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Euro-Style. For drawers that won't be supporting a lot of weight, the epoxy-painted, Euro-style slide is an inexpensive answer. At $5 - 6 a pair, they may be all you need. Chances are you already have some of these in your house. They're the standard, two-piece slide used on kitchen drawers. Euro-style slides are popular not only for their low cost, but also for ease of installation. As you can see in the illustration below and the photo on the opposite page, they have a lip on the edge, making alignment with the drawer bottom automatic. To top it off, they're available in a variety of colors. Nylon Wheels. The downside of this type of slide is that it travels on nylon wheels. And while they're advertised to handle loads up to 75 lbs., they won't have a very long life under that load. Another limitation of the Euro-style slide is that it only offers \ travel. That is, it only opens far enough to expose part of the inside of the drawer. Ball Bearing Slides. For some applications, a 3/4-travel slide may be enough. But the problem comes when the drawer needs to support a lot of weight, like those in most cabinets in a shop. In that case, I turn to side-mounted, ball bearing slides. Commonly available in zinc-plated steel, black, or white enamel paint finishes, these slides are about twice the cost of the Euro-style slides. But the steel ball bearings can handle a load up to 100 lbs. for many years to come. ▲ Design Differences. The Euro-style slide (left) uses a nylon wheel rolling on the cabinet-side track. The ball bearing slides (right) support the weight of the drawer on a set of stainless steel bearings. Disconnect. A simple plastic lever is used to remove the drawer from SIDE VIEW release has built-in "spring" %-travel slide Full-extension slide Over-travel slide J Full-Extension, Let's face it, most of the time a %-travel slide just isn't enough. Usually, you want to be able to see the contents of the entire drawer. And a full-extension slide allows you to do just that. This is possible because the slide is a three-piece assembly that telescopes out to the full length of the drawer. You can compare that design to the Euro-style slide in the illustrations below. Stainless steel ball bearings make for smooth travel and ensure solid performance over the years. You can expect to pay $12-15 for a pair. Over Travel. For some applications a full-extension slide doesn't go quite far enough. For instance, if you have a cabinet with a top that extends past the front face of the cabinet (like with a typical still won't pull out far enough to get to the very back of the drawer. Over- travel slides solve this problem by extending past the front of the cabinet. They only offer an extra inch of travel, but that may make a difference for some applications. For example, file drawers often feature an over-travel slide. They can handle the weight and offer access to the very last file. Once again, the construction here is a three-piece steel body with steel ball bearings. And they're priced between $17-20 per set. After you've chosen the right slide, you're halfway home. On the following pages, I'll show you an easy technique for installing them. countertop), a full-extension slide ▲ Extension Options. Different slide designs offer easy access to all or part of the inside of a drawer. stainless steel ball bearings |
