3 FEBRUARY, 2014 BY JIM HILL
There are hundreds of differing cabinet door styles and within these cabinet door styles are matching drawer fronts. Almost all cabinet door styles can be purchased with drawer fronts in the same style.
Because drawer fronts often are matched with "Lower" cabinet doors in the configuration of a cabinet door with a drawer front above it, these drawer fronts are usually the same width as the cabinet door they match. Only the height is different. This configuration, drawn below shows a Cope & Stick door/drawer front set on the left and a Mitered door/drawer front set on the right..
Because drawer fronts often are matched with "Lower" cabinet doors in the configuration of a cabinet door with a drawer front above it, these drawer fronts are usually the same width as the cabinet door they match. Only the height is different. This configuration, drawn below shows a Cope & Stick door/drawer front set on the left and a Mitered door/drawer front set on the right..
Notice that the Rails (the horizontal top-and-bottom parts of the frame) are narrower in the Drawer Front than in the Cabinet Door. This is done because most drawer fronts simply lack the height to allow using the full-width rails that are in a 5-piece Cabinet Door. The minimum height of most cabinet doors usually exceeds the 4-to-6 inch height of the average drawer front.
The Stiles (the vertical parts of the frame) are the same width in both the Cope & Stick door and the drawer front. This allows the door and drawer front to line-up vertically for a symmetrical and visually pleasing appearance.
Mitered 5-piece drawer fronts are a little different. On a mitered door the width of the stiles and rails must be the same. For this reason Mitered 5-piece fronts all have 1 3/4" stiles and rails. This compares to the Cope & Stick 5-piece fronts having the same width stiles as that particular cabinet door design (Cope & Stick doors have stiles from 2" to 3 1/2" depending on the door style), and 1 1/2" rails.
Another common choice for Drawer Fronts is the solid plank or Slab Drawer Front. When using Slabs for drawer fronts the same outside edge is machined on the drawer front as on the matching cabinet door.
Just as Cabinet Doors can be either Cope & Stick or Mitered, 5-piece Drawer Fronts can also be Cope & Stick or Mitered. Doors can have Raised Panels or Inset Panels and 5-piece drawer fronts can as well. Simply stated, nearly any Cope & Stick cabinet door design can, by scaling the rails slightly narrower.
Browse our line of 5-Piece Drawer Fronts
The Stiles (the vertical parts of the frame) are the same width in both the Cope & Stick door and the drawer front. This allows the door and drawer front to line-up vertically for a symmetrical and visually pleasing appearance.
Mitered 5-piece drawer fronts are a little different. On a mitered door the width of the stiles and rails must be the same. For this reason Mitered 5-piece fronts all have 1 3/4" stiles and rails. This compares to the Cope & Stick 5-piece fronts having the same width stiles as that particular cabinet door design (Cope & Stick doors have stiles from 2" to 3 1/2" depending on the door style), and 1 1/2" rails.
Another common choice for Drawer Fronts is the solid plank or Slab Drawer Front. When using Slabs for drawer fronts the same outside edge is machined on the drawer front as on the matching cabinet door.
Just as Cabinet Doors can be either Cope & Stick or Mitered, 5-piece Drawer Fronts can also be Cope & Stick or Mitered. Doors can have Raised Panels or Inset Panels and 5-piece drawer fronts can as well. Simply stated, nearly any Cope & Stick cabinet door design can, by scaling the rails slightly narrower.
Browse our line of 5-Piece Drawer Fronts