Can't get my head around drawer slide brackets, help?

[Brian Kincaid]

I need to build a few drawers using 20" full extension slides. I found KV8400 recommended in another thread so I think I will order those. I'm trying to make sure I get the mounting brackets if I need them.

The site I'm looking at has rear mounting brackets and face frame mounting brackets.

I think I understand that rear mounting brackets attach to the back wall of the cabinet and support the drawer slide.

The face frame mounting bracket, however does not make sense to me. Why not just screw the full extension slide to the frame? :confused:

I'll post a pic if that helps me get a few implementation ideas.

-Brian

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm not a big fan of "hanging" drawer glides. I would just attach spacer strips to the sidewalls of the cabinets and mount the glides on them.

[Chip Lindley]

What David Said! Those brackets are a pain, and rarely line up like they should. Shop-made wooden spacers are cheap, accurate and you can put the screws where you really need them!

If you are building a free-standing unit, the brackets and cabinet-half of the slides can be attached from the rear before the back is added. If you are constructing built-ins in place, guess you are out of luck. In either case, a simple hardboard screw hole jig will help keep things square and accurate.

[Jay Allen]

The best reason I can give you for not screwing them to the faceframe is that you really can't. The first mounting hole is 35mm back from the front of the guide itself. That's about 1 3/8", which is well behind your faceframe. These things were designed for the European frameless system after-all.
The brackets are "adapters" that give you that first hole location.

I am with David and Chip as far as the wooden spacers. They are not only essentially free, they make for a much more solid connection.

[Brian Kincaid]

The best reason I can give you for not screwing them to the faceframe is that you really can't. The first mounting hole is 35mm back from the front of the guide itself. That's about 1 3/8", which is well behind your faceframe. These things were designed for the European frameless system after-all.
The brackets are "adapters" that give you that first hole location.

I am with David and Chip as far as the wooden spacers. They are not only essentially free, they make for a much more solid connection.

Ah! that makes much more sense now. I'm new to cabinet making and I don't have a grasp of the '35mm system'. I'll make wooden spacers that fit the space.

Thanks for the help everyone.

-Brian

[Joe Chritz]

I am thinking about doing my next set of face frame cabs (starting today actually) with the inside edge of the face frame almost flush with the inside of the cab. Then the slide just mounts on the surface with no bracket and no spacers.

I have also set the spacing to some common size (say 1/2" plywood thickness) so I can just rip some spacers and tack them in before mounting the slides. I have also just assembled the cabs and measured each one and made a spacer to fit. Not a big deal on a one off but a pain on a whole kitchen worth.

I use the KV8400 or an economy knock off. Both have given great service and at a $5 up charge the economy ones are a huge jump up from an epoxy euro runner.

Joe

[Darrell Bade]

On my cabinets I used KV8400's and screwed the front to the face frame and used the bracket in the back.

I bought the bracket for the face frame and could see no use for it since one of the screw holes in the slide is in the middle of the face frame. Have a bag of them somewhere. I found the back bracket useful. Put a screw in the slotted hole and then tightened it and put in another once the slide found where it needed to me.

For my pullout shelves I did use blocks of wood to build out since I thought they would be carrying more load.

[David DeCristoforo]

"... the inside edge of the face frame almost flush with the inside of the cab..."

This is absolutely the "best" way to do it. I flush partitions to the inside edge of the face frame wherever possible, especially where there are drawer stacks. Often, I will double up partitions where I need a flush face on both sides of a stile. It also works out well for finished ends because the face frame overhang on the end can be mitered or otherwise integrated with the finished end panel.