help withfull extension drawer slides

[chris toomey]

hi guys

i'm building a tablesaw/router table cabinet for my contractor table saw. the base cabinet is 26 inches deep. i'd like to use some full extension drawer slides to maximize use of the space. i'v never purchased or used these before. any help would be greatly appreciated. i have no idea what i want or how to use them....oh and i don't want to spend a fortune either;). thanks

[Greg Scott]

The best price you will find for these is at CSHardware. They will be at least 1/2 the price of anyone else.

[Sam Blasco]

Accuride 3832's should be easy to find and they are the original, now knocked off by several others. The KV's probably come in a close second, quality wise, and are a bit cheaper. They are easy to install, very durable and are rated for 100 lbs. You'll have to allow 1/2" on either side of the drawer and you can get them in 2" increments from 10" - 28".

[Scott Esbrook]

I installed hundreds of sets in my cabinetmaking days. Accurides were the brand we used most, and I believe you can get them at Home Debit (not sure how their prices compare). Just separate the pieces and attach one to the cabinet and the other to the drawerbox. Make sure they are installed square to the front. You'll want to play around with whatever set you get, to see how they close, to figure out how deep to set them. As I recall, we usually installed them flush to the front or back maybe a 1/16". But it's been a while, so judge for yourself. HTH.

[Ray Arnold]

you may want to check out http://gliderite.com/ I got some 22" full extention slides for less the $5.00 a set , only thing is you have to buy a carton at a time (15) hope this helps.

[chris toomey]

you may want to check out http://gliderite.com/ I got some 22" full extention slides for less the $5.00 a set , only thing is you have to buy a carton at a time (15) hope this helps.


thanks ray

looks like that is the way to go. except i'll have 9 pair left over...........

[Kent Parker]

Chris,

I'm in the middle of a simlar project for my new table saw. :) I just made an extension table for the saw rails and will have three drawers under the "lid".

I just purchased the Accuride 3832 from a local hardwear store. The 22" length ran me about $ 14.00 each pair. They look heavy and substancial enough for a "tool" drawer and have metal ball bearings which are a must have for weight. Full extension too.

Another source for you check on is an outfit in Sauk Rapids, MN. called Woodworkers Hardware. Find them easily with a google search.

They sell KV drawer slides which I am not familiar with but the # WW1690 says it is "Comparible to Accuride 3832" and costs about $ 7.00 per set for a 21 3/4" length.

Cheers,

KP

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Chris, One tip is you have to have an exact fit for these to work. It's usually 1/2" per side + or - 1/16 or less. So if you have a cabinet that's 20" wide from inner wall to inner wall, your drawers have to be 19" almost perfectly and be square. Anything else and you'll get binding and sticking instead of a nice smooth action. I wonder how I know this. :)

[chris toomey]

thanks guys

kent i placed an order thru woodworkers hardware. thanks for the help. i like the looks of that old jointer..how bout telling us about it?

[Kent Parker]

kent i placed an order thru woodworkers hardware. thanks for the help. i like the looks of that old jointer..how bout telling us about it?

Chris,

The "old" joiner is a Makita joiner/planer I purchased about 25 years ago when I had a small shop that repaired and restored boats. I'm really amazed it still works given the amount of white oak I've pushed through the planner. It has a tiny little motor that screams at a high rpm when on. The joiner is 6" by about 50". A very nice unit that has yet to fail. I just changed the planner rollers about 4 months ago.

KP

[Sam Blasco]

Chris, One tip is you have to have an exact fit for these to work. It's usually 1/2" per side + or - 1/16 or less. So if you have a cabinet that's 20" wide from inner wall to inner wall, your drawers have to be 19" almost perfectly and be square. Anything else and you'll get binding and sticking instead of a nice smooth action. I wonder how I know this. :)

Actually, they can be a little smaller than required, but not bigger. If your drawer is too small you can bend the mounting tongues, which will bring the slide sheaths away from the cabinet sides to accept drawers that are too small. Realistically, you can get away with a drawer that is an 1/8" too small (pull them out 1/16th on either side.) Of course I wouldn't recommend being that far off, but in a production environment, having that adjustability can save a job.
As to square, again you can get away with a drawer that is not square, within reason (out by a 1/16" or less measured corner to corner) by adjusting the slide position on the drawer sides. I usually only put two screws in the slides (one point that allows front to back adjustment, and one that allows up and down adjustment) until after the cabinets are installed. This allows me to adjust them to any minor twists caused by unlevel floors or walls or both. Then after adjustment I will then install the set screws. Also, on the new Accurides, they are adjustable at the front of the slide with a cam to make adjusting drawer fronts easier and quick.

To allow for all this adjustabilty I always make my drawers a tad (use your own judgement here for what a tad is) smaller than they need to be.

I've switched to Blum-Motion, undermount slides for any project where I want to show off the drawers now, but for most everything else, I really like the Accurides. I'd easily spend the extra for them (and do,) especially if they are going to be in a shop environment. If you'd see and feel them next to the KV's and lesser knock-offs, you'd know why.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Sam, The problems I've had in the past was with drawers that were a tad too big. That was a pain. But I'll try your trick of bending out the tabs in the future. I have undermount slides on my bedroom furniture and have always liked them. Do they take more prep work than side slides?