I have some difficulty with drawer knobs that won’t stay “gued in”. It’s frustrating to turn the knob with the stem turned to fit the hole and then 4 months later, the knob just pulls out. I am hesitant to wedge the small knobs because there’s not that much room left after a saw kerf. What does anyone recommend?
thanks
peace
joe clark
Replies
joe,
Wedging is traditionally the method used to tighten up a loose knob, or to add insurance to one in new work. If your turned knobs are getting loose, then maybe you need to turn them to a tighter fit to begin with; you want them to be tighter than a "slip" fit, but not quite a "drive" fit, if you know what I mean. If you are concerned that sawing a kerf removes too much wood from the stem, then consider making the stems as large in diameter as possible, nearly as large as the rim or "backplate" that meets the drawer front. Traditionally, the wedge is driven so that it exerts pressure on the end grain portions of the hole in the front
. Another solution that I've seen on old work is to turn the stem over long, then drill a hole thru the stem where it projects beyond the front and drive a small pin, nail, or wedge thru the stem, along the inside surface of the drawer front.
If you have access to a wood threading tap and die set, some old knobs have threaded stems that screw into the drawer front.
Ray
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