Replies

1. 
   Kleck | May 16, 2006 04:45am | #1

   Generally just subtract 1" from the opening to get the width of the drawer, with a tolerance of -1/16". There's little room for error!

   Dave

2. 
   PeteToo | May 16, 2006 05:08am | #2

   I've used "ACCURIDE" drawer slides on several kitchen projects with excellent success.  I've bought them from Woodworker's Warehouse (now bankrupt, darn it) in the past but I think Home Depot has them too.  Their slides require 1/2" on each side but I don't know what tolerance is allowed.  There are face-frame brackets and rear-mount brackets available for them although I've made my own side-mounts for the ones I've installed.

   Does this help at all?

   Pete

1. 
   non trad stu | May 17, 2006 06:50am | #15

   es it does, Tx.

1. 
   PeteToo | May 17, 2006 05:57pm | #19

   Thank you, sir! ... and good luck with your projects.

   Pete

    

1. 
   Biscardi | May 18, 2006 05:10am | #28

   If you don't want to use hardware at all ...

   An retired master cabinet maker once showed me some drawers he'd made that had "fitting strips". These are 1 inch wide x 1/8 strips that are glued to the lower edge of the drawer sides. The drawer is intentionally made a tad narrow. The fitting strips are then planed to a snug fit. You don't have to plane the entire drawer side.

   I thought that was pretty cool.

3. 
   hammer1 | May 16, 2006 06:08am | #3

   The majority of side mounted metal slides need 1/2" plus 1/32" each side, this is between the face frames. Some have the ability to adjust out and you can shim. Don't make them exactly 1/2" or they will jam. It's better to be a little large than too tight. Undermount slides are also an option. With both, you will need either a filler down the side or a mounting bracket at the rear. The slides need to be parallel and square. The front screws to the face frame. If you use a 1/4" back, recess it so mounting screws for the rear bracket have some room to stick out. You can also provide a nailer, The depth of the cabinet and length of the slides have to allow room for the rear bracket if you use them.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

4. 
   ring | May 16, 2006 08:33am | #4

   My shop uses Blum Tandem undermount slides for kitchens.  I don't know about other firms, but they have very good technical spec sheets.  If it's your first time with such things, mock up a drawer and cabinet just to feel sure about it before you go cutting 20 drawer parts.

   DR

5. 
   xcutsaw | May 16, 2006 08:39am | #5

   Specs for the hardware should be on/in the package or otherwise available at place of purchase.

   [Avoid schadenfreude]

1. 
   Bolts | May 16, 2006 01:29pm | #7

   That a nice idea but a triffle niave

1. 
   John_D | May 16, 2006 08:45pm | #10

   I think Triffle Niave was a character in a Larry Niven book...My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

1. 
   xcutsaw | May 17, 2006 05:55am | #12

   thanks for that.
   I had no idea what he was talking about! lol

   [Avoid schadenfreude]

6. 
   Bolts | May 16, 2006 01:27pm | #6

   Have a look at Blum Slides and there product Info they are generaly used for frameless european type cabinets but the probably make slides in full extension that would suit.

                   Regards John Bolton

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

7. 
   notDusty | May 16, 2006 05:15pm | #8

   stu ,

               Exactly what brand and type of slides are you going to use ? This info will be helpful to advise you correctly . Euro slides react different then ball bearing Accuride or K.V. full extension slides .

                                    talk to us                     dusty

1. 
   non trad stu | May 17, 2006 06:46am | #13

   Prpbably Accuride but definitely side mounting full extension. Tx

1. 
   notDusty | May 17, 2006 08:26am | #17

   stu ,

                      All kidding aside :

                  O.K. side mount full extension  slides , the most fool proof formula is to drop 1 - 1/16th  in width , meaning if your opening size is say 20" , then your drawer box should be 18 - 15/16" wide precisely .

       The progressive type of slide by Accuride or K.V. or any of the others has a bit more slop built into them and are much more forgiving .

   Depending on the size , width and depth and height of the drawer box certain series will be suited best for the application .

   For widths not more than 22" I would recommend the newer K.V. 125lb capacity I believe the series # is 6505 , they utilize what is called a (Q strip) quick disconnect strip . The 6505 has a 1" over travel , so a 22" slide comes out 23" for no extra cost .

   Once  familiar with the particulars of a given piece of hardware you can confidently build the drawer boxes whether you have the slides on hand or not .It is very unusual for a drawer not to fit perfectly every time when using this type of slides with the formula given , except when I make them exactly 1" too large .

                  "how good you are is how good you fix your mistakes"

                                           good  luck                 dusty

8. 
   LeeGrindinger | May 16, 2006 06:21pm | #9

   You need to select your hardware before you make your boxes and trays.

   Let me repeat that, you need to select your hardware before you make your boxes and trays

   n fact, you should get the hardware before you make your boxes and trays.

   And one more time in case you missed it, you need to select (and buy) your hardware before you make your boxes and trays.

   Lee

   MontanaFest
1. 
   notDusty | May 17, 2006 05:13am | #11

     Gosh Ward , you were a little rough on the Beaver , lol .

                          regards  dusty

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | May 17, 2006 08:17pm | #22

   Dusty, it's pretty clear the guy was not sure what hardware was going to be used. In light of this it would be foolish to make the pullouts and boxes until that decision was made. LeeMontanaFest

1. 
   notDusty | May 17, 2006 10:11pm | #24

   Lee ,

                   I totally agree with you , c'mon I was just bustin your chops .

                                            dusty

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | May 17, 2006 10:26pm | #25

   Aww gee, Wally,LeeMontanaFest

2. 
   non trad stu | May 17, 2006 06:48am | #14

   I'm sorry Lee, your message is a little vague could you be more clear please? <g>

3. 
   TrueGentleman | May 17, 2006 07:29am | #16

   Lee is correct!.. YOU must always buy your hardware before beginning.  This practice will always save you headaches down the road.  In addition, If you have never use the hardware you selected before I strongly suggest you build up a mock before you lay tools on your carefully build more expensive project.

    

    

   Just to stress.!! pick out, buy and test your hardware before you build your "project"

    

    

   PS.

    

   I learned the hard way!!!

    

   Rich

    

    

9. 
   smslaw | May 17, 2006 05:55pm | #18

   I second the advice that you must decide upon and obtain the hardware before you build the drawers.  I'm a rank amateur when it comes to cabinets. I'm building my first set of kitchen cabinets-prefinished plywood boxes with cherry face frames.  I read all I could find about hardware and finally decided on Blum Tandem undermount slides.  I got them from Specialty Supply. http://www.specialtysupplies.com.&#160; They ship promptly and when I had a minor problem with an order, they were great about correcting it.  The web site has a link to Blum's catalog which has detailed, and initially very confusing, specifications.  Make sure to follow the specifications precisely.  Once you have the slides in front of you and you make a sample drawer, it becomes clear and surprisingly easy. 

   I sprung for the template and tool kit and drill bits.  They are expensive for what you get, but very useful and allow you to accurately drill the necessary holes.  I made my first drawer, installed the hardware and to my amazement, it worked perfectly.  They make a depth adjustable lock device that allows some room for adjusting how far into the cabinet the front of the drawer is.

   I made up a story pole to locate the slides in the cases.  That was helpful.  Have fun.

1. 
   notDusty | May 17, 2006 07:23pm | #20

   Hi smslaw ,

                        Just out of curiosity , now that you have the tooling and are familiar with the particular Blum slide you used successfully , would you still wait to build your drawer boxes until you have the hardware in front of you on your next job ?

           Or , do you now have the confidence that they will work just fine , since you been there and done that ?

                            regards             dusty

                               

1. 
   smslaw | May 17, 2006 07:42pm | #21

   Good point-I'll go ahead and build the drawer boxes now that I understand how the slides work and what the various clearances are.  I'm not good at visualizing things in three dimensions and the Blum info didn't make much sense to me until I had the components in front of me. 

   By the way, there are different slides for different drawer side thicknesses, so make sure if you use 1/2 inch stock you get the slides for 1/2 to 5/8 thick sides and not for 3/4 inch.

1. 
   notDusty | May 17, 2006 10:10pm | #23

   smslaw ,

                      You are correct , make sure you have all the specs and understand them . Make sure the application at hand is a match for the hardware selected . Or visa versa .

    

                                  dusty

2. 
   non trad stu | May 18, 2006 04:38am | #27

   Tx for your help, however when I click on the link you thoughtfully provided Google can't find it and the closest they come up with is pool parts suppliers! 

1. 
   smslaw | May 18, 2006 04:01pm | #29

   Try this: http://www.specialtysupplies.com/drawer-slides-c-65.html

1. 
   non trad stu | May 19, 2006 12:33am | #30

   That did it! Thank you

10. 
    Dave45 | May 18, 2006 02:40am | #26

    When you buy your drawer glides, the instructions will tell you what clearances you need for the top, bottom, and sides.  Most of the glides I use call for 1/2" on each side and the top and bottom clearances seem to depend on how the drawer is removed (release latches or "tip-in")

11. 
    user-6951468 | May 19, 2006 05:07pm | #31

    I'd just emphasize that you should buy only full extension slides -- otherwise you'll be producing drawers where you can't access the last few inches. It's well worth the nominal extra cost to always purchase the full extension variety. In general, don't go cheap. Lee Valley carries a great selection.

    Don G

12. 
    user-93281 | May 20, 2006 02:05am | #32

    The present (May 2006) issue of American Woodworker has an exhaustive article on this very subject.