Narrow drawers

[Marty Tippin]

I'm building a cabinet for my Kreg router table, loosely based on the plans from Kreg and I'm trying to figure out a good way to put in a couple of drawers for my router bits.

In the attached pics (the cabinet is dry-fitted for the photo; nothing is glued yet) the upper drawer opening is about 4-1/2" wide and 7-3/4" tall. I want to put 2 small drawers in the opening, but it's obviously too narrow to waste an inch with full-extension slides. My initial inclination is to just cut a dado in each side and used that as the drawer slide - the drawers will really just be a piece of 3/4" ply with holes for the bits.

Is there a better way or some kind of drawer slide that is suited to a narrow opening like this?

[william watts]

It's a good idea to to use a dado a on small shop drawers. These were built back in the 70's and have worked well ever since.

Bill.

[Jim Dwight]

My router table is based loosely on Norm Abram's (New Yankee Workshop) including the bit storage drawers. They are scrap 2x4 pieces glued to the right size and planned a bit to make them flat with a thin plywood bottom. The holes were bored with a slightly oversize forstner bit so. The slide on plywood spacers tacked to the sides of the opening. They slide very easily, even when full.

I do not use ball bearing slides in the shop. Wood on wood works fine. Large shop drawers take a bit more force but not so much as to be annoying. Slides take space and money I'd rather use differently.

[Brian Tymchak]

Since you haven't glued the unit together yet, how about adding another divider in that space and just slide your bit shelf in/out on that?

[Marty Tippin]

I ended up just cutting dados for the drawers - had to make them just a bit oversized so the 3/4" plywood would slide easily, but they're going to work out great (once I figure out how to attach the drawer faces...)