Thread: Drawer runner advice needed

Stick with wood is my recommendation HPF. Why would mechanical runners be better ? More reach, as in they come out further ? Or easier to fit? They look horrible I reckon. Depends on how nice the style of the units are maybe.

These are the cheapest type and easy to fit.

Cabinet Drawers 101 - Part I - YouTube

Cabinet Drawers 101 - Part II - YouTube

Or you can buy more expensive ones that allow the drawer to open fully.

How To Install Drawer Slides The Easy Way - YouTube

Running on wood is not such an issue other than the opening depth. The main advantage of mechanical drawer runners / slides is for high use drawers.

Wood is easily repairable with a quick trim by router and adding a new slip. One trick my Dad introduced me too was the use of Formica / Laminex strips on both the drawer bottom and runner as long wearing strips for high use drawers. However the ease of repair is very dependent upon the design and construction - as a maker we can control that.

Another old makers trick is to use "greasy" woods for the runners.

Another thing I don't always see with traditional wooden drawer construction is keeping the height of the back lower than the side, this is to allow the air out when closing the drawer.

I like wood runners, always put plenty of lube on them so choice of wood is not such a big issue.[lube often is the trick]

I have used both, but agree with some of the comments here.

In a kitchen runners are the way to go. I do like my soft close kitchen runners.

Everywhere else I use wooden drawers, because they are still functional and because I reckon they look better.

Good Morning Huon Pine Fan

I agree with Auscab et al that wooden runners look best in a presentation area such as side tables.

Ten years ago I renovated our kitchen as as practice I built an 18 drawer unit for my workshop and trialled every type of drawer runner that I could find. My conclusions, all very subjective, were:

• Single extension runners are a waste of space, you cannot access backs of drawers,
• Blum under drawer runners were best,
• Hettich side runners were a close second,
• Blum side runners were a close third,
• Other European runners were all good, but too close to Blum and Hettich in price,
• The Chinese made silver full extension ball-bearing side runners sold by both Blum and Hettich agents were very good value for money (then ~$15 pair),
• The powder coated runners sold by Big-Chains were a crap product and grossly over priced.

Over ten years later, I have not changed my mind, but products available may have changed.

My recommendation to the OP is simple, with one caveat. Decent furniture like sofa side tables should have wooden runners - metal ones belong in kitchens, and maybe office furniture. The caveat is your wood species. If the drawers/carcass are a softer wood, use hardwood strips for the contact surfaces. (That's my standard practice - a section set in the carcass, and a strip about 3mm thick glued to the bottom of the drawer sides when needed.) Simple, quick, cheap. Wax them once a year, or more if the drawers get sticky. I've used rubbing a bar of soap on the drawer runners before to good effect. They'll last your lifetime and then some. No issues with dust in the bearings, no jamming because something has broken in the mechanism, maximum use of available space.

Thanks all for your unanimous comments.
Who am I to go against such combined wisdom?
My thoughts on sliders/runners are now a thing of the past.
Thanks again.

Depending on what your plans says to do I suppose .

This is what I do most of the time.
I like installing wooden runners while the top of the unit is still off. Just because it gives better results.

Gluing the runners in so they are not twisting . If you just put a square off the front legs to get a point at the back on each side then look across the front rail to the back to see if those two points are on the same plane as the front rail. Just trusting the square here can be wrong because the whole frame can be slightly twisted from when you glued t up. Its a pretty common, slight problem.
The carcase twist , If its there, can be corrected when leveling up the drawer front to the carcase later. This generally can be more of a problem when doing longer units with three or more drawers. like 7 foot wide units. But it does happen with smaller units .

Then I make the drawers, fit them, and sit it in position in the carcase. Because the top is still off I can get very accurate markings for the guides , I have an extended pencil for this task . A pencil spliced onto a longer piece of wood and shaped on the linisher or with a chisel so it gives a accurate mark up against the drawer sides. Pic tomorrow if your interested. (PTIYI)

The guides are then glued in and next step is the Kickers. If your design needs them . Kickers are to stop the pulled out drawer from tipping down when opened. They get fitted and glued in while the top is off . Make sure you don't glue the drawer into a situation that it cant be taken out when doing this. Damhik this one . Fit them and take drawer out before glue dries.

Then the drawer front is leveled up to the carcase front.

And then the drawer stops are fitted. I like doing them at the back of the drawer . I made a tapered drawer back gauge to measure the thickness of the stops needed. PTIYI. Its just a pine tapered stick that measures the gap wit a pencil mark. Huon pine is the best. I had some scraps in the bin . It marks beautifully with the pencil.

Then the top can go on.

I just finished fitting two drawers to two side tables today and fitted applied cock beading around the drawer fronts .

I only took a few pics.

IMG_3219.jpg
Nice fine drawers. Thin Oak sides and back( 8 to 9 mm) was the nice way it was done in the 17 and 18thC.
Pine bottoms.
IMG_3285a.jpg

Applied cock bead fitted.
IMG_3351.jpg
A Spiers special in use trimming applied cock bead.
IMG_3349.jpg

Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

(PTIYI) ... Applied cock bead fitted

Rob, that is great. Thanks so much for going to the trouble. Two questions:
PTIYI - another acronym I am not familiar with
What is a cock bead?

Originally Posted by Huon pine fan

Rob, that is great. Thanks so much for going to the trouble. Two questions:
PTIYI - another acronym I am not familiar with
What is a cock bead?

No Probs .

Pic tomorrow if your interested. (PTIYI).
Sorry , I wrote that in the above post. I just made it up last night as I was typing.
Acronyms drive me mad sometimes.

Applied Cock bead is a beading, 1/8" thick in this case, that is made up then applied to the drawer front in recesses that have been cut out to take it . Its glued in place to a rebate on the sides and a full cut away on drawer front top and bottom usually, and then planed back flush. The top and bottom cuts to drawer front can be rebates as well but I like the full cut method pictured below.

As opposed to.
An Incised bead. Which is a bead that is cut into the drawer front face . That's a bit more of a country style bead. Its flush with the face . The Cock bead sticks out 1/16" if its a 1/8" bead.

IMG_3349ss.jpg

Originally Posted by auscab

Pic tomorrow if your interested. (PTIYI).
Sorry , I wrote that in the above post. I just made it up last night as I was typing.
Acronyms drive me mad sometimes.

Thanks again Rob.
TMPTB - the more pics the better!

Originally Posted by auscab

... (PTIYI).
Sorry , I wrote that in the above post. I just made it up last night as I was typing.
Acronyms drive me mad sometimes.

But thousand year old traditions have to start some time - like last night?