Adding Drawer Slides To A Old Hutch?

[DerbyDad03]

My daughter picked up this hutch at a garage sale and asked me to re-purpose it as a kitchen island.

The slats from the top section have been moved to the back of the base to give it a finished look. The base will be painted to match her kitchen table and topped with a butcher block counter top slab.

The problem is the drawers. Right now they just slide on wooden rails with no stops and nothing to keep them from shifting side to side when in use.

The drawers are 1/4" narrower that the drawer opening, so retrofitting side mount slides seems out of the question. There is 3/4" of space from the bottom of the drawer box to the drawer bottom, so I think undermount slides might work, but I've never installed an undermount slide.

Will undermount slides work in this situation? I assume that there are different mounting methods for undermount slides, so based on the drawer construction and rails shown in the above images, is there a specifc type of mounting method I should be looking for or need to make? (I've used Swingman's side mount slide frames, so I assume that there are tricks for undermount slides also)

If it matters, the distance from the front face of the rail in the rear of the base to the rear face of the front rail is 11.5". The inside depth of the drawers is 13.5" so that when they are closed, they extend over the top of the rear rail by about 1/8".

Any suggestions for upgrading these drawers would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Leon]

I would strongly suggest going to the manufacturer web site and down loading the installation instructions to the particular under mount slide you are considering. Under mount slides need for the drawer to built to specific dimensions including the recess area under the bottom of the drawer. Additionally under mounts tend to require a shallower drawer for clearance when you insert and remove the drawer.

In the long run you may have to, and it might be easier to build new drawers to spec. And if you go that route a side mount drawer slide would be more economical and might be easier to install.

[Sonny]

Maybe, rather than build new drawers, to accommodate undermount slides, is it feasible or practical to attach/glue inside side-panels, to the inside o f the sides of the drawers (making the sides thicker), then rabbet the outs ide of the sides, to accommodate side-mount slides?

I don't suppose this adding of 2 boards, to each side of the drawer's inter ior, will take away too much space from inside the drawer space.

Sonny

[dpb]

On 06/04/2017 9:47 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

I used the K-V version of these (didn't find the exact part right off the bat, sorry) to replace the old nylon roller ones Dad put in the cabinets here (I built the frames and doors but had to go back home before the drawers were built/hung).

They need 1/4" between the drawer bottom and the side rail bottom (not the bottom of the face) but the side clearance is immaterial. The are rated 50 lb; on a wide drawer I'd use two.

There is not, afaik, any way to make these with full-travel so you do have to live with that, or, if there's extra depth in the cabinet, a longer slide.

I find them quite satisfactory performers albeit not the "cream of the crop" in newer, self-close, over-travel, etc., etc., etc., ... that would find in high-end work, granted. But, they (the K-V version, anyway) roll quietly and have no slop, etc., so you don't think "cheap slides!" when open/close a drawer.

It did save (or at least put off) building new drawers here and this kitchen is so cramped for space that even reducing the drawer with enough to use 3/4" side material and the necessary clearance would make a noticeable reduction in available storage so that's just not an option. Doesn't look like you'd be that limited there, but would save the drawers...

[hubops]

On some of the Lee Valley web pages - you can click on the highlighted "Instr" link - to see the detailed installation instructions. Here's an example :

Some products just rely on the description text to relate the info :

John T.

[dpb]

On 06/04/2017 12:00 PM, dpb wrote: ...

Well, it _would_ help to at least include that product link, wouldn't it??? :)

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks. I'll look into those

[DerbyDad03]

s it feasible or practical to attach/glue inside side-panels, to the inside of the sides of the drawers (making the sides thicker), then rabbet the ou tside of the sides, to accommodate side-mount slides?

erior, will take away too much space from inside the drawer space.

That is not a bad suggestion. I'll look into that. When I built the new dra wers for the kitchen, I was able to use the existing runners to sit Swingman's frame on. The same situation would apply here.

[DerbyDad03]

I was going to ask about the link. ;-)

Thanks!

[DerbyDad03]

The words my daughter used were something like...

"Hey Dad, could you throw a coat of paint on this and add a top?"

I'm still working on shimming and trimming out the back to make it presentable. Now I gotta make new drawers? Heck, I should have started from scratch. :-)

[dadiOH]

I realize that most people these days can't imagine a drawer without a mechanical slide. I'm not among them. If it were me, I would...

1. Pack out the drawer spaces so that it was only 1/16 more than drawer width rather than 1/4".
2. Apply "slick tape" to the cabinet members upon which the drawers ride.

There are also drawer rollers in myriad styles which can be easily attached to drawers and/or carcase.

[DerbyDad03]

Some people these days can't imagine a car without power steering. Pretty soon some people won't be able to imagine a car that can't park itself. Technology advances and people employ (and enjoy) it.

I lived with wooden rails for 50+ years until I decided to build new kitchen drawers and use side mount rails. One way works, the other is a pleasure to use.

...or add slides. ;-)

In order of my preference, from worst to first:

3 - Wooden rails 2 - Roller slides 1 - Full extension, soft close, ball bearing slides

[dpb]

On 06/04/2017 3:42 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

...

It's _possible_ to build a carcase housing for drawers that also are a pleasure to use, but it's fine furniture work, not cabinetry, to do so and the type of use a kitchen cabinet drawer gets makes the mechanicals much more the attractive option, agreed.

[DerbyDad03]

...and even more so on a older piece that never had the tight fitting drawers or (insert lubricating method here) that would have prevented the wear and tear over the years. Properly maintained, wooden rails can last for centuries, but even a few years of neglect can render them "mechanical ready".

If this was something other than a garage sale piece (and it's definitely not a diamond-in-the-rough find) I might consider maintaining it's original features. As it is, I just want to make it easier for my daughter to use and to get a few more years out of the drawers.

[whit3rd]

As I see it, the only easy refit those drawers can take, is a T rail overhead and a sliding plastic fitting that screws to the drawer back.

Something like this:

[Leon]

You cannot knock drawers with out mechanical slides, you just need for them to fit properly. I have built 2 pieces of furniture in the past 5 years that together have 31 draws that have no mechanical slides. The drawers can only have 1" remaining inside the cabinet and will remain in place with out a helping hand. But, drawers with out mechanical slides should not be overloaded.

[DerbyDad03]

I wasn't knocking them. Please see my response to dpb. I believe that I more or less said the same thing as you with regards to proper fit.

In this situation (the hutch) the quality fit that you employ doesn't exist, and never did.