Drawer slide choices and drawer size

[Scott Schwake]

Hi, I'm about to build my first cabinet which will include 2 drawers. I'd like to use full extension drawer slides. The choice of available drawer slides is a bit overwhelming, I'm curious what you guys would recommend for a new guy, or if have any pointers for me.

I'm intriguided by the slides that mount on the bottom, what are the pros/cons for these vs. side mounted slides?

The way I have the cabinet designed, the drawers would be fairly large, about 36" wide by 18" deep by 14" tall. Any problems with drawers this large? They will hold mostly bedding type stuff (sheets, blankets, pillows, etc.) so I don't think they will be all that heavy.

Thanks, Scott

[frank shic]

i just used blum solo undermount drawer slides on a 3 foot wide pine dresser i built for my daughters and they are rated at 100# plus they are cheaper than the blum tandems. the bigger problem is how to stiffen up the bottom. i used solid drawer bottoms. you may want to consider adding a center rail going down the middle to beef it up and prevent saggin.

[Chris Friesen]

The way I have the cabinet designed, the drawers would be fairly large, about 36" wide by 18" deep by 14" tall. Any problems with drawers this large?

The size isn't an issue, but the proportions may be. Most slides are designed for use in drawers that are deeper than they are wide, and may have racking issues if used in a scenario like you propose. Basically, if you push on one side of the drawer, it may go in on that side but want to stay out on the other side.

You can get slides designed to handle this, they're called "lateral file slides" and are generally more expensive. The regular ones would work fine as long as you're careful when operating the drawer.

In any case, 75lb slides would probably be fine, 100lb ones would give you some security if a child decided to stand on the drawer.

[Karl Brogger]

The size isn't an issue, but the proportions may be. Most slides are designed for use in drawers that are deeper than they are wide, and may have racking issues if used in a scenario like you propose. Basically, if you push on one side of the drawer, it may go in on that side but want to stay out on the other side.

You can get slides designed to handle this, they're called "lateral file slides" and are generally more expensive. The regular ones would work fine as long as you're careful when operating the drawer.

In any case, 75lb slides would probably be fine, 100lb ones would give you some security if a child decided to stand on the drawer.


I agree with everything here.^^^

[Peter Quinn]

It will work, make sure to put pulls or knobs that encourage opening the drawer without racking it. We put drawer banks in that are 21" deep, 30"+ a bit all the time, they work fine. I like blum tandems for under mounts, very quiet and smooth. Get the blumotion option for soft close. Make sure to get and understand the spec sheet BEFORE building your drawers as certain aspects of their construction will be dictated by their use. If you don't go with under mounts I like accurides for big boxes. Very sturdy, a bit noisier. Again, pull the spec sheet for whichever slide you choose Before beginning construction.

[Eric Roberge]

One vote for Blum hardware. I installed the "blumotion" full extension (soft/self close) under mount slides on three 36Wx21Dx9H drawers. Got them from a local dealer for $28/pr (including all needed parts and rear mounts).
I tried some side mount ball bearing slides the first time and noticed the "racking" that Chris talked about. Installed the Blum ones and no problems at all. Well worth the extra $$. MHO:rolleyes:

BTY ... Peter is right! Make sure you read the specs before building the drawers. Visit the Blum site and download the PDF. It has all the info you'll need. You even have to drill a small hole in the rear of the drawer to accept the little "spike" which keeps the back of the drawer locked in and allows a tilt adjustment.

Good luck!

[Rob Sack]

The size isn't an issue, but the proportions may be. Most slides are designed for use in drawers that are deeper than they are wide, and may have racking issues if used in a scenario like you propose. Basically, if you push on one side of the drawer, it may go in on that side but want to stay out on the other side.

You can get slides designed to handle this, they're called "lateral file slides" and are generally more expensive. The regular ones would work fine as long as you're careful when operating the drawer.

In any case, 75lb slides would probably be fine, 100lb ones would give you some security if a child decided to stand on the drawer.

Actually size can be an issue. Most side mounted slides do have specs listed by their manufacturer indicating maximum drawer width. This is not to say that you can't exceed their recommendations, it's just that their performance may be compromised if the drawer with exceeds the manufacturer's specs. Most "standard" side mounted drawer slides are recommended for drawers up to 24" wide. For wide drawers, file drawer slides are usually recommended.

[Paul Williams 53072]

Norm used the blumotion slides in his shop built kitchen series. He does a nice job in one of the episodes showing you how to install the slides. A visit to blum.com will help you decide on which slide etc based on your drawer dimensions. It is nice to see these are comming down in price, as I have a whole kitchen of cabinets to construct this year.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The better slides really do work better, ditto everybody on the Blum Tandems.

I built a secret drawer on two shop cabinets, 10" deep, 42" wide, and 4" tall. I used a pair of Lee Valley slides, not sure who makes them, and those drawers rack so bad that they are nearly unusable. One of these days I'm going to try a fix, just mount a slide under the drawer, laying flat rather than vertical. I'm thinking that it may work, and it might be an approach if your design actually requires really wide drawers.

BTW, I just built a dresser with 32" wide drawers and Blum Tandems with the soft close, and they work flawlessly. One advantage that undermounts have is more side clearance then side mounts before racking becomes a problem. I would not be afraid of 36" drawers if I where using Blums. It's easy to mock up a drawer to see if you like the action before you commit to a design too.

[Scott Schwake]

Thanks everyone, I've done some research on those blum tandems, I think I'll go with them. I'm going to tweek my cabinet so I'll have 3-24" wide drawers instead of 2-36" wide drawers to minimize the racking potential. One more question, do you need that $50 orange boring jig to install the slides, or is it more of a luxury?

[Robert Chapman]

+1 on the Blum Tandems with Blumontion. They are easy to install and very smooth.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

No you don't need the jig. The slides come with boring instructions. The jig does work well though, and some of the holes need to be angled. If you plan on doing more than a few of these in the future, you'll want a jig, homemade or bought. The bits for the Blum jig are metric, so if you buy the jig, make sure that you have the correct bits, or buy their set.

Oh, and don't drop the drill while the bit is in the jig, it breaks the bit very easily:mad:

[Eric Roberge]

Like Steve said, No jig needed. If you're good with your measurements, you'll be fine. I set the finished drawer in place on the rails pushed it back and the little point made a reference dimple in the wood. I then drilled the correct size hole and no problems. Slid on like a glove.