Expert: Jamie Yocono - 7/28/2006

Question
Hi Jamie,

I have been in the process of building new bedroom furniture for my wife and am having some doubts concerning the dresser designs.  I have been a long time subscriber of the Woodsmith Magazine and through the years they have had a variety of Cherry Bedroom Furniture projects.  These include the bed, 4 drawer dresser, a double tier type dresser for the wife, armoir and two end tables with drawers.  I have finished the bed, absolutely beautiful by the way, and now I need to tackle the dressers.  Of all the projects that I have done, I usually follow the plans provided but these dresser designs are showing a flush to the face drawer mount and slide on nylon strips with side guides.  I personally am not fond of this older technology and would like to incorporate slides into the design.  

I would like your thoughts as to what slide type or brand that you would recommend and if there is some literature available so that I can incorporate it into the design.

Your advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx,
Ken

Answer
Hi Ken,

For me, the key to being efficient at building furniture is knowing my hardware inside and out. And that means that - once again, for me - I choose to only use two types of drawer glide systems. I'm a little familiar with the type you described, and because I'm familiar with it, I chose not to use it. There are too many variables that I cannot control, like humidity causing the drawers to stick, side to side adjustment, and even product failure. I've seen those nylon strips fall right off. In fact, I get a fair number of customers who ask me to replace that system with something better.

So what do I suggest? There are two types of drawer glide systems that I rely upon- both are full extension glides, and both requite a 1/2" clearance on either side of the drawer box. One is a low cost glide, which is mounted on the lower drawer box edge, and is usually available in white, almond or sometimes dark brown. These are relatively inexpensive, maybe $5.00 a glide, and do exactly what I ask them to do, which roll smoothly and look nice.

The other type glide is one of those heavy duty, ball bearing side mounted glides that are beefy, expensive, and perfect for heavy loads.  I know it's subjective, but I feel like these are a little uglier, as they're only available in bright zinc or black matte.  These glides are expensive, though. I think I bought a case of them recently and they were about $18. each.  Ouch. Once again, they need 1/2" clearance in each side, and are full extension glides.

When deciding which to use, I basically look at the piece I'm building and the load the drawer will have in it. If it's heavy, like a filing cabinet drawer, I'll use the second one. But if it's light, like a bathroom vanity drawer, I definitely use the first one. You can use both of these to mount the drawer face either as an overlay face, or you can make it an inset face. The only thing that changes is where you mount the side pieces.

Now- here is a tip I've learned over the years. Both glides need that I/2 clearance per side. So if you have a 20" opening, your drawer box should be 19" wide. That's in a perfect world! So I generally make the box just a tad smaller, like 1/16" or so.  There is a little fudge factor that both glides allow when mounting, and it's much easier to shim the glide out a bit from the interior wall, than to have to make your drawer smaller.  

Specifics? The less expensive glide is a Grass 6600 series. There are a lot of types to choose from in that series- like side mount vs. bottom mount screw holes, and full extension vs. 3/4 extension capability. The heavy duty glide is an Accuride glide, I believe the number is an 8400 series.  These are not "handed", so if you buy a case of 20 drawer glides, you'll get 40 pieces that all look the same. They're very high quality.

If you look in any decent woodworking catalog, there is much information to be had about both of these glides, including installation instructions, visual aids, and more. I would go online and look at a few websites and see pictures of these glides, and you'll get a full understanding of what I've written here. In this day and age, where humidity can wreak havoc with any wooden piece of furniture, I couldn't consider anything but these sort of glides to use on a piece. The nylon strips with sides guides are just too low tech for my needs.

OK, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. Good luck with your dressers, your wife must be pleased.  :)

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com