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Thread: Adjustable sliding shelves

  1. #1
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    Adjustable sliding shelves

    I'm in the beginning stages of designing a pantry with slide out drawers, basically shelves with about a 2" lip. I'm open to ideas, but I'd like to have the shelves adjustable and I'm looking for ideas from those who have solved this problem in the past. I vaguely remember a post a month or more ago someone posted abut using dominos set into the cabinet sides and holding rails with the slides but for the life of me I can't find it and google has failed me.

    Anyhow, anyone got any clever ideas??

    Mike

  2. #2
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    Mike,

    The cabinet maker who built our kitchen cabinets used a neat idea. For each cabinet he made a vertical "post" in each interior corner. The post has notches in it every 4" that obviously align with notches in the other 3 posts. For each shelf, 2 horizontal wooden "rails" have the cabinet portion of the full extension slides mounted to them. The rails fit into the notches on the posts. To change the positon of a given shelf, one merely removes the shelf, adjusts the horizontal rails up or down and reinstalls the shelf. I can post a photo if you would like to see. I found it clever and easy to use.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 02-19-2018 at 6:50 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  3. #3
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    When I made the pantry for my wife with pull out trays, I used manufactured hardware to make the drawer slides adjustable.IMG_0405.jpgIMG_0404.jpgIMG_8729_small.jpg
    I believe that Rocklers sells the adjustable hardware.

    We played around with the heights when we first set it up, but none have been moved since 2014.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
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  4. #4
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    Thanks guys. I did see the Rockler ones and they are an option, but the plastic kinda turns me off. I may wind up with them but I'm looking for other ideas at this point. My wish list is some sort of soft close arrangement maybe with Blum under mounts or if that doesn't pan out some higher quality ball bearing slides if possible.

    Ken, your description sounds interesting but I'm not sure I'm following 100%. Can you post a couple pictures?

    Mike

  5. #5
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    Here they are. Sorry it took so long. I am using a cheap laptop I use for travel. I hadn't used the Adobe Photo elements on this yet and needed to do some setup.

    It should be pretty evident with the photos.

    DSC_1439B.jpg

    DSC_1448a.jpg

    DSC_1441a.jpg

    DSC_1442a.jpg

    Mike, I was puzzled by the two screws shown in that last photo since they don't go into the metal slide. Overnight, my brain must have worked it out. This morning it dawned on me. (Pun intended.) Those screws allow for adjustment by the screw heads pressing against the cabinet sides to make the slides parallel so the drawer slides in and out easily.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 02-20-2018 at 12:27 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by M Toupin View Post
    Thanks guys. My wish list is some sort of soft close arrangement maybe with Blum under mounts or if that doesn't pan out some higher quality ball bearing slides if possible.

    Mike
    Take a look at the KV 8450FM Full Extension Soft Close Slide
    8450FM-8455FM_slide-web.jpg
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  7. #7
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    Sorry, for the delay guys, I'm on a stretch of 12 hour days at work and it doesn’t leave much time for sleep and play

    Ken, thanks for the pics, that helps understand a bit better. A few questions; Are the vertical pieces are screwed into the cabinet or does the horizontal boards hold them in? Along those same lines, is there anything holding the horizontal pieces with the slides in or is it just the fit between the drawer and the slide keeping everything in?

    Lee, I've used the KV slides before and they are nice. And it looks like they would work for the set-up Ken has too!

    Mike

  8. #8
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    The vertical pieces nailed to the cabinet using a nailer. It's just the fit between the drawer, the slides and the cabinet that holds the horizontal pieces in place left-to-right. Of course they fit into those notches in the vertical pieces so that keeps them from coming forward when you pull a drawer out.

    All of our island drawers are made that way as are the pantry the pantry shelves. The system works and it makes for easy adjustments if one so desires.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 02-20-2018 at 8:29 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  9. #9
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    I have mounted the Blum Tandems to side rails and the side rails were then movable within the cabinet with shelf pins. The straight pins with no flat. One end was epoxied into the rails. Of course you need to adjust the width of the drawer, factoring in the side rails as "cabinet sides". My rails heights matched the pullout side heights (which looked very clean when all set up) and were 3/4" thick.

    The thickness could be adjusted to insure that the pullouts clear the open doors. Less of an issue for me as I typically make my cabinet sides flush to the face of the face frame edge. Of course, not an issue with frameless, though 7/8" rails might be better depending on your selected hinge.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
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