I’m in the process of building a new bench for the shop and I was wondering what everybody found to be the best type of slides for the drawers. I don’t know if I should use regular cabinet slides or wood slides screwed to the sides?
I saw a few different cabinets on here and they have nice drawers but I don’t know what kind of slides they have. I don’t know if the wood slides are strong enough to support drawers if the blocks are glued and screwed.
Thanks for the help. Jeremy
Headstrong, I’ll take on anyone!
Replies
Metal cabinet slides are for civilians. Humpfff! Wood is the only proper thing for a workbench. THIS IS NOT Herman Miller land :-)
Imagine your decendents proudly showing off the bench
with metal slides....
Besides, you'll be happier.
BB
Will they slide as easily on wood as on glides?
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
Probably not - at least not without parafin etc once in a while. If you want good, Samson and Woodman are both right as are the brands mentioned. I suppose it depends on the quality and tradition of the bench you are building. For ease, I suppose go modern.BB
Love my accurides. Easy to install - strong - smooth.
As for the purists - I'd like my decedents to show off my furniture, not my utility drawers.
I used accuride but if I were to do it again I would use the Blum Tandem (or similar undermount slide). I used those Tandem slides in my kitchen and love the concealed look and the self closing mechanism.
My choice too,just made bench with those,very nice.
(Blum Tandem )
FWIW, here's a simple rolling cart I made using accuride slides. Easiest thing in the world to made a baltic birch box and make some drawers to fit it:
View Image
The bottom drawer has a Stanley 5, 41/2, 4, 3, 40, and other planes in it and still slides easily.
Nice cart, Sampson. I have a store-bought plastic version that I use all the time, but it sure would be nice to have a sturdier one like yours that I built myself. Hmm, that may just be my next shop project . . .
That's a decision only you can make. On my bench, I'd base it on what the bench looks like. If it's plywood slapped together with screws and purely utilitarian, side mount full-extension slides. On a nicer bench like the one I'm currently building (http://flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!2B3CECCE825F255A!423.entry), I didn't want the slides to be visible. I found some nice full extension bottom mount concealed slides but couldn't bear to pay $35/pair. There were 3/4 extension bottom mount concealed slides for about $5 a pair, but I really wanted full extension. So I have decided on wood on wood. Classy, full extension, customized.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
beautiful crotchwood, excellent use of the material. thanks for sharing.
I remember reading somewhere recently that ball bearing type slides in a workshop setting will clog up with time due to dust etc. The writer was recommending using simple, epoxy coated, side mounted, nylon wheel slides because they are easy to blow out with air as needed. Ive used this type for years in my shop and they have never failed or given any problems EXCEPT for the inability to get full drawer extension. Unless I saw a need for strength or tremendous heavy use I;d opt to save my money and spend it elsewhere.
Let the size and weight capacity of the drawers dictate the best slide system for this application . Smaller drawers even though they will not be full extension are fine with wood slides . I have wood on short saw table / work bench drawer boxes and while I have pulled them out too far a few times , it can be done and they can last a life time .
dusty
Hey Jeremy,
Check out FW issue 143 (July-Aug 2000). It has a good article on how to make some nice wooden slides. I have made more than a dozen sets based on this design and I love them. I'm in the process right now of making 5 more sets for a roll-a-round cabinet. They are full extension and can be sized to meet whatever load you plan to put on them. While they may not slide as easily as metal rollers, they are a whole lot cheaper and, after all, this is what woodworking is about. Just put a little parafin wax on the sliding parts. They do require a little precision cutting in order to work smoothly without binding or being too sloppy. A router table helps.
Good luck,
Bill
i had the same dilemma. i built a bench from a plan set that also included plans for drawers. the plan drawers used wood slides in dados. since i was just getting started i was a little bit hesitant to leap right into dados and such. but i priced out the store bought slides and realized if i can make it, i'm saving that much more for tools and other supplies. so i took the plunge and not a problem. you may be much more experienced than i was at the time but it was good experience for me. i thought how bad can i mess up bench drawers. it's just cut to the line. since i don't fill them up with 50 pounds of nails, they work fine. by the way, i'm the type that takes pride in everyting i make. i've been known to run through the house showing off a perfect 90 degree miter cut.
Thanks for the tips. I will probably make them out of wood. But that project got put on hold. I just got 8 1x6x90 boards of cherry. My new fly tying desk is now on the front burner. I will get a 4x8 sheet of cherry ply for the top and edge it with solid cherry. The drawers will be 1/2 pine with solid cherry drawer fronts. I need this done so in Jan, Feb and March I can tie at night when it's to cold to be out in the shop. I will play with a work bench in the cold.
Jeremy
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
I went with wooden slides, simply so that the drawers can be opened from either side of the bench. Simple but effective. No matter how well I plan, it seems the tool I need is always behind the board that's clamped and sitting on the deadman.
I like that idea. I may use that.
Jeremy
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
Edited 9/9/2008 4:29 pm ET by Jemcon
Not my idea but you're welcome to it, I saw it in the Scott Landis "Workbenches" book and haven't regretted it.
Cheers,
Pete
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled