Drawer runner discussion
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Runners, the support for the drawer that connects dividers front and back, serve two functions. (They are the white maple pieces in the picture) They support the drawer, but only during the time it is midway in or out. Support for the drawer when closed, or mostly open, is entirely on the dividers. Hence, a piddly amount of stiffness is required of the runner, even for a large drawer.
The second function of the runner if to provide a "kicker", that part of the drawer engineering that keeps the drawer from tilting down when partially open. Again, not much in the way of strength is required to serve this function.
While the engineering challenge of strength is of little concern, the orientation of the runner does present a challenge. The runner long grain is orthogonal to the long grain of the case side. The case side must be able to expand and contract independent of the runner to accommodate seasonal movement.
I have seen runners installed three ways in Period American furniture that has lasted the 200 years to be classified as Period and available to be examined today.
As can be seen in the drawing of this 1700’s piece, runners nailed to case sides is not rare in Period furniture. The original Federal mahogany wall cabinet I reproduced, that can be seen in my Gallery, had 3/4 x 3/4 runners simply nailed to the case side. This case is only 12" deep, and mahogany. Case side movement, and nail flexibility accommodates this simple nailing solution to the problem of runner attachment.
Another approach is to mortise and tenon the runner into the front and back drawer dividers. Only one end, or neither end, is glued so that the runner floats between the dividers. The case side can come and go independent of the runner. This construction is common.
A third approach has the runner set in a dado that is cut across the case side, as seen in this 18th century desk. This choice of this construction has little to do with the runner and everything to do with the dividers. If the dividers are going to be inlet into the case sides this joint can start with a dado. In this case, and when the dado is made with hand tools as would be the case in 1760, it was easiest to plow the dado across the entire case side. This dado located the joinery for the dividers and as a bonus provided a place to nail in the runner.
The runner could also be set into this dado and M&T into the dividers. However, this redundant securing of the runner leads to the need to accurately prepare the M&T joint or the dado and M&T will not line up. This fiddly complication is not necessary. I tried it once and will never do it again.
I have never seen a runner glued to a case side. I can’t think of any reason this should be done in Period Furniture construction.
Modern furniture may be built is ways greatly departing from the way stuff was put together in the 18th century. Design may call for installing runners different from what was done then. However, if the modern design can accommodate one of the runner installations described above then one can be assured the drawer runner will not fail.
One other runner consideration is what wood to use. Fixing a worn drawer is trivial. It is difficult to replace a worn runner that has been M&T into the dividers. If this construction is used then the runner should be made of a wear resistant wood like maple and the drawer a more sacrificial wood like poplar.