drawer slides

[milanuk]

Question for the rest of you on drawer slides for work benches and shop storage.

Do you go with the cheap white 3/4 extension ones w/ the plastic rollers? I see this kind in (cheap) kitchen cabinets and such, where they aren't holding a lot of weight (silverware drawer, etc.) but I have some concerns about them holding up a drawer stuffed full of power tools, nails, etc.

More than likely most of the drawers aren't going to be filled to capacity (if so, I need to make more!) but I want the ones I have to last. Problem is, it appears heavy-duty full-extension slides have a lot of metal in them... and are rather spendy as a result!

I saw the cheap white slides in Tom's book on shop cabinets... which I suppose should be testimony enough in and of itself. I'd still like to hear what the rest of you use.

Thanks,

Monte

[cabinetman]

Unless you opt for the not so cheap white full extension, approximately 3" of the rear of the drawer remains inside the cabinet. Another factor that may apply is if you want minimum clearance between drawers. The white euro's have a wheel at the rear of the drawer member that has to roll up and over a wheel on the front of the cabinet member. You will need clearance for the drawer to be inserted or removed.

Most full extension slides get inserted straight in and are removed straight out. This can allow for minimum clearances between drawers. The rear of the drawer extends out to the front of the cabinet opening for easy access. IOW, full extension means exactly that.

The white euro slides carry the total load of the drawer and its contents on the axles of two wheels. They are quiet, and for general shop use and some kitchen or storage applications they may be what is preferred. Production kitchens like some found at the box stores use them for their low cost factor.

The full extension slides carry the load of the drawer on a series of ball bearings. Well fitted, even the low priced full extension copies of premium brands work very smooth and perform well. I've found little difference requiring the extra expense of a name brand.

The weight capacity listed for most slides is usually for the particular slide in an 18" length.
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[BobSch]

Take a look at the ball-bearing slides from CS Hardware
http://www.cshardware.com/IW_Product..._tree?cat=4031

I just got 20 of them for a shop cabinet. Even the CSH Value 1150 Series is a pretty good slide. At less than $7.50 each, I'm happy.

[RayintheUK]

I use Accuride(TM) stainless steel self-closing full-extension slides and I've been delighted with their performance (100+ lbs. per pair).

Ray.

[mschrank]

If buying in quantities of 10 pairs works for you, it's hard to beat the prices from these guys: http://www.gliderite.com/bearing.htm

I used the #70 series for my shop cabs. They've held up great for over two years now.

[atgcpaul]

I am never satisfied with the Euro slides. They aren't as easy to install and
require too much drawer to drawer clearance for installation. I use the CS
Hardware ball bearing slides and am very happy with them. I also think
3/4 extension is outdated. I being able to get to the very back of the
drawer with a full extension slide.

[steve-norrell]

For a somewhat contrarian opinion:

I use the Euro type slides on the smaller, shallower, upper drawers and the full-extension slides (as in Mike's and Ray's posts) on the larger, deeper, lower drawers. As I rule, I don't really load the upper drawers with anything heaver than a set of router bits. The lower drawers get the heavy stuff like extra routers, sanders, etc. I have not had any problems in about two years of use.

I do agree that the Euro slides would not be the slides of choice for heavy loads. The Euro slides have worked well for me and are a cost-saving measure.

Regards, Steve

[dbhost]

I wish I could recall the MFG and model info, but what I do recall was back when I worked at Ace Hardware, we built a bench for the stock room using some heavy duty full extension, stainless steel ball bearing drawer slides. I would highly recommend that you go with full extension models. The extra reach is well worth the few extra dollars per slide...

For some reason I seem to think the slides we used / carried were made by Amerock. But I only see hinges and knobs / pulls listed on their web site...

You will pat yourself on the back down the road for buying a sturdier slide, those things get a LOT of abuse, and the flimsy contractor grade slides used in cheapo cabinets simply aren't up to the job of even holding up measuring cups and ladles, let alone your power tools...

[pelligrini]

For full extension slides for heavy loads it's much better to go with a higher end product. A few years ago I was having a hard time locating some slides for a 100lb rackmount server. The long (32") ones I really needed were far more than I was willing to spend. I skimped and used some shorter inexpensive ones from Home Depot. I think that ald ALR hex got about 6 pulls out of those slides. There's still little ball bearings rolling around the office. It took me a couple hours to finally get that stuck server out of my cabinet.

Ebay is a good source for used Accuride rails. Accuride is a little more expensive, but well worth the cost.

[milanuk]

Wow! Thanks for the help, everybody!

cabinetman,

Thanks for the info... I hadn't even thought about the way the weight gets supported in that style of drawer slide. The ball-bearing slides sound like a lot better option for drawers that may see heavy use.

As for the CS Hardware and GlideRite slides... holy cow. I don't have the receipt handy, but I would swear I paid something like $20-25 *a pair* for some 50 or 100# rated full-extension slides @ Lowes. Not the 'top shelf' stuff, but not the bargain bin stuff either. That was part of the reason my shop drawers and benches have kind of been put on hold... I was looking at Tom's plans for an 18-drawer cabinet, figuring thats 18 sets @ $20 a set... ouch! $40-60 for 10 sets sounds a whole lot better!

[BobSch]

One thing I noticed with Gliderite is the limited number of sizes. Looks like they've got nothing between 20 and 26 inch.

[mschrank]

One thing I noticed with Gliderite is the limited number of sizes. Looks like they've got nothing between 20 and 26 inch.

You're right....but their inventory fluctuates...sometimes they have slides in 2" increments, sometimes only a few sizes.

[BasementJunkie]

If you like the Accuride, the Hettich Quadro is also very good. I'm using them now in a dresser. They're about 1/2 the cost, and got "Best Value" in Fine Woodworking's review of undermount drawer slides. I got mine from csf hardware. If you (or your library) have the issue, it's worth the read if you want undermount slides.

Kudos to whoever tipped me off to the slides in another post!

[Tom Clark]

Wow! Thanks for the help, everybody!
I was looking at Tom's plans for an 18-drawer cabinet, figuring thats 18 sets @ $20 a set... ouch! $40-60 for 10 sets sounds a whole lot better!

That is why Tom used 18 sets of 22" slides @$3 per set. (Still available at that price from Grizzly) I am still very happy with the results after 15 years. One drawer holds 6 gallons of paints and thinners and works very well. Probably 50 pounds. Another holds nearly a dozen power tools that weigh over 30 lbs. The drawers work very well and roll smoothly.

For the once a year that I have to move something to retrieve a gallon of thinner from the rear of a drawer, I am glad to be a cheapskate.
The only time the 3/4 slides are a pain is in thin drawers such as those 2" thick.

With a hundred drawers in my shop, the full extensions are for rich guys. Wish it was me, but alas…

[ksum]

Has anyone tried shop drawers without manufactured slides, but with the old fashioned wood on wood method? I will be building 27 drawers and was thinking of foregoing slides. I can always tack some UHMW tape to one of the wood strips if it doesn't open properly. Of course, I will have shallow 18" deep drawers too.

Karl