Drawer Slides for Extension Dining Table?

[David M Peters]

Starting to plan a expandable dining table project. While googling what do to for the slides I came across this FWW article (https://www.finewoodworking.com/2012/03/16/extension-dining-table) (PDF link inside) espousing the use of heavy-duty drawer slides for the expansion hardware. Can anyone offer any experience with this, or at least an educated opinion?

Drawer slides are not cheap! I'd probably go with 28" slides such as these (https://www.menards.com/main/hardware/cabinet-hardware/drawer-slides/knape-vogt-28-extra-heavy-duty-full-extension-ball-bearing-drawer-slide/8900p-28/p-1444436973674.htm). Rocker's 26" metal expansion hardware (https://www.rockler.com/extension-slides-20-length) costs less and would directly attach.

Thanks all, I appreciate your input.

[Brian Burns VT]

Hey David, I would probably just go with the wooden slides that are specifically made for tables (like the Rockler ones you linked to). The mitigating factor might be how many leaves and/or how many inches you are looking to span when the table is fully extended. If it's much beyond 36", I'd get the table slides with the metal gears built in like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Equalizer-Table-Slides-28-Wood/dp/B001DSZ7WO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FXJ2MB2SKQF5&keywords=extension+table+slides&qid=1640922941&sprefix=extension+table+slides%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-4

The wooden ones do tend to sag when the span gets longer than that. You can also build a fifth leg into one of the leaves to support things if the table is fully open. Both work but metal is more cost effective (I think). These slides are a very quick install so you won't have to mess around with the drawer slide retrofit. Good luck

[Phillip Mitchell]

It depends on the details / budget / etc but you may consider checking out Poettker USA. I believe that they manufacture the metal slides available from Lee Valley and much more. I have an upcoming commission for an expanding dining table with butterfly leaf type folding hardware and ended up talking to them on the phone after searching high and low online for other options. Not cheap, but they will make custom lengths of slides and other related hardware, which was important for the details in my particular project.

https://www.poettker.com/en/

If the sizes offered by Lee Valley will work for your project, I would go with those.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have once used drawer slides to make an expanding table. It needed to expand from 8 ft long to 14 ft long, and I couldn't find commercial table slides which would do what I wanted. The drawer slides homebrew worked just fine. It was probably a bit more work than using a more-standard slide. If I were starting a new table, I'd first consider stuff like the LeeValley/Poettker hardware, and go with the homebrew solution if necessary.

Some years ago, the lead time on the LeeValley/Poettker hardware was crazy long.

[David M Peters]

Thanks all for your responses! I feel lot more informed now.