Roll out drawers for kitchen question?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All, I"m about to make these for our kitchen lower cabinets. We have cherry cabinets and I'll be removing some center stiles to make for larger pull out drawers. What materials would you use for these? I have some 3/4 hardwood ply from the borg that is pretty straight. I'm thinking of pocket screwing them together then adding some kind of 1/2" material for the bottoms. What do you think and how have you done this? I'm ordering epoxy glides from CSH for these. Thanks!

[Larry Fox]

For my cherry kitchen I used maple for the drawers. I think cherry and maple makes a nice contrast. I used through dovetails for the joinery and Accuride for the slides.

[frank shic]

Alan, your plan will work. You can even make the bottoms 3/4" for added strength. You will probably want to edgeband the exposed edges.

[Alex Elias]

I'd use accurides to better support the weight and get a full opening. The epoxy ones should work as well.
Alex

[glenn bradley]

I've done quite a few of these. Last batch was the latest revision; 1/2" BB ply sides and back, 3/4" BB ply front, 1/4" BB ply bottoms up to 20" wide (1/2" BB ply bottoms for wider), drawer-lock joint construction, Mepla or accuride full extension slides.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I read somewhere in the archives about just gluing/nailing the bottom on without using grooves inside the drawer. Would you do this or make a captured drawer bottom?

[Alex Elias]

I read somewhere in the archives about just gluing/nailing the bottom on without using grooves inside the drawer. Would you do this or make a captured drawer bottom?

Do the grooves on the bottom, it doesn't take much longer to do. You'll put weight on them and is not worth the problems down the road.

[jason lambert]

I would not the troube is over time the glue will dry and may give out, this depends on how tight the joint is and how well it was fitted also wood expands and shrinks that is why draw bottoms are usally dadoed in with a little clearance. If it is tight the wood on the bottom will expand and contract and put stress on the joints, the bigger the draw the worse it will be. Over time it could just blow the draw apart. There are to many varables at work to tell you how long it will last.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I would not the troube is over time the glue will dry and may give out, this depends on how tight the joint is and how well it was fitted also wood expands and shrinks that is why draw bottoms are usally dadoed in with a little clearance. If it is tight the wood on the bottom will expand and contract and put stress on the joints, the bigger the draw the worse it will be. Over time it could just blow the draw apart. There are to many varables at work to tell you how long it will last.

Jason,

I'll just be using plywood for the bottoms so expansion should not be a problem. Thanks.

[Dan Stuewe]

Alan,

Unless it is finacially difficult to do, I would highly recomend full extension drawer slides. I haven't done this for a kitchen, but I did put a couple of sliding drawers/shelves in a cabinet for my wife's workshop. Being able to pull the entire drawer/shelf out really opens up access to the entire drawer and makes getting larger items out much easier.

[frank shic]

alan, screwing the bottom on will produce a far stronger joint than any dado, and it will save you time in the process. the only thing is that the plywood edges are exposed however this is not a problem if you're using epoxy-coated slides as the slides will cover most of the edge. i always tell myself that i'll pick the full-extension upgrade NEXT TIME but they sure do cost a lot more, don't they? good luck!

[Matt Meiser]

I made them for my shop and used 1/2" Baltic Birch throughout. They've held up very well. Our factory made kitchen cabinets have them and use solid oak for the sides and 1/4" ply for the bottom and no complaints there either.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks again guys for the input. I looked at the space and visibility and full extension slides wouldn't help that much with seeing what's in the roll outs. Think about it: With roll outs you usually have a lot of space between them and there's usually only two per cabinet. This leaves a lot of space above them to see what's in there without having to pull them out all the way. Now if it was a single small drawer with limited space above for visualizing the contents, now that's a different thing. Whadaya think?


There is a big difference in price between the slides that I see and these epoxy coated ones are easier to install.

[Mark Engel]

alan, screwing the bottom on will produce a far stronger joint than any dado, and it will save you time in the process. the only thing is that the plywood edges are exposed however this is not a problem if you're using epoxy-coated slides as the slides will cover most of the edge. i always tell myself that i'll pick the full-extension upgrade NEXT TIME but they sure do cost a lot more, don't they? good luck!

Will a screwed on bottom still be stronger if the screws are being driven into the edge of a plywood drawer side?

I had always thought that screwing into plywood edges was problematic.

[Ray Dockrey]

Thanks again guys for the input. I looked at the space and visibility and full extension slides wouldn't help that much with seeing what's in the roll outs. Think about it: With roll outs you usually have a lot of space between them and there's usually only two per cabinet. This leaves a lot of space above them to see what's in there without having to pull them out all the way. Now if it was a single small drawer with limited space above for visualizing the contents, now that's a different thing. Whadaya think?


There is a big difference in price between the slides that I see and these epoxy coated ones are easier to install.I just did this on my bathroom vanity I am working on. It is not about seeing what is on the shelf. It is about being able to get to something in the very back with out knocking everything in front of it over. I bought the full extension slides and they were very easy to install. Of course this is just my opinion and I may be way off base with my thinking.

[glenn bradley]

I read somewhere in the archives about just gluing/nailing the bottom on without using grooves inside the drawer. Would you do this or make a captured drawer bottom?

Definitely a fully captured bottom. We cannot predict what drawers will be used for as needs change. You could design it expecting a coffee maker and a food processor and have it end up full of canned goods stacked two high. JMHO.

There is little movement with plywood but I still leave the bottom a tiny bit loose. I put a short line of glue in the groove about in the middle of each side but do not fully glue the bottom into the dado.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks again guys for the input. I looked at the space and visibility and full extension slides wouldn't help that much with seeing what's in the roll outs. Think about it: With roll outs you usually have a lot of space between them and there's usually only two per cabinet. This leaves a lot of space above them to see what's in there without having to pull them out all the way. Now if it was a single small drawer with limited space above for visualizing the contents, now that's a different thing. Whadaya think?


There is a big difference in price between the slides that I see and these epoxy coated ones are easier to install.

This sounds logical until you want something out of the back of the bottom drawer and the only way to get at it is to lift it straight up. Without full extension you will need to paw through stuff. BUT. . . this depends what is going to be in them and how little the contents will change in time. Good luck.

P.s. 3/4 slides at the Borg are, let's say $6 for 22". MEPLA full extension through McFeelys are about $8 - $9. Even if you're doing ten drawers that's not much difference in money. You can search SMC for glide supplier threads. Seems like there are a few who beat the BORG prices by a lot. Once again; JMHO.

[fred woltersdorf]

i used drawers from Valen drawers. they are solid beech sides and baltic birch bottoms.they came shipped ups ready to assemble and priced very resonable.dovetail const +/- 1/8".i used the Tenn Tex quik tray rollout system http://www.tenntex.com/literature/45_QuikTray2006lores.pdf. the system allows easy height adjustment of the rollouts.

[Steve Clardy]

i used drawers from Valen drawers. they are solid beech sides and baltic birch bottoms.they came shipped ups ready to assemble and priced very resonable.dovetail const +/- 1/8".i used the Tenn Tex quik tray rollout system http://www.tenntex.com/literature/45_QuikTray2006lores.pdf. the system allows easy height adjustment of the rollouts.


Thats the same system I've been using for a year or so now.
Super system. They will adapt to most any slide.

Plus I use full extension ball slides if thats what the customer wants.
22" slides from Baer are about $3.50 a set. Shorter ones are cheaper.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

i used drawers from Valen drawers. they are solid beech sides and baltic birch bottoms.they came shipped ups ready to assemble and priced very resonable.dovetail const +/- 1/8".i used the Tenn Tex quik tray rollout system http://www.tenntex.com/literature/45_QuikTray2006lores.pdf. the system allows easy height adjustment of the rollouts.

Fred, That's really cool. Thanks for sharing. I'll consider your approach the next time. Alan

[Roger Ronas]

Blum undermount full-extension Tandems for me. With Blumotion. They are expensive, about 36.00 for 18" but I only want to do anything 1 time.

RR