish will end up with lines scored in it where it rubs the guides. Obviously not an issue if you're using metal slides because there should be no contact between the drawer and the cabinet.

I also made the runners slightly proud of the face frame rails so that the bottom edges of the sides don't leave marks that could be visible when the drawer is closed. Maybe I'm being too fussy.

[AlexS]

I just give the sides a coat of shellac as a sealer, and give them a light sand. Finish the insides with oil.

[Woodwould]

A bee's poo worth of wax disolved in a bottle of pure turps with a few teaspoonsful of camphor oil. Slather the drawers with that. The wax, albeit in miniscule proportions, seals the wood, lubricates the whole drawer and will establish a lovely patina through time as the drawers are handled. The camphor repels moths which is perfect if the COD is for clothes etc.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

A bee's poo worth of wax disolved in a bottle of pure turps with a few teaspoonsful of camphor oil. Slather the drawers with that. The wax, albeit in miniscule proportions, seals the wood, lubricates the whole drawer and will establish a lovely patina through time as the drawers are handled. The camphor repels moths which is perfect if the COD is for clothes etc.

I assume you mean beeswax and not carnauba? Or doesn't it make a difference?

(Just asking, 'cos I'm a-gonna pinch it. Whoops! Did I just say that aloud? )

[Tex B]

I finish the sides because I can never get a clean line finishing just the front. With dovetails, getting a finish on only the end grain of the front and not the tails of the side requires more skill than I have. Finishing the tails and not the rest of the side looks odd to me.

So I use one coat of finish on the sides, and one coat of wax over that. It's quicker to do that than try and tape up.

Tex

[Woodwould]

I assume you mean beeswax and not carnauba? Or doesn't it make a difference?

It wouldn't really make much of a difference because of the amount involved, but about one teaspoonful of grated beeswax or half a teaspoonful of premade paste wax would do.

[munruben]

I don't usually finish the sides or insides of drawers. See no reason to.

[Wongo]

I give a coat of oil inside and outside but not the front. Then I wax the sides and the runners.

[Bob38S]

Finish it all but not to the same degree of finish on the outside - tends to be a seal coat.

Seals the timber, appears to stop binding due to weather changes, keeps what gets put into the drawers from "marking" or "absorbing" from the raw material.

Just my opinion,
Bob

[echnidna]

Oil finishes are not really suitable for finishing drawer sides as some oil finishes can grab and ball up leading to sticky drawers. This is why the old timers didn't finish the sides of their drawers.

However modern finishes dry hard and wear well so a lacquer or polyurethane finish would be an advantage as it will limit timber movement.

I wouldn't use a straight oil finish or even a DO type finish as these do not set hard.

[JT]

I don't finish the sides or runners in anything because my experiences have lead to the sides sticking (albeit slightly). Instead I run some hard dry sunlight soap over both the runners and the drawers, and then use some 0000 steel wool to smooth it over, and the drawers slide nice and smoothly