TIL a trick for keeping drawer fronts flush during glue-up

I was putting together a set of kitchen drawers last week, and I kept running into the same old problem. The drawer fronts would shift just a hair out of alignment with the cabinet frame when the glue set, no matter how careful I was with the clamps. After the third try, I was getting pretty annoyed. I ended up using a few small pieces of blue painter's tape, stuck to the inside of the cabinet opening. I pressed the drawer front against the tape while I drove the screws in from the back. The tape's tiny bit of grip held everything exactly where I wanted it until the screws were tight. Once the glue dried, I just peeled the tape off. It was such a simple fix for a problem that's bugged me for ages. Has anyone else found a good trick for keeping things in place during final assembly?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby4501mo ago

Your "simple fix" feels like a law of nature, where the best solutions are often the cheapest and dumbest.

claire_wells871mo ago

Put some respect on "dumb" fixes - they've been outsmarting my wallet for years.

the_rose1mo ago

That tape trick is solid. I keep a roll of that exact blue tape on my bench just for glue ups now. For drawer boxes, I'll sometimes put a tiny dab of hot glue on the corners as a temporary clamp. It holds shockingly well and pops right off with a putty knife once the wood glue sets.