Bruce Brown wrote:
fulltimin wrote:
PastorCharlie wrote:
This drawer will be roughly 12" high and about 26" long. I figure I've gained roughly about 1" in width with the wooden slides.
That translates to 312 cubic inches more useable space over using factory drawer slides. You have gained approx. 1/5th cubic foot space.
Well, there you have it. If you want more storage space, wooden slides will work. An extra 1 inch of width doesn't sound like much, but sometimes i will make the difference between items that will or won't fit.
Go figure.
Thanks for the figures.
fulltimin wrote:
Ok! I have finally gotten the other side of the drawer slide glued and screwed into place.
Here's a pic of that. Other than going a little overboard with screws, I am happy.
After coating all the slide surfaces with furniture wax, she slides like a hot knife through butter.
So now I look at the completed shelf/drawer/whatever, with the top slides installed you didn't really gain an inch. That shelf is no wider than a standard shelf with standard under mount slides, or side mounts with a small reveal for the slides to be mounted in.
But hey - why do it in 10 minutes when you could take a week! :B :B :B
I know, it's more about the project. Carry on.
I looked at full extension slides that were side mounted. Because of the space limitations at the back, I figured I would have to shim the drawer slide away from the wall a minimum of 1/4".
The slide I looked at was 1/2" thick, so now we're at 3/4" and then I needed to add a side for the drawer. Using that combination, I would have used 1/2" thick plywood, so now the inside of the back drawer is 1 - 1/4" away from the back wall.
As it is, it's 3/4", so I gained 1/2" on the back side. If I had used the side with it in a groove that completely encased the steel slide, then I would have used 1" thick side. I I used a piece of 3/4", that leaves 1/4" to mount the slide to, and I would not have trusted that.
The current height of the side of the drawer is all the higher I am going to make it. Since this will be holding an oven, I want plenty of ventilation, so it won't be "in" a drawer, as much as it will be "on top" of the drawer.
Based on my calculations, I think I still saved a minimum of 3/4" width.
Weight is another one. This setup is way lighter than the steel slides would have been, plus the additional weight of extra wood that I figured I would need as well.
Then, looking at the cost of the slides I saw, I calculated I could build about a dozen sets of drawer slides for what I would have paid for 3 sets of the steel ones. The 24" ones I looked at were about $20 a set.
I can buy a whole sheet of plywood for $60.
So, that's my reasoning, right or wrong, on why I did it this way.
Weight, cost, and maybe only a little extra space.
