Cabinet and Millwork Installation

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Drawer glide installation/upgrading

7/31/12       
Alec

Got a reface job coming up where i've been asked to change a bunch of drawer glides from the standard bottom corner mount to soft close. I've got 1/2" clearance on each side of the boxes which is good enough for the KV 8455 side mounts. My supplier comp'd me a pair to test on one of my own drawers before I install in the clients house, and so far so good but not sure how to make adjustments with this model. I've searched the net and couldn't find any info.

So does anyone here know if these glides have adjustment screws? Or if not, is there a different model for this kind of thing that might work better? I'm trying to stick with something that will require as little field adjustment as possible.

Thanks

7/31/12       #2: Drawer glide installation/upgrading ...
D Brown Member

If you are talking about retro fitting Euro slide drawer boxes that have the bottom under the sides ?

You will be working against gravity .

For structural integrity , Side mounted drawer slides are best when the bottom goes into a groove .

Re build the boxes if no slot for a quality result .

There are tabs on the sides that can be adjusted for width and the drawer members have a slotted hole to move the drawer up or down .

8/1/12       #3: Drawer glide installation/upgrading ...
Mike

The key to installing side mount slides is to accurately position both the drawer, and cabinet member the first time. Side mount slides can be adjusted but doing so can be a PITA. If you are careful you should be able to avoid the need to make more than a few adjustments here and there.

Before I started drilling for slides with a CNC I would position the cabinet member by using spacers cut from scraps of plywood.

With side mounts if the fit is even a little bit tight the drawers will not operate smoothly. The drawer can be slightly loose, but just 1/32 too tight and the drawer will be difficult to open and close. Operation should be noticeably smooth.

Be prepared for this. If this is the case you will need to trim the drawer boxes. I have done this by raising the blade on the table saw to just over the height of the drawer member, and skimming off a little from each side. The more elegant solution would be to build, or order new drawers, but this can work pretty well when you have no other choice.

8/1/12       #4: Drawer glide installation/upgrading ...
Alec

Thanks guys. Yes, the drawers are the euro type with plant on bottom, so I can see the potential issues with using side-mounted slides there. Also aware of the problems if the clearance isn't just right - on my own which I used for testing my clearance is about 1/32 shy of 1/2" and I can tell when opening/closing that it's a bit too snug. Might try to convince the owner to get new boxes.

Any thoughts on the zargen drawers or metabox? My main supplier carries the zargen but I haven't had an opportunity to have a look at them yet. Would it be fairly simple to install undermounts on the new boxes using existing system holes? Or do you think there would be a lot of adjusting required? Not sure if my door supplier would make drawer boxes - guess i'll find out ha!

Thanks again

8/2/12       #5: Drawer glide installation/upgrading ...
Matt

Website: http://mcustomwoodwork.com

I have done what you are proposing and no the side mount guides do not have a mechanical adjustment. You either get it right or move the screws a little. I use scrap wood to make a spacer from the floor. I have found that 1/2"+ to 9/16" clearance works best, less than 1/2" gets stiff. When switching to a side mount I will also put some screws in the bottoms if they are not dadoed in.


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