Replies

1. 
   ChasStanford | Sep 03, 2003 05:03am | #1

   About 1/16th to a very weak eighth at most.

2. 
   Joe_Fusco | Sep 03, 2003 05:10am | #2

   CS,

   I guess that means 3/32" and that's what I use. . .

   That 1/8th always looks a bit BIG and the 1/16th can get you into trouble. . . ;-)

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1. 
   dondownunder | Sep 03, 2003 06:33am | #3

    We in the antipodes use a full 2mm, which I believe is just less than 3/32". Hell that's just about a consensus .......:-)

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Sep 03, 2003 02:56pm | #5

   Hi Don,

   In Sydney we were trained at 1.5 - 2mm, preferably on the skinnier side - there you go - even more consensus.

   Gap depends upon your finish - if you're putting on something like three coats of two-pack, you may even need more gap

   Cheers,

   eddie

2. 
   ChasStanford | Sep 03, 2003 02:52pm | #4

   Good to see you around, Joe.

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Sep 03, 2003 05:00pm | #6

   Depends on the time of year. In the winter, when humidity is low and the wood is at it's minimum width, you need to allow enough for expansion plus reveal. If it is summer and high humidity, the wood is at its maximum width and you can build it for the minimal clearence.

   Best thing to do is to go to http://www.woodbin.com and click on the "Shrinkulator". Input the species, range of relative humidity, and initial width. The output will be expansion/contraction. Then use that number and adjust it based on where you are in the RH range.

1. 
   yotonyb | Sep 03, 2003 05:47pm | #7

   About a dime...

   tony b.

4. 
   NormInFujino | Sep 03, 2003 06:59pm | #8

   Piston close, i.e., close enough so that when you push one in, the others come out. At least, that's the rule on Japanese dressers.

   ". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."

   Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

5. 
   Tao | Sep 03, 2003 07:51pm | #9

   An old timer's rule of thumb is: A nickel in the winter, a dime in the summer.

6. 
   DaveHeinlein | Sep 03, 2003 11:56pm | #10

   It depends on how wide (across the grain) they are, and how the board for the draw front is sawn. With a flat grain board, in most cases I wouldn't go over 5 or 6". You could hold a 1/16" reveal with that in almost any wood. Once you get into wider boards, you are going to want to use either rift or quarter sawn. In most cases, up to about 12", you can hold 1/16".

7. 
   johnhardy | Sep 05, 2003 04:14am | #11

   Look at the Mission hall table I buildtfor my son. There are closeup pictures of the drawers. I used 1/16th gap, and the way the front apron is cut you can see that I don't expect any expansion problems ... since the entire apron, including drawer fronts, is quarter sawn. All expansion should be in a way that won't cause problems.

   http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=11503.1

   John