Need help on drawer stops

[Andy Pratt]

I'm adding two shallow drawers (think more along the lines of sliding shelves) to an already built solid wood case for a cabinet. It is a frameless design and the drawers will be an inset fit. One drawer will be immediately over the other (no divider) and they are only about 1.5" tall, 5" deep and 18" wide each. These "drawers" actually do not have sides, so please take that into account in offering recommendations. Bottom is 1/2" thick.

Can't seem to figure out a good way to do this in a professional manner. Anything that has come to mind and seems like it would work would prevent me from installing the drawer into the already assembled case.

Here's a rudimentary crossection of the drawer:

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Drawer won't be bearing any weight over a few ounces, so the sliding will just be wood on wood.

Thanks,
Andy

[Jamie Buxton]

Are you talking about in-stops -- that is, something which stops the drawer when you push it into the cabinet? If so, why can't you put blocks on the cabinet back?

[glenn bradley]

I'll assume you mean out-stops since they are only 5" deep. Some form of flip up stop (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=206&filter=drawer%20stop)may work but I have never favored these.

[Andy Pratt]

They would be out stops I suppose, good to know the terminology now. Is the stop in the link plastic? I would like to have something fairly solid here, any ideas?

Andy

[Jeff Bratt]

Need to know more about how the drawers/sliding shelves are mounted or guided in the carcass. It sounds like a stop would have to be mounted to the "drawer" after the "drawer" is slid into place - maybe something like a dowel(s) pushed through a hole(s) near the back corner(s) of the "drawer" that would then catch on something near the front of the "drawer" guides...

[Andy Pratt]

I'll be using wooden guides above the bottom shelf that will also act as the guide for the bottom of the top shelf, and another guide above the top shelf.

Biggest issue here is that the opening I'm working in is too small to get my hands into the back once even one shelf is in, so it's got to be something creative.

Thanks,
Andy

[glenn bradley]

They would be out stops I suppose, good to know the terminology now. Is the stop in the link plastic? I would like to have something fairly solid here, any ideas?

Andy

It is plastic but made like those plastic hinges that outlast what their attached to. I don't care for plastic on my pieces in general but it depends on the setting. Perhaps dados along the inside edge of the carcass with spring loaded pegs riding in them?1/4" hole in the drawer bottom, spring in the hole, peg in the hole . . . .maybe?

[Jeff Bratt]

This is my idea:
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Slide the "drawers" in, then push in the little dowels - this could be done with the "drawers" mostly open. This might be easier if the stop pieces at the front of the guides were shorter.

Or if the space is really too tight, install the dowels first, then attach the stop pieces at the front of the guides afterward. What you decide also depends on if you ever want to remove the "drawers"...

[Andy Pratt]

Thanks for the ideas everyone. Jeff, I ended up deciding on the same principle as you showed in your diagram. In place of a dowel I'm going to use a small piece of brass rod or possibly a nice shelf holder installed in the exact same manner as the dowel in your diagram. I'll make a tight-fitting hole so that it doesn't have to be glued in, so that it could be removed to remove the drawers.

Thanks,
Andy

[Andy Pratt]

I actually ended up using pieces of 3/16" brass bar stock for this. I put one vertically in the rear corner of each sliding shelf as seen in Jeff's picture, then another one horizontally in the appropriate part of each case (in lieu of the face frame type part in jeff's picture) When the drawer gets to the desired spot, the pieces of brass touch and it stops the drawer. I'll glue in the ones in the case, and just press-fit the ones into the drawer, since gravity is on their side anyway and the fit is tight.

Testing it out, it worked very well and makes a pleasing click when you get to the stop. They are not easily noticed unless you look and when you do, they still look pretty nice.

Best thing to take from this is it was a good way to add drawer stops to something after the fact. I appreciate everyone's help in working out a solution. Brass bar stock is available at HD for about a buck a foot.

Andy

[Jeff Bratt]

Thanks for sharing your final design - it sounds even better than I imagined. I think this demonstrates once again that the collaborative "whole" is greater than the sum of its parts. I've used brass bar stock for hidden hinge pins before, but this is a new application for it.