Professional fix or not?

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I have a drawer box with full extension, ball bearing, side mount slides and it was built a little too wide, 1" less than the opening width, and is too tight and doesn't open easily.

The box has already been stained, laquered and in a office unit that is installed. I was going to rout a 1/32" dado in the box sides for the drawer members to give me a little extra clearance.

Question is do you consider little fixes on the fly like these acceptable in this industry? I don't personally think a reasonable customer would have a problem with this, but this particular one has been pretty picky about this job, asking me to do things like fill, sand, and touch up a hole where I had to back out and reposition a screw going up from a stretcher in a base cabinet to fasten a top that you couldn't see unless you got on your back inside the cabinet. He has literally been standing behind me watching the entire time I have been installing this job so he is aware of the problem. Now I'm concerned with him perceiving that he didn't pay good money to get a oversized drawer box that was rigged to make it work.

Steven

Member

Uh, just re-read my post. Actually, not rout dado for drawer guide, but take 1/32 off one side of box;0

Bernie

Most of the side mount slides I've used only require the drawer to be 1" smaller than the drawer opening, and some even a little less (Accurride 3732?). Swap out the slides for a diffferent brand?

FWIW I don't think you're solution is unreasonable, but is sounds like your customer may be.

rich c.

I would think the only negative from the customer would be that you didn't check the fit in the shop. But take some off the side of the drawer, get it to glide with no effort, and the confidence should be restored. We've all made drawers a touch wide, but not everyone finds out on the job site. A lesson learned by you, it's an easy fix.

chuck crawford

I'd try it before remaking and finishing a drawer. Could you let the cabinet member into the face frame a tiny bit and move it at the rear or are they frameless cabinets? That way you wouldn't have to mess with the drawer. I've done both.

Steven

Member

Okay, here's the back story on this. I'm used to using KV8400's and they've always worked fine using 1 to 1-1/16" less.

Recently I switched suppliers and they have accuride so I ordered those. I was putting them on the night before install and realized that they have tabs on the bottom so I can't position them on the drawer box where I want. This was a frameless box with inset fronts and a lock for a file drawer so I have a stretcher thats routed for the lock and I had designed this to work with the drawers positioned exactly and the accurides wouldn't work. I tried bending the tabs on one and it bent it all out of shape.

Next day on install I went to home center and bought Liberty brand slides and installed drawer guides, fronts, and lock on site and realized this brand was too tight.

Now, I can drive a two hour round trip to old supplier to get KV8400s or I can do my quick fix when I go back to punch the job. Looking at a pair of these accurides I could actually dado the drawer box 1/32" on each side and there would still be clearance between the box and cabinet member.

Adam

Liberty(Homie Dopie) slides are junk. You can buy good ones for less money. Replace them with the ones that you think will work.

Driving 2 hrs for a pair of slides in crazy. You could pay for next day shipping and still come out ahead by alot.

I will admit to having run a drawer or two thru the tablesaw to fix the tight drawer problem. However, the customer and no one else besides me will every know, because we always use Accurides and there will never be a reason to remove the drawer.

I wouldn't do it if the customer is aware of it.

The difference between a pro and a civilian is the pro can fix his mistakes and no one but he will know he made one(unless you told the customer!)

james mcgrew

Member

"Do Good work and the Kings will find You" Your customer may be well pleased you went the mile, he may be not smart enough to know, but you will..

and the customer he refers may make short work of choosing you from such simple task !

Mike Fuson

I guess we've all had to deal with customers like that. I'd do what I could to make my work look professional. A bad reference will follow you farther than ten good ones will. People talk... I worked for one home owner that was like what you describe. Like it was my privilidge to work for him. He was hard to satisfy, complained, over crazy stuff. A few months later he called back with another project. I told him I was to busy to do it, he was shocked that I didn't jump at the chance to work for him. He tried to talk me into doing it, and finally I just told him, that I had ten different people wanting me to work for them so why would I work for someone that I knew would find fault in my work? The first time shame on them, second time shame on me.

Jimbo

Switch to Blum undermounts with blumotion. You will wonder why you didn't do this sooner. As for your fix, I don't see why this wouldn't work, but save yourself some hassle and order the KVs.

D Brown

Mike , I stopped saying I don't want to work for you , when it happens now I just say "sorry I am covered up with work right now can't get to it "
It seems more professional to be busy than picky and flat out refuse and possibly be taken as an insult .
Even though there truly are folks who I will not work for we need to stay professional even when turning away work.
You can also refer them to your favorite or un favorite competing shop.

Steven

Member

There are three drawers in this cabinet box with the bottom file drawer opening unacceptably too tight, and the other two are not super smooth, but don't require much effort to open and close. I'm sure all the boxes are the same width and the cabinet opening is square or very close to it; I noticed the Liberty cabinet members wouldn't suck up completely against the side of the box when I screwed them on and were kind of flared out/deformed at the bottom. I've just decided to order the KV8400s online and replace all the Liberty brand. I'll be using Accurides in the future since that's what my new supplier carries and I know how they position the box now; I'll probably give the undermounts a try too like another poster suggested.

Mike Fuson

DBrown,
If you'll notice in my post I said that I did tell him that I was to busy. It wasn't until he pressed me that I told him that I didn't want to work for him. In 16 years he's the only one that I ever told that to.

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