# adjustable drawer slides



## 12penny

Good morning all.

I'm in the design phase of a small pantry project. Currently just your typical pantry, more like a small closet with food in it.

My thoughts are to build a base cabinet 48" or so tall with pull out drawers/shelves. I'd like these drawers/shelves to be easily adjustable, up/down. 

Now my question is, does anyone make a drawer slide that utilizes, oh say, shelf pin holes? Some way to make it easy for the home owner to change the depth of each pull out shelf. I've been thru the Blum catalog and didnt see anything. Not saying it isnt there, just didnt see it. Ideally, I'd like a heavy duty roller slide.

Thanks for your help.


Blake


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## cabinetman

I've had to do that in the past. Drawer slides have to be secure to the side of the cabinet, or some kind of framing. Shelf pin holes would allow too much free play.

What I did was to use ordinary 100 LB full extension slides and mount them to a strip of 3/4" wood 2" tall, and the length of the slide. I make a template for spacing, which is just a piece of pegboard or any substrate. I mark the bottom and front of the pegboard, and a left and right side to it.

I lay the template on the wood to get a layout for three holes front to back to mount the wood to the cabinet. I drill a hole through the wood at the three locations. The holes can be along the area above where the slide sits.

Then I pick the vertical adjustment intervals I want...could be every 2"-3", or whatever. Using the template on one side drill out the holes for each level of adjustment. Then just move it to the other side and do the same thing.

Then drill all the holes in the cabinet sides and drill the appropriate hole size for threaded inserts. With this layout the strip of wood with the slide attached can be moved with just three bolts. They could be hex head, or pan head/phillips, and washers. It seems like a fire drill to move them, but the average homeowner doesn't have a problem.












 







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## 12penny

Good idea c-man. I knew you'd have something.

Brings up a couple new questions, but let me do my research first.

Thanks


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## jschaben

That does sound like a good idea but, unless I'm missing something, you will loose a 1-1/2" of drawer width.


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## 12penny

Undermount...havent had a chance to look yet. Maybe later.


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## Bo Jake

Hey, good instructions cabinetman. I've never had this application before but it is a very interesting thought of craft. I looked at the process and wondered why would it be necessary to mount the extention slides to the 3/4" plywood strips? If you set the intervals for the threaded inserts directly on the cabinet sides to mount the slides to the cabinet instead, seems this would save a little space and less wood work. I may be over looking something, just a thought.
I do like your old school.


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## cabinetman

Bo Jake said:


> Hey, good instructions cabinetman. I've never had this application before but it is a very interesting thought of craft. I looked at the process and wondered why would it be necessary to mount the extention slides to the 3/4" plywood strips? If you set the intervals for the threaded inserts directly on the cabinet sides to mount the slides to the cabinet instead, seems this would save a little space and less wood work. I may be over looking something, just a thought.
> I do like your old school.


At the time I found that the bolts (machine screws) used for the threaded inserts have heads too large to fit the slides so there's no interference in movement. I didn't have the time or access to a variety of inserts or machine screw sizes. It's possible an 8-32 insert used with a flat head phillips machine screw may work, but I haven't tried it.

Using the strip of wood in conjunction with face frames, sets the slide out 3/4". When used with frameless cabinets, the drawer will clear the door when the door is at 90 degrees to the cabinet.


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## awoodman

Adjustable slides for a pantry...Dado slots every couple inches and mount the dadoed strips toward the back of the cabinet and on the backside of the face frame...Mount slides to 3/4'' strips that slide into the dadoed strips...


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## [email protected]

> Adjustable slides for a pantry...Dado slots every couple inches and mount the dadoed strips toward the back of the cabinet and on the backside of the face frame...Mount slides to 3/4'' strips that slide into the dadoed strips...


So if I'm getting this right - you just remove the rollout, pull the 2 guides (mounted to the plywood strips) out of the slots and slide them in at the new height - no tools required.

Neat idea. How narrow a face frame can you get away with with this technique?


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## Gus Dering

Here is how we do the adjustable roll out trays. We use Blum Tandums with their under mount bracket and fasten them to a adjustable shelf. The shelf is kept from tipping forward with the locking shelf pins shown. If they are in a face frame cabinet, the frame keeps the shelf from sliding forward. In a frameless cabinet we put a couple screws up into the bottom of the shelf at the front clips.

I see that this is a picture of an old clip. The one we use is very similar but has a slot in the bench for the screw to lock it.

I have tried all types of different methods before this one and I find that this is by far the quickest and easiest way to handle this issue,


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## awoodman

[email protected] said:


> So if I'm getting this right - you just remove the rollout, pull the 2 guides (mounted to the plywood strips) out of the slots and slide them in at the new height - no tools required.
> 
> Neat idea. How narrow a face frame can you get away with with this technique?


 
The face frame doesn't matter.. but on concealed hinges the bottom roll-out has to clear it so that can determine the width of you're drawer opening.


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## GeorgeC

"It seems like a fire drill to move them, but the average homeowner doesn't have a problem"

Are you sure of that? I am betting that the "average" homeowner does not have the tools to do that, let alone the intelligence.

Actually I cannot see the average homeowner being proficient with any type of moveable drawers.

George


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## joey123

GeorgeC said:


> "It seems like a fire drill to move them, but the average homeowner doesn't have a problem"
> 
> Are you sure of that? I am betting that the "average" homeowner does not have the tools to do that, let alone the intelligence.
> 
> Actually I cannot see the average homeowner being proficient with any type of moveable drawers.
> 
> George


Geez.
This should be in a sticky.
I never thought of woodworkers having unbearably massive egos......until now.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You misspelled 'movable'.


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## MT Stringer

joey123 said:


> Geez.
> This should be in a sticky.
> I never thought of woodworkers having unbearably massive egos......until now.
> 
> Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You misspelled 'movable'.


Nice first post. Welcome to the forum. :thumbdown:


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## Rebelwork

I just use these. Make adjustable holes in the sides as you would for adjustable shelves according to the specs of the sllde drawer spacer. This works for euro or framed cabinets. Will also clear concealed hinges.

http://www.cshardware.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=slide+drawer+spacer


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## ryan50hrl

joey123 said:


> Geez.
> 
> This should be in a sticky.
> 
> I never thought of woodworkers having unbearably massive egos......until now.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You misspelled 'movable'.



Ironic as just yesterday he was chastising someone for their long paragraphs.


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## epicfail48

Did someone dig up a 4 year old dead thread just to chastise another member for being a bit of a jerk? Seems a little pointless to me, especially for a new members first post


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## joey123

I'm ok with anyone not liking my first post. Don't worry. I don't frequent these things anyway. 

I would like to put sliding drawers and shelves in cabinets drilled for adjustable shelves. I came upon this thread while looking for a better solution than the one I had. This link was the one result that actually had a few practical solutions with pictures rather than just a no-nothing useless description from bloggers looking for clicks.

The first page of my first visit to your community had an insult levied across the board at 'average homeowner'. The 'average homeowner' doesn't have the intelligence to remove a drawer and six screws for adjustment? I'd bet almost any school-age child could handle it with verbal instructions.

I'm under the impression the OP was referring to his customers adjusting the drawers, not the fabricating the system. _"... It seems like a fire drill to move them, but the average homeowner doesn't have a problem." _


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## Rebelwork

joey123 like or disliking one's post can often be misread or written in such a way it is clearly misunderstood. 

Sit back, do some searching,ask some questions and use the forum for its intended purpose. Eventually make some friends on here and contribute when you feel its helpful.:yes:


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