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A client told me my drawer boxes were too heavy and I finally listened
I was building a big built-in for a kitchen remodel and the client, a retired engineer, asked why I used 3/4 inch ply for all the drawer boxes. He said, 'You're adding about 15 pounds of dead weight to each drawer before you even put a fork in it.' I argued it was sturdier, but he had a point. I switched to 1/2 inch Baltic birch for the sides and backs on the next set, keeping the 3/4 inch for just the drawer bottoms. The difference in how they slide is huge, and I saved a good chunk on material. I was so stuck on 'overbuilt is better' that I missed the simple fix. Has anyone else had a client point out something obvious you were missing?
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val40615d ago
That's a huge weight difference per drawer.
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paul11715d ago
Ever notice how companies do this with everything now @val406? They make the basic version just good enough to work, but if you want the thing to actually last or handle real weight, you have to pay up. It's not just drawers, it's tools, furniture, even kids' toys. Feels like they design stuff to be flimsy on purpose so the better version seems worth it. That weight difference per drawer probably means the cheap ones will sag in a year while the expensive ones won't.
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