I'm thinking about switching our standard drawer box to Blum Tandembox. I've had issues lately with buy-out wood boxes, and we could run the backs and bottoms for the Tandemboxes on the CNC router very easily. Plus, boring the attachment on the backs of drawer faces would be a cinch.
Has anyone analyzed the costs/benefits of the metal boxes? Seems like the end product is easily more expensive than 563 Tandems and 1/2" baltic birch boxes. However, I'm seeing the benefit in keeping the production in-house without all the tooling and complication of machining wood boxes.
From contributor Br
I use tandembox drawers when I need an upgrade from metabox. While the cost of the hardware is high the labor is about the same. I dislike the grey ones and use the stainless steel versions. To me the grey just doesn't "appear" to justify the cost upgrade. I think they look cheep. No one questions a stainless steel drawer. They also never ask about the guide under which is not stainless.
From contributor De
I agree about the gray color. Over the years they have had white and black which were great choice along with the stainless but the gray just looks cheap. Like IKEA.
I have used Tandembox for a dozen years or so and they are a great product.They simplify the inventory, assembly and installation process.
From contributor Ev
Yeah, I guess it's an eye of the beholder thing. I had a wealthy client insist on tandemboxes because he wanted his cabinets to be as European as possible. He didn't want any natural wood.
The new Legrabox system is really nice, it's real stainless and the action is butter smooth. Super-spendy too, about 50% more than tandemboxes.
From contributor Sc
Tandembox, or Legrabox are a great way to go. We used to buy out dovetailed wooden boxes, then we jigged up and made them on our CNC, but now we use Tandembox unless the customer really wants a wooden DT box.
Yes the hardware is not cheap, but, it makes the job flow a lot faster. You're not having to figure all the drawer box sizes and either make them yourself or spend the time to outsource them.
We typically use solid hardwood bottoms. we either use scrapwood glued together or use lower grade ash, glue up and plane to 16mm. We run the grain on the drawer bottoms parallel with the front of the cabinet, not front to back. We also change the norm Blum method of having the back drop below the bottom. We have the bottom run under the back. This allows the bottom to move a little without affecting the back of the drawer or affecting the tightness of drawer sides.
The main advantage is SPEED. You can put these together in no time and the adjust 3 ways.
Very easy to use under sinks where you can easily cut a "U" in the drawer bottom to go around waste pipe.
Also very easy to adjust drawer sizes if something changes on the job.
The speed means increased thru-put, out the door sooner. Spread your overhead over more jobs.
