Drawer slides are required to add drawers to furniture pieces. Drawer slides are required for building dressers, nightstands, chests of drawers, and workstations. A pair of drawer slides are required for each drawer. Drawer slides are often hidden from plain sight but serve an important function.
What are Drawer Slides?
Drawer slides, also known as drawer runners or drawer runners, are devices that enable the horizontal movement of attached drawers. Drawers can slide in and out of furniture by being secured to a pair of drawer slides.
Drawer Slides: How They Work
Drawer slides reduce friction so drawers slide in and out of furniture. It is not possible to install a drawer into furniture. You can’t open or close the drawer without creating friction. The drawer and furniture can be damaged by friction. Drawer slides are a solution. Drawer slides allow drawers to glide in and out of furniture by reducing friction.
The majority of drawer slides are made up of a narrow and long-lasting metal housing unit. A set of small balls are contained within this housing unit and they roll along with a series of tracks. They are also known as ball-bearing drawer slides, and they are the most popular type of drawer slide. These balls will allow the drawer to glide across when you open it. Ball-bearing drawer slides keep drawers from rubbing against furniture.
Each drawer has two drawer slides. They can be mounted to either the sides or bottom of each drawer, depending on their type. Side mounting is used for ball-bearing drawer slides. Each drawer has a side mounting that is attached to ball-bearing drawer slides.
Instruction Considerations
Disconnects
Disconnects allow you to take a drawer out of its housing. There are three types of disconnections that you will find: rail, lever, and friction. Each brand is different so each one may be slightly different.
- Lever disconnects have an internal lever that allows the drawer to slide freely when it is depressed.
- Rail disconnects have a latch that allows you to lift the drawer off the slide and pull it out of the cabinet or desk in which it is stored.
- Friction disconnects are not like lever or rail disconnects. They simply let you open your slide against the force from the ball bearing that holds it.
Colors
You also have the option to choose the color and look of your drawer slides.
Most slides in today’s industry are finished in metallic zinc, which prevents them from corroding in non-humid environments.
Some brands now offer black drawer slides that blend well with black or dark stained wood.
If you want to emphasize the natural characteristics of the drawer wood, there are always undermount slide options.
What to Consider When Choosing Drawer Slips
You should take into account the material when choosing drawer slides. They may fail prematurely if they are made from weak material. Drawer slides are available in many strong materials such as carbon steel or galvanized cold-rolled.
When choosing drawer slides, make sure to inspect the mounting system. Every drawer slide has a mounting system. Check the mounting system before you buy drawer slides. It will tell you what size fasteners it can accept. It is also important to consider whether drawer slides can be used in either one-way or two-way. Two-way drawer slides are able to travel in both directions, while one-way drawer slides can only go one way.
