Popular Woodworking 2003-08 № 135, страница 45
About the Slides Under-mount slides are more common and less expensive - about half the price of side-mount slides. They're easy to position and mount on the drawer box and have enough adjustability to make installation pretty foolproof. These slides allow you to open the drawer three-quarters of the way out of the cabinet, which means you'll still end up digging around at the back of the drawer. But under-mount slides are attractive, smooth-running, quiet and very affordable. Many side-mount slides let you pull the drawer box clear of the cabinet (these are called "full-extension slides"), making the entire drawer accessible. The side-mount slides also allow a little better use of the cabinet space because they require less clearance room to install or remove the drawer. They're also available in higher weight-holding capacities, which make them pop ular for use with larger drawers. Both can be used in either face-frame cabinetry (cabinets that have a solid-wood picture frame placed over the opening, forming a lip around the front edge of the cabinet) or frameless European cabinets (cabinets with no front lip, allowing maximum use of the interior space). Installation Tips While many of the slide manufacturers are more helpful than my former shop foreman by including installation instructions with their slides, the information is superficial and won't provide everything you need to know for easy installation. The following photos and text provide information for installing both under-mount and side-mount slides in both frameless and face-frame cabinets. These basics will simplify the leap to more advanced hardware (such as pocket doors, for example). The photos walk you through installing the top drawer in a cabinet. If your cabinet has only a top drawer (with a door below) you're in great shape. If you need a bank of drawers, here are some additional tips you need to know. How Many and How Big? Start by determining the amount of interior height available in the cabinet, then determine how many drawers you need. When deciding the number and use of your drawers, remember that drawer interiors usually should be no shallower than 2" and no deeper than 10". Next, take this interior drawer dimension and add 1/2", which is typically the part of the drawer that is not usable space: the bottom itself and the space below the bottom. Now add the necessary clearance space above and below the drawer. The amount of space is determined by the type of slide (as discussed with the pho tos). Generally V2" of space below the drawer is adequate and V2" to 11/2" above is typical. Using the above formula, your 2" lap drawer will require 4" of space when using an under-mount slide. With the drawer heights now in hand, mark them out on your cabinet's interior side, then work backwards to locate the correct slide-mounting locations. Double-checking your math is easy once the slides are on the drawers themselves. When installing multiple drawers of the same height, a template can save time. Use a piece of H"-thick plywood that is cut to the height of the necessary drawer space. Then mark and drill the location holes for the cabinet slides in the template. By placing the template on the floor of the cabinet then moving up the side, you can quickly drill the pilot holes for all your slides. You're now ready to tackle drawer slides without fear! SOME BASIC DRAWER SLIDES i* a KNAPE & VOGT KV1805 - $3 to $6.50 - A nice under-mount, ^-extension, epoxy-coated slide, 75 lb. rating • • • BLUM B230M - $4 to $5.50 - nearly identical to the above, 100 lb. rating KNAPE & VOGT KV8417 - $11.50 to $15 - full-extension, self-closing, 100 lb. rating Mounting tab forshimmi www.popwood.com 43 |
