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I was trying to describe a specific part of a set of drawers in another question, and cannot find the right name for it.

enter image description here

A photo showing the same part. Notice not all drawers have these, or they may be spaced out in a reduced number - I have one set where there's a drawer-thingy every two drawers, not between each.

enter image description here

Given that every part of any item made of wood has some kind of name, I'm positive this does but can't find it.

I don’t believe it’s any of these:

  • Shelf - its a useless shelf because you can't put anything on it.
  • Front Face - this applies to the whole front that doesn't open.

Maybe:

  • Shelf brace?
  • Stringer?
  • Drawer support? (incredibly boring!)
  • Drawer chinrest? Perhaps - given
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  • 4
    @grawity I don't freehand when doing carpentry - need all the accuracy I can get :-P
    – Criggie
    Dec 4, 2019 at 10:11

3 Answers 3

18

According to this diagram¹ it is a 'mid rail'.

enter image description here

That's a pretty standard North American term. It's quite likely you would find alternates from the UK, Europe, etc. I once worked alongside an architect who was educated in England. This fellow tended to call any horizontal support a lintel although I believe the true definition is a bit stricter.


¹ This diagram seems have at least one typo. 'Gusset or Coner Block' should most likely be 'Gusset or Corner Block'.

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    Usually that part is just part of the face frame, but it looks like the ones in your photos are for added rigidity as well.
    – Evil Elf
    Dec 3, 2019 at 13:21
  • That looks like part of the faceframe. The piece in the question is part of the carcase.
    – Mark
    Dec 4, 2019 at 1:23
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That looks sort of like a web frame, although only the front rail. A web frame supports the drawer, provides a place to mount the drawer runners, can frame a dust cover, and stiffens the cabinet. From the picture, this looks like it's only there for the last function.

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I work at a cabinet shop. The top picture is a face frame cabinet, the name in your diagram is an accurate reflection of what we call it at our shop in the US. The second picture you have is a euro construction cabinet.

We build both and for the euro cabinet we just refer to it as a "drawer stretcher" it's only purpose from what I can tell is to add more strength to the cabinet and keep it more square. Just like stretcher boards would on a face frame cabinet.

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  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Thanks for the answer; keep 'em coming. And, you should probably take our tour so you'll know how best to contribute here. Dec 4, 2019 at 15:31
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    It would help to say the word you mean rather than saying "the name in your diagram". I am not sure what you mean by that. On SE, it's possible to edit your answer. Dec 4, 2019 at 16:36
  • You mean like a "board stretcher"?
    – gnicko
    Dec 6, 2019 at 19:33

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