Self closing drawer slides

[Paul Girouard]

I’m looking for drawer slides that close IF you let go of the drawer. Not soft close , or self closing once the drawer is all most closed. But slides that close the drawer if the drawer is released in any open position.

The idea is drawer in steps risers , the issue is a drawer being left part way , or all the way open and some one stepping into the drawer coming down the stairs.

TIA

[Doug Garson]

Don't know if that type of drawer slide exists (not my area of expertise) but if you can't find them how about using a pair of soft close drawer slides combined with a pair of springs or bungee cords to pull the drawer almost closed and then let the self closing slide complete the action. Bungee cords would make it easy to adjust the tension by lengthening or shortening the bungees or using different diameter cords or multiple cords.

[Jamie Buxton]

I've never seen drawer slides that do exactly what you describe. How about using standard sidemount slides, but mount them at an angle, so the drawer rises as you pull it out. The drawer stays level, but it rises. When you let go, the drawer rolls back downhill. You could use softclose slides, so the drawer doesn't slam when it closes.

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's a sketch:

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[Dan Rude]

Soft close doesn't work if you can't train the kid (19 Year old) to push them in.:( This is my current problem. I would use some sort of counter weight to close them or a spring load. Let us know what you end up with. Dan

[Paul Girouard]

Jamie , interesting idea, thanks!

You’d all most think some one who market a slide that does this!

Thanks for your thoughts guys!

[Matt Day]

That is a great idea Jamie. It’s take up more space because of the vertical movement, but it’s a very good solution. You’d probabaly have to bevel the bottom rail of the drawer opening a bit.

[glenn bradley]

Having to hold a drawer open while getting something out of it would infuriate me (personal problem :)). I will be interested in what comes up.

[Tim Bueler]

I've never seen drawer slides that do exactly what you describe. How about using standard sidemount slides, but mount them at an angle, so the drawer rises as you pull it out. The drawer stays level, but it rises. When you let go, the drawer rolls back downhill. You could use softclose slides, so the drawer doesn't slam when it closes.

I have done this and it works. But, as Glenn points out, it is sometimes inconvenient when you need two hands to get something out. If you do this you'll need to make sure your drawers are not so tall they hit on the top as they come up & out.

[Julie Moriarty]

When I was installing Blum Tandem slides on the island, I didn't properly level the slides on the silverware drawer. Open it and it immediately tries to close itself. Every time I am putting clean silverware away, I have to lean against the drawer to keep it open. It drives me nuts and I tell myself I need to fix that. Then I walk away and it's quickly forgotten.

[Bill Berklich]

I have to say gravity always works. An alternative it to spec/select long extension springs. One each left and right. They will provide the motive force in place of gravity and the drawer will operate as normal (flat). Google Century Spring Corp and you can select a spring set. Oh, I'd use soft close too.

[johnny means]

I used to have to do that for my children's beds. I never found a product designed for the application. I ended up just mounting my slides at a slight angle and letting gravity do the work.

[scott vroom]

IMO drawers in a stairway is never a good idea regardless of the closing mechanism. What if someone puts something in the drawer that is too tall and the drawer fails to close all the way, creating a dangerous trip hazard? Low risk maybe, but the consequences could be devastating.

[Doug Garson]

To cover the concern Scott raises, how about adding a spring loaded lid for the drawer that flips up when the drawer is open so someone coming down the stair is given a visible warning that the drawer is open? Perhaps paint it red so it is highly visible.

[scott vroom]

Have you ever walked down stairs without looking down at the steps? Have you ever walked down stairs in the dark at night?

[jim mills]

+1 to the nay sayer's. Wouldn't cutting a large hole in the riser weaken the step as well?

[Paul Girouard]

It’s a bunk bed stair , so it’s going to be steep to begin with.

It’s probably not wise to even build a bunk bed in this day and age, to likely to get sued !

And with the safety concerns posted a few posts back, I’ll be sure to warn the home owners , they are on their own should a kid get injured.

The home owner isn’t interested in the operable drawers for the safety reasons stated here.

She on the other hand wants minimal searail or guard rail to hold a kid in and would like curtains, for the “looks”.

We’ll see how things develop, theses are for their future grand kids, we’re building their house, right now there are three grown children, none living at home , that some day will produce said grand children!

I’ve tried to talk them out of built in bunk beds for practical reasons ,

#1: There are no grandkids yet!
#2: Built in bunk beds are pretty specific , or define a rooms use, so for resale prospective new owners could say well I need to tear out those build in bunk beds so that’s going to cost me 4K to tear out and re-paint the room!
#3: How long can mixed sex grand kids sleep in the same room??

It’s a romantic idea , but not a practical idea.

That being said we’ll be building the built in bunk beds , less the drawers in the stair risers.

Thanks for the opinions and ideas!
Paul

[Paul Girouard]

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+1 to the nay sayer's. Wouldn't cutting a large hole in the riser weaken the step as well?


The stairs in question will only be 27” or so wide , and 7” deep , steep by any standard so weaking the riser board would not be a issue.


The width of the room , two built in bunks on each side of a center set of stairs to a landing the kids then go L or R to their bed.

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I even tried to disswayed her with this photo of berthing on USS Ranger:

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Even NAS Fallon enlisted billeting didn’t phase her!

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I’m not a fan of bunk beds , for good reason! ;-))

[Mel Fulks]

You said seven inches deep, that is under code. That could be a complication in a sale.just occurred to me that you might be referring to the risers, I took it to be the treads

[Paul Girouard]

The steps to bunks won’t meet code, yes treads will be 7” in width. The risers will be more like 10” , so pretty much backwards to a normal stair way, but these “stairs” lead to bunk beds , so I’m sure the inspector won’t care , or we’ll use the code that talks to spaces under IIRC 125 sq. Feet.
We did a loft ladder last year what wasn’t stairway code compliant, it has to do with square footage of the space being accessed . And this stair accessed two beds.

[julian abram]

Soft close doesn't work if you can't train the kid (19 Year old) to push them in.:( This is my current problem. I would use some sort of counter weight to close them or a spring load. Let us know what you end up with. Dan

Dan, I can so agree on this. I built a nice chest of drawers with self close slides for my 16 yo daughter. Drawers are always open with clothes hanging out, she can't push them in far enough to activate the self closer. I give up.

[Matthew Hills]

Get one of those refrigerator nag systems. ("The refrigerator door is still open")

Matt

[Doug Garson]

Rather than build a drawer under the stair tread, why not hinge the tread itself? It would eliminate the concern with leaving the drawer open, still some concern with leaving the lid up but chances are your foot would hit the open lid and close it or the lid could be designed to be self closing. Not a perfect solution but perhaps better than a drawer.

[Alan Schaffter]

Soft close doesn't work if you can't train the kid (19 Year old) to push them in.:( This is my current problem. I would use some sort of counter weight to close them or a spring load. Let us know what you end up with. Dan

An un-trainable 19 year old??? Let him worry about training himself in his own apartment that he rents with his own dime. Or see if the Army can train him. That ought to do the trick!