I hate drawer slides

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AlexSwansboro

New User
Alex
I am about the install center undermount drawer slides for a dresser. I always try to avoid projects with drawers as I hate installing the slides. Any advice that you all can provide before I get started would be much appreciated.

Thans
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
I feel your pain. I've got a broken one in a chest of drawers that has been broken for years. I have a piece of hard maple waiting for me to get a round tuit and make a replacement.
 

bguil

New User
beeg
Agree with the runner solution. If you are too far along and need slides, I personally do not like center mounts for drawers such as you mention, since they get lots of stress and could fail later. I would prefer paired slides on both sides of the drawer for more balanced support.
 

AlexSwansboro

New User
Alex
+1

for a dresser, I never use slides, just install runners, wax them and the bottoms and sides of the drawers and you are good to go.

When you say you install runners can you please explain a little better? Also, what do you wax with? Right now my drawers are made of "blondewood" ply. If I am imagining your design correctly I could attach a hardwood piece to the bottom of the drawer side, wax it and I'm good to go?
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
One thing to keep in mind is that despite the things we don't like about about center slides they do serve to keep the drawer from tilting down and falling out when open. They've been around a long time because of that functionality.
 

kooshball

David
Corporate Member
Hopefully the pics are clear.

The drawers simply slide on the runners which are captured in a stopped dado by one nail or pocket screw in the front divider and a half lap joint in the rear divider.

If they are not clear, or if I am not just let me know and I will explain further.
 

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kooshball

David
Corporate Member
Here is a pic of the pocket screw into the front divider and a pic of the runner being captured in the dado from the rear.
 

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kooshball

David
Corporate Member
When you say you install runners can you please explain a little better? Also, what do you wax with? Right now my drawers are made of "blondewood" ply. If I am imagining your design correctly I could attach a hardwood piece to the bottom of the drawer side, wax it and I'm good to go?

For wax I use furniture paste wax but almost any wax should work.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Hendrik Varju has an article at FWW titled "Drawers without Dovetails" that's instructive. He doesn't use slides in this example but has an interesting way of preventing the drawer from falling out of the pocket when opened. The rear panel of the drawer is captured in a pair of dados in the sides positioned 2" from the back.

You lose a wee bit of drawer interior space but it's still a full extension that stays in the pocket.
 

AlexSwansboro

New User
Alex
I ended up getting some bees wax and rubbed that on the runners I installed. The drawer slide like a dream. Part of the case construction called for a "drawer seperater" which is really a piece of 3/4 ply between each drawer pocket (clients request, I think its waste.) So to stop the drawer from falling out I drilled 1/8" holes in the tops back of the corners of each drawer and inserted a 1/8" diameter brass rod that sticks up above the top of the drawer about 1/8". Then, about a 1" inside the front of the opening I glued 1x1" blocks. The idea is that when the drawer comes out and tips forward the brass rod will catch on the 1x1 block and stop it from falling out. I designed it, however, so that the if the drawer is level the brass rod will not catch on the block and the drawer can be pulled out, only when intended. I hope it works.

Thanks for your help.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Alex,

That's an innovative solution. Kudos to you. Was this a woodworkers' dream in the dead of night?
 
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