Expert: Jamie Yocono - 9/9/2007

Question
I want to build a dividing wall that is about 24" thick.  The majority of the wall will be drawers that can be accessed from either side of the wall.  Can you think of a slide/glide method that will encourage the drawer to stop flush without sliding out the other side of the wall?  

I do not know that I have ever seen drawer system the way I envision my design.  I  do not even have a vocabulary to describe what I want.  I could draw you a diagram if that will help you to understand my question and idea.  Thank you for your attention and time.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Candace  

Answer
Hi Candace,

If I understand what you've written- you're looking for a two way drawer slide. When installed on a drawer, it allows you to pull the drawer out from either side. I built a small chess table years ago, and used a glide like this so that the two chess players could access the drawer from either side. It was an nice piece. The slides have positive stops, so that they will generally stop in the middle, or in the "closed" position.

Drawer slides are generally sized by their length, based on the length of the drawer box. So if your wall is 24" deep, you probably want a 24" slide. If it's slightly less than 24", you probably want to go with a 20" glide. Usually, they come in 2" increments.

There are quite a few places that sell these slides. I'm going to put a few web pages here, so you can cut and paste them into your browser:

http://www.woodworkerswholesale.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AC-C2002D-20

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=120-146

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17807&filter=two%20way

This last link- to Rockler Woodworking's site - is probably your best bet. There are Rockler stores in a variety of places, so if you're near a big city, you might get lucky and be able to visit one. Their displays are good for showing how to install the various hardware they sell.

Good luck, let me know if you need anything else.

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