Drawer Slide Facts
Drawer slides are made in many different styles, but all are designed to make it easier for a drawer to slide in and out of its cabinet. Most modern slides are made of metal, with some made of wood and some of plastic. Slides are made that can be mounted on the sides of a drawer, on the bottom corners and at the center of the bottom.
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Traditional
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Prior to the invention and widespread use of mechanical drawer slides, drawers were simply fitted to their openings and slid along a wooden frame that sat underneath the drawer. If a drawer is properly fitted, and a bit of wax is applied to the bottom of the drawer and to the frame, this method is perfectly functional. There are many pieces of antique furniture with drawers that are still working well after hundreds of years of use.
Standard
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Drawer slides are made out of two pieces of metal, one of which is affixed to the inside of the cabinet and the other of which is affixed to the side of the drawer. There is a small wheel at the front of the cabinet-mounted component, and another small wheel at the back of the drawer-mounted component. When the drawer is pulled out, the moving component rolls along these two wheels. At a certain point, the rear wheel drops into a small groove, which prevents the drawer from being pulled out too far.
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Full Extension
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Full-extension drawer slides are designed to enable the drawer to be pulled all the way out of the cabinet without falling on the floor. This is done by making the slide out of three pieces instead of the usual two, allowing the three pieces to telescope out of the cabinet and support the drawer when it is fully extended.
Installation
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The most important thing when installing drawer slides is to get the gap between the cabinet and the side of the drawer exactly the right width. If the space is too narrow, the two components of the slide will be pushed together and the drawer will not slide smoothly. If the gap is too wide, the two components will bind, leading to the same effect.
Advantages
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Drawer slides enable drawers to slide more smoothly, particularly when the drawer has a lot of weight in it. In addition, drawers will self-close. A drawer with a traditional wooden runner needs to be pushed shut all the way. A drawer on properly installed drawer slides can be pushed nearly closed, and will then slide back to a tight fit through the action of the wheels on the slides.
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References
- Photo Credit drawer image by Jan Will from Fotolia.com
