Sliding dovetail drawer guides

[Al in MT]

I'm making a limited space cabinet for the bathroom and want to put 2 drawers in the top part with sliding dovetails. Only 7" deep but I want the drawers to open 100%+. I have the 3 pieces (including the drawer side) figured to slide out but not sure how to make the center slide to stop midway. I'm sure it can be done but this senior brain hasn't figured it out yet. Anyone here done this? SWMBO has been on me since we moved to Libby, MT from Longview, WA. A bigger cabinet would be nice but I'd have to knock out a wall to my office, no way. Thanks for any idea's. A pic on ABPW would be nice. Al in MT [e-mail]

[resrfglc]

"A pic on ABPW would be nice."

YOU SAID IT!

What are you building? Dimensions? Wall Cabinet? Base Cabinet? Sink base?

One version of bathroom sink bases I've seen puts a drawer at the bottom of the cabinet (below the pipes - waste and supply) and door(s) above.

"Full Extension" drawer slides are available for standard depth drawers in base cabinets - but I've not seen any for a seven-inch deep (front to back) drawer!

Likely there are lots of solutions once one can visualize what it is you are attempting to construct.

[Al in MT]

Cabinet is 29" wide x 32" high and only 7 1/2" deep. Next to a pedestal sink. I want 2 drawers in upper part 4" high and about 12" wide. Lower part will be divided to store tp and shelves for hair dryer, curling iron, etc. Women stuff! Using mostly Alder and may do top and trim with Cherry or Butternut. Al in MT

[BobS]

Al,

Used to live in Great Falls - really Big Sky country! If I understand you correctly, you're looking for a way to stop the drawer when it is fully extended - correct?

One of the simplest methods is a screw and a small rectangle of wood. Screw this to the backside of the drawer back. When the drawer is pulled out, the small block of wood will hit the top rail over the drawer and stop the drawer from going any further. When you want to remove the drawer, simply rotate the block down out of the way to clear the rail.

You may want to take a look at the Stickley site

and look at their demo's/plant tours to see how they make drawer slides.

Bob S.

[Al in MT]

Forgot to mention that I don't want to buy drawer guides, I like all wood.

[Al in MT]

Great site, Bob. Thank you for leading me to it. If I live long enough I might get half as good.

[J. Clarke]

I think he's trying to make a wooden full-extension slide.

[John Cochran]

If I understand you, you want to make a full extension drawer slide out of wood.

I assume that you have a dovetail machined in the drawer and a dovetail machined in the carcass of the cabinet. I also assume that you have the slide with a bow-tie cross section that fits into the two dovetails.

If all of the above assumptions are correct, consider creating a groove that extends half the length of the slide on each side of the slide and then using a pin in the drawer that fits into the groove and a pin in the carcass that fits in the other groove. The pin would prevent the slide from moving more than half its length so as to support the drawer.

[John L. Poole]

Tolpin, Jim; The Toolbox Book, (Taunton Press, Newton, CT 1998) ISBN

1-56158-272-7 features a tool chest designed by Karen Robertson where she created all-wood extension slide systems for the drawers, there is a page and half sidebar titled "Making and all-wood, full-extension slide", that should prove useful (pp. 48-49).

[Joe Bemier]

This is what I do also.

What is the actual meaning of "Big Sky Country".....?

[resrfglc]

using

a point of departure, a "wooden full extension" mechanism would appear to require a "floating slide" between cabinet and drawer that world be captured at the cabinet side after four inches or so of extension (stopped dovetail groove(s) in cabinet side of floating slide) with a similar approach to the drawer side and drawer.

If the floating slide and the dovetail rails were made of that slippery plastic stock it would be relatively simple to "machine" with woodworking tools and withstand the moisture-laden environment of a lady's bath.

Bulky, to be sure, but eschewing metal drawer slides which can be made strong and (relatively) thin, leaves few alternatives.

[Al in MT]

Thank you all for you're input. Believe I have it figured out how to make Full extension drawer slides with wood now. I'll be using hard maple for the slides and if I planned it right, shouldn't lose more then 1/2 inch in width of both drawers.

I'll post pics when I get far enough in assembly. Thanks again, Al in MT.

[Mark & Juanita]

Maybe a bit late to this,but why do you need slides rather than simply guides let into the sides of the drawers with a corresponding guide on the side of the cabinet? You can still use the stop methodology recommended by others (block with screw at back of drawer), but you only lose the reveal width of the drawer.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[Al in MT]

That would probably be the easiest way to go buuuutt, I'm one of the guys that like to go an extra step and make things difficult for myself. With a

1 inch overhang on top and drawers only 7 1/4 " deep I wanted them to come out all the way so she can get to small things in the back with out having to completely remove the drawers.

Another method to my madness is that if I can perfect a good all wood full extension slide I'll use them on future projects. On most of my projects I use a lot of dovetails (Incra Jig Ultra), dowels and biscuts with lots of glue and clamping. Hate screws and nails. Last year I made a cradle for, at that time, a future Gdaughter out of Butternut. Not one screw or nail and it's now being used for a Great Gaughter. Not a loose joint anywhere. It was posted on ABPW.

Thanks and Happy Holidays to All, Al in MT

[Joe Gorman]

Take a look at this article

remember skimming over the article when that issue came out but didn't follow through the calculations. Joe