Comments on: How-To: Install Custom Sliding Drawers http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:33:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: SawDustMaker http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-706587 SawDustMaker Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:33:18 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-706587 I have done a couple kitchens and used metal drawer sides and slides. These are essentially drawer sides with built in slides. All you need to do is build a drawer front, bottom and back and you are done. We are not talking dovetail here, but they are functional, easy to build and install and can handle serious weight. You can buy them in various places, but Lee Valley sells a 6" by 20" version for about $15, $13 if you buy 5 or more. http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=45048&cat=3,43614,43616 I have done a couple kitchens and used metal drawer sides and slides. These are essentially drawer sides with built in slides. All you need to do is build a drawer front, bottom and back and you are done. We are not talking dovetail here, but they are functional, easy to build and install and can handle serious weight. You can buy them in various places, but Lee Valley sells a 6″ by 20″ version for about $15, $13 if you buy 5 or more.

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=45048&cat=3,43614,43616

]]> By: Toolmonger » Blog Archive » The Week in Tools: Toolmonger Top 5 http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-699682 Toolmonger » Blog Archive » The Week in Tools: Toolmonger Top 5 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:07:20 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-699682 [...] How-To: Install Custom Sliding Drawers The third time I was attacked by my kitchen cabinets while trying to free a pot from the bottom cupboard, I decided to remedy the situation.  Nursing a bruised foot I went to the local big box to buy a few sliding drawer units to put in the cabinets — and I nearly popped a gasket when the size I wanted turned out to be sixty bucks a drawer.  So I built them myself. [...] [...] How-To: Install Custom Sliding Drawers The third time I was attacked by my kitchen cabinets while trying to free a pot from the bottom cupboard, I decided to remedy the situation.  Nursing a bruised foot I went to the local big box to buy a few sliding drawer units to put in the cabinets — and I nearly popped a gasket when the size I wanted turned out to be sixty bucks a drawer.  So I built them myself. [...]

]]> By: Mike S http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-693700 Mike S Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:47:26 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-693700 apotheosis - I did exactly the same project about 5 years back. That drawer is going to see heavy use; much more so than one holding pots & pans. Let me share my experience taught me. Whoever installed you cabinets wasn't planning on a drawer being there, so the sides of the compartment may not be parallel. I thought of this, but made an error. I measured only at the front and back of the cabinets (to verify they were the same). I failed to measure the middle. If I had, I would have found that they bowed slightly into the compartment (solid pine boards, not plywood, near the sink). Then I made the drawer before installing the rails. So now the rails wouldn't install flat against the walls, and the drawer was too wide. Oops. The walls were flush with the opening, so I shimmed behind the rails instead of making a mount. The idea was to maximize the drawer width. This was a mistake. The rails flexed slightly during use. The drawer was opened several times a day, and it didn't take long to loosen and damage the rails. Moral of the story - Make sure your mounting surface are parallel and flat by measuring in several locations. If not, make a mounting bracket even if that means reducing the drawer width to accommodate it. apotheosis - I did exactly the same project about 5 years back. That drawer is going to see heavy use; much more so than one holding pots & pans. Let me share my experience taught me.

Whoever installed you cabinets wasn’t planning on a drawer being there, so the sides of the compartment may not be parallel. I thought of this, but made an error. I measured only at the front and back of the cabinets (to verify they were the same). I failed to measure the middle. If I had, I would have found that they bowed slightly into the compartment (solid pine boards, not plywood, near the sink). Then I made the drawer before installing the rails. So now the rails wouldn’t install flat against the walls, and the drawer was too wide. Oops.

The walls were flush with the opening, so I shimmed behind the rails instead of making a mount. The idea was to maximize the drawer width. This was a mistake. The rails flexed slightly during use. The drawer was opened several times a day, and it didn’t take long to loosen and damage the rails.

Moral of the story - Make sure your mounting surface are parallel and flat by measuring in several locations. If not, make a mounting bracket even if that means reducing the drawer width to accommodate it.

]]> By: fred http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-693023 fred Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:48:21 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-693023 We are big fans of Blum hardware for standard drawer construction and Hettich HD slides for everything else We are big fans of Blum hardware for standard drawer construction and Hettich HD slides for everything else

]]> By: Chris http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-692954 Chris Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:20:31 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-692954 Those rails look a whole lot like the ones I use all day long in IT/Server work (only not as beefy, servers often weigh more than 100lbs). You could likely find them real cheap in a computer surplus place or free if you know someone that does IT work. Those rails look a whole lot like the ones I use all day long in IT/Server work (only not as beefy, servers often weigh more than 100lbs).

You could likely find them real cheap in a computer surplus place or free if you know someone that does IT work.

]]> By: Zathrus http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-692952 Zathrus Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:19:00 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-692952 Great article -- I've been thinking about doing this for awhile, but I haven't actually seen a decent article covering the caveats (like the front fascia lip). Great article — I’ve been thinking about doing this for awhile, but I haven’t actually seen a decent article covering the caveats (like the front fascia lip).

]]> By: apotheosis http://toolmonger.com/2008/12/05/how-to-install-custom-sliding-drawers/#comment-692827 apotheosis Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:28:11 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/?p=16647#comment-692827 Excellent, this info will come in handy. I'm about to get rid of the ancient trash compactor in our kitchen and wanted to replace its space in the cabinets with a slide-out tray for a regular trash can, and this should do nicely. Excellent, this info will come in handy. I’m about to get rid of the ancient trash compactor in our kitchen and wanted to replace its space in the cabinets with a slide-out tray for a regular trash can, and this should do nicely.

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