MDF and drawer slides ?

[Hoyt Weathers]

I have full slab of 3/4 MDF from which to cut vertical sides to support the 24" Accuride 3832 slides for the drawers under my new WB.

There will be 4 of these side pieces.

Each will be about 31" high and 29" long.

Two verticals will go into each opening below the support structure for the WB.

Each of a pair of verticals will be installed // with no taper front to back.

I have only one shot to finish or not to finish the MDF.

I am considering sealing only the edges all around with wall compound and forget the inner and outer surfaces. It is a work bench after all.

1. Am I headed in the right direction as far as the MDF is concerned?
2. Should I mount all of the appropriate half of the slides to the MDF before I install the MDF? I think I can attach those parts better with the MDF flat on my WB than after the sides are already attached to the vertical supports. There is not much room under the WB for me to get my 6'-3" hunk in there.

I think one advantage of working with the MDF on top of my WB is that I can register the two MDF sides and drill very tiny holes all the way through for the first and last screws for each slide. Then I plan to install all slides and insert the remaining screws for each slide. That way, I only need to pay keen attention when installing the two sides in register against the vertical supports.

Is that a viable plan? Any better one?

I will appreciate any helpful suggestions.

Regards to All in This House,

Hoyt W.

[JLucas ILS]

Those are deep drawers and therefore heavy...with or without content. MDF starts to show its weakness in joinery in this type of application. You are asking a lot of the screws holding the glides and for the corners. Go ahead and do it but be aware that it may not make it to "antique days." Make two drawers of half the dpeth would help as would making drawers out of good plywood.

[Hoyt Weathers]

Perhaps I gave the wrong impression. I am not making the drawers *with* MDF. The drawers will be made with dovetailed and glued walnut fronts and oak sides and backs and 1/4" B.B. ply bottoms.

The MDF, in this application, is used only to *support* the drawers. Therefore the MDF would be in shear - as far as the screws are concerned. Perhaps "shear" is not the proper term for screw pull-out resistance.

It is possible that I missed your point. If so, please have at me once again.

Regards, Hoyt W.

[Robert Bonomi]

*good* idea! Otherwise you have to shim the shelf slides. DAMHIKT. :)

I won't say you're wrong. Me, I'm _paranoid_ (or I would be, but I'm short a noid :), so _I_ would put some sort of a seal-coat on all the surfaces. Particularly if things were in a high-humidity environment.

Any sort of cheap polyurethane, shellac, or whatever. Water-based (i.e. latex) paint is not a good idea. Oil-based is O.K. The local BORG usually have 'returns' -- where somebody didn't like the color, or something similar. at real cheap prices. Circa $4/gallon.

I've been known to use a 2nd piece of material on the inside of the carcass. carefully (procedurally similar to what you describe) pre-mounting all the slides to this 'inner' piece. Then I _clamp_ these pieces in place to the carcass and test-fit the drawers. Adjusting the sides, as needed, to get things right. *Then* I fasten the inner liner to the carcass. Then comes the _last_ step -- remove the clamps.

Getting the slides parallel, square, and *matching* the other side -- when the 'liner' piece is out on the workbench is a _lot_ easier than trying to do things _inside_ the cabinet.

Being able to raise/lower and/or *rotate* (as in 'raise the front, while lowering the back) the entire liner against the carcass makes the final positioning a whole lot less of a hassle. It does come at a cost, however. You do suffer a reduction in the 'usable width' of the drawer space.

[Hoyt Weathers]

Thank you for your helpful reply Robert. As for the usable width, the present I.D. between the two vertical support legs is 24 & 3/16 inches ( 61.44 cm ). That is 4bys to 4bys. Ergo, I have ample room for the width of the drawers.

Regards, Hoyt W.

[JLucas ILS]

Hoyt, I clearly misinjterpreted your question. As for haning the slides to the MDF case, it is done all the time. I like to use sheet metal screws 8 x 5/8" - a very aggressive thread. Of course, if you have face framed the case, then you will have to build out the rail support accordingly.

[Hoyt Weathers]

J, do the heads of those threads interfere at all with the movement of the slides? I assume they do not or you would not have said what you did. The 5/8 inchers sound just right to me. I do not want them peeping through the other side. The aggressive thread should be the best for MDF I think.

I will not be building a case per se. I will just install the two vertical sides into the two spaces below the WB.

No face framing will be involved and the drawers will not be lipped. The front edges of the MDF will be covered with some veneer tape or something similar such as a very thin strip of walnut epoxied to the MDF. I do understand what you are saying though. Thanks.

Hoyt W.