Pine (SPF) drawer slides?

[Puckdropper]

I'm working on building a stand for my CMS, and would like to add some drawers to it. The drawers would be around 3-4" thick, 16" wide and hold miscellaneous tools and random work pieces (you know, that stuff that clutters up your bench when you need to cut a long piece.)

Am I just wasting my time making the slides using pine (1x2s cut from

2x4s)? I know it won't last hundreds of years, but would it be good enough to get me going so I can see how the idea works out? The life span of this project doesn't seem to be beyond 3-4 years max.

Puckdropper

[dadiOH]

Use it, it will last decades beyond 3-4 years.

If you plan to hook up the drawers to automated openers/closers and cycle them at 10 second intervals 24/7, I may change my opinion :)

[scritch]

I'd still look for some hardwood scraps for slides. They will be harder (unless you pick cottonwood) and slide more easily. Hardwood scraps are all over the place, at least smaller bits are. Try finding an old broken chair or sofa, a destroyed old box spring mattress, a hardwood pallet with slats that have reasonably straight grain, etc.

Not only that, unless your 2x4's are really dry, they will shrink up after you install the slides, and maybe warp, too.

No matter what you choose, be sure to apply lots of good wax for the slides, like paste wax, or even candle wax. Don't use toilet mounting wax. I did, and it is too sticky if you don't use the drawers constantly. It has taken quite a while to get the sticky wax worn down to the point where I can apply a harder wax. The toilet ring wax is actually pretty good for driving screws, which is why I had it lying around.

[dadiOH]

FWIW, plywood works fine too.

About 15 years ago I made a down and dirty tool cabinet with 2x4s and 3/4 particle board; it has three tiers with four drawers in each; top two drawers in each tier are 3", bottom two are 5 1/2".

The drawers have a strip of 1/4" x 1" ply attached to their sides. The case has two pieces of ply, same size as on the drawers, for each drawer to capture the drawer piece. They are attached to the PB tier dividers.

Some of the drawers are quite heavy, containing wrenches, log splitters, sockets, etc. All drawers still slide fine.

[StephenM]

I have done it with several projects, always with wax, never a problem.

I say go for it.

-Steve

[Pat Barber]

Save some time and buy the garden variety guides for "about" $7-8

from Home Depot

made are OK, but even the el-cheapo is better than wooden slides in my opinion.

Puckdr> I'm working on building a stand for my CMS, and would like to add some

[Jimbo]

SPF will do just fine for slides. Obviously it is softer so will not have the accuracy of hardwood or steel slides but it will do just fine for prototyping or cheapness or convenience. It will last far longer than you might expect as well. Some of my SPF experiments are still in daily use 10 years later :)

[Lew Hodgett]

IMHO. yes.

Either use 1x3 or 1x4 clear stock or buy metal.

ElCheapos from off shore are maybe $5-$6/Pair.

100 Lb USA for less than $10/pair, if you know how to shop.

SFWIW, I built a bench with 48 drawers using 1x3 as the support lip and let the 1/2 ply drawer sides ride on them.

Built "Strong Like Bull", it is still in service as far as I know.

BTW, I like 6"-12" drawers a lot more than 3"-4" drawers.

Lew

[Puckdropper]

"dadiOH" wrote in news:fh8yl.248330$ [e-mail]:

I hadn't thought about using plywood for the slides. It's usually more dimensionally stable, and would probably be harder. I've got a piece of plywood that is just about the right size to cut down into drawer slides.

Thanks!

Puckdropper

[Puckdropper]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:JIcyl.1800$6%.1714 @nwrddc01.gnilink.net:

I'll have to add some deeper drawers to the bottom. I want the shallow ones for storage of clamps and the like. I found long ago it's not about how much storage space you've got, it's how well your storage space fits the application.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll avoid the 1x2 SPF slides in lieu of something a little more stable.

Puckdropper

[Rick Samuel]

IF you can lay your hands on 15mm BB. Works great. Doesn't cut too much into the size of the drawer, yet allows a runner to be 1/4 " thick. Only able to get it one time, a mistake (?) by the shipper. Russian Birch. At least the shipping container had Russian writing on it.

[Tom Veatch]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that "Russian Birch" was an exterior glue version of "Baltic Birch". Or maybe it was "Finnish Birch" I read about. Or maybe it was something totally unrelated to any of this.

Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA

[Lew Hodgett]

Finnish = exterior glue Russian = interior glue.

Don't ever try to laser cut that Russian crap.

My ex-landlord learned the hard way.

Lew

[dadiOH]

Yep, it will have some of that nice hard end grain. Well, not really hard but much less friable.