Routed in Metal Slides

[Loren Hedahl]

Does anyone install full extension slides in grooves routed into drawer sides?

Our kitchen cabinets are good shape except for worn wooden drawer slides. I would like to retrofit them to newer full extension metal slides, but the existing drawer width is only about 1/4 inch shy of the cabinet opening width. This obviously isn't enough clearance to surface mount metal slides.

Since the existing drawers are otherwise in nice shape, rather than make new drawers, I believe I could rout the existing grooves in the drawer sides wide enough and deep enough to house the new metal slides. This would not only allow re-use of the existing drawers, but would maximize the interior volume of each drawer.

Is this a workable solution, or is my head needing to be screwed on straight?

[James Adinaro]

In most of the full extension, ball bearing slides I've used, the "drawer side" part fits into the "Cabinet Side" part. This would pretty much kill your idea of slotting the drawer side, I would think.

You would have to make a slot in the drawer big enough for the cabinet side member to fit into, and then mount the drawer side member on the bottom surface, in the middle of the slot. That might work. If there were any way to slot the cabinet sides, that might work too (which is what I thought you were thinking of when I opened the thread).

Maybe some of the cabinet guys will chime in. There may be a special kind of "low profile" slide that I'm not aware of which might help you.

[Jason White]

I'm pretty sure Accuride or a similar company make a retrofit type drawer slide that mounts on the bottom of the drawer instead of the sides. Not sure where I saw it. It attaches to the face frame of the cabinet in case there are no "sides" in the carcase to attach to.

Jason


Does anyone install full extension slides in grooves routed into drawer sides?

Our kitchen cabinets are good shape except for worn wooden drawer slides. I would like to retrofit them to newer full extension metal slides, but the existing drawer width is only about 1/4 inch shy of the cabinet opening width. This obviously isn't enough clearance to surface mount metal slides.

Since the existing drawers are otherwise in nice shape, rather than make new drawers, I believe I could rout the existing grooves in the drawer sides wide enough and deep enough to house the new metal slides. This would not only allow re-use of the existing drawers, but would maximize the interior volume of each drawer.

Is this a workable solution, or is my head needing to be screwed on straight?

[Ben Franz]

I think Jason is on the right track here. Side mount slides are usually 1/2" thick so your groove would be nearly the full thickness of the drawer box side. Even ignoring the structural problem this would cause, the screws would surely penetrate into the drawer and Murphy's law says the screw point will always damage the most valuable thing put in the drawer. Most drawers are not full height in the opening so you might have room for an undermount slide. If this raises the drawer, you could reposition the drawer front if it's a separate piece.

[Jason Beam]

Well that depends ...

How thick are your drawer SIDES?

How is the bottom panel attached?

Where do you want to put the drawer slides (top? middle? bottom?) on the sides?

You have to watch for that interference with the bottom itself. You wanna leave that at least 1/4" thick or better (better'd sure be nice) no matter what.

You'd need a groove slightly wider than the FULL width of the drawer slides you choose to go with since the whole thing nests together when closed -like someone already said :)

One final thought - once you've made your notch, how much material will be left for MOUNTING the slide? Will you need to use rediculously short screws? I'd like to see at least 3/8" thick for those screws to bite into and for structural integrity.

Given all that - I think I'd just make new drawers. It isn't like they would be built to handle the kind of weight your new fancy full-extension slides are designed for anyway - especially with a big trough plowed through each side, eh?! :D

EDIT: Oh yeah, and what kind of joinery is the back held on with? Your groove will have to go all the way out the back of the drawer at full depth, so be sure you leave enough for THAT, too.

Yeah - build new drawers.

[Joe Jensen]

I've done this. I had to route a 1/4" deep groove in each side to get drawer that I made the wrong size to fit for some shop cabinets. When my wife asked about it in the end, I told her that I did that to maximize the drawer width.

If I read you question correctly, you need to remove a total of 1/4' of width from an existing drawer to get the 1/2" slides to work. If the sides are 1/2" or thicker I see no issues...joe

[Joe Scharle]

Look at undermount slides.

[Chip Lindley]

YES, undermount slides are your best bet. Most require 1/2" from the bottom of the drawer side, to the underside of the drawer bottom.

IF all else fails, *NEW* drawer boxes to fit either full-extension side- or bottom-mount slides will be a *hands-on* project that will give you experience and add value to your kitchen, while at the same time, saving it from that *real close, but no cigar* look!

[John Lucas]

"andf I took the less traveled one."

Take the drawers out. Take the front off and cut the box in two right down the middle. make another cut so that box beomes 1.2" width less that case and glue back together. If bottom is 1/4" ply, add another bottom to the underside and cut it to the width required. epoxy this in place.

[Will Blick]

When designing a drawer project, similar to kitchen or shop type drawers....

It would seem under-mount slides always make more sense than side mount. You don't see them used more often? They don't take up valuable space. Why are most slides side mount?

[Mark Rakestraw]

I'm with Joe on this one. I too had a brain fart and made the drawers too big on a built-in dresser. I dadoed the drawer sides to "let in" the slides 1/4 inch (on 9/16" sides) and it actually looks good. Much better than they're "supposed" to look.