drawer slides

[engineerone]

when i made my bench some time ago, i made the bases as two towers.

i then made 4 drawers and tested my dovetailing skills. and mounted them on full extension slides. well 3 of them,

i recently found some shorter ones in b&q, and yesterday, retrofitted one drawer. at which point i stuffed up, :-[and had to take them off and do it again.

i know i should have done it from the get go but.

so two questions how do you guys sort out your initial spacing of drawer slides before you assemble, and what do you use as spacers??

second if you are retroffiting, how do you do it.

one of the problems with getting older is of course you tend to find it more difficult moving around on your hands and knees to fit things. :-[so next time i want to be more efficient and effective.

paul

[9fingers]

I'd stack the drawers on the bench with shims between the fronts and whatever you have handy to keep each drawer level from front to back. You can then measure and cut spacers to fit between the slides. mark/number these in order then fit the bottom runner into the carcase and using the spacers progressively fit the others.
Does this help Paul?

[engineerone]

fingers, typical that suggest you make the drawers to fit the space

i agree that would be the sensible way to do it,
well one. i was just wondering what else was out there


paul

[9fingers]

Sorry Paul, I thought that was the question?
To my mind there are only two ways.
The engineering approach: total reliance on the design, make evrything to the drawings and it is bound to fit.
Or the progressive approach which you are in the middle of: Make part, fit the next part, measure make the next part ,fit and so on.

As an engineer myself migrating into wood, I design using the first approach but then due to mistakes I make being an amateur, end up using the second approach.

Interesting to know what the Pros do though?

One way I have seen 'Norm' use is to make drawer boxes, fit the nominally to the plan and then attached drawer fronts, shimming for final clearances and to get them level & true. Seems a waste to have double thickness fronts to me though.

Bob

[engineerone]

thaks again bob of course you are right, but like you i was just looking for some other ideas

my understanding of the outer front for a drawer is two fold,
firstly to hide any mistakes in the drawer making itself, and second to allow you to use a less stable or matching wood from that actually in the drawer carcase.

paul

[mrgrimsdale]

Drawing up a rod is quickest and easiest as usual. If you cut it to length you could just pop it into the carcase and take marks straight off it.

cheers
Jacob

[dom]

Huh, look at this.

Jacob I agree