[Art Mott]

Hi, my name is Art and I am new to this forum.

My wife and I just bought a small bistro table. It is a bolt-together metal frame with a wooden top. About 5" below the top is a shelf that is just begging to be a drawer. My intent is to build a box to affix to the shelf, and then build a drawer to fit within the box. I want to build a drawer that spans the width of the shelf, has a divider in the center, and can be pulled out from either side.

Does anyone have a suggestion for creating a center resting position for the drawer so it neither protrudes or recesses on either end?

Art

 

[Steve Neul]

How wide of a drawer are you thinking of making and will anything heavy be put in it? The drawer would be subject to sagging like anything else. To make the drawer slide both directions Accuride makes a two way travel drawer slide that would do it. http://www.thehardwarehut.com/cabinet_drawer_slides-twoway.php You could also make the drawer like old fashion furniture with just wooden runners.

 

[cabinetman]

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions.

The slides that were linked are over $200 per set. A bit pricey in my book. You could just make a wood on wood slide, with strips added to the sides of the opening and a groove on the drawer side, or the other way around. To center the drawer, you could use a ball type catch, that the ball drops into a partial hole, or catch. Here are two suggestions.

http://www.rockler.com/brass-ball-catch

http://www.rockler.com/bullet-catches-select-size

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[bladeburner]

Here's one way:

 

[Art Mott]

Hi ya'll. Thanks for the responses.

Cabinetman, you're right, I don't want to get into expensive drawer slides to add a drawer to a cheap table. I'm intending wood runners and a ball catch might work. The bullet catch looks like it's meant for one direction because the backside of the catch plate is raised.

Bladeburner, your picture now has me thinking I might not need to build a box to put this drawer in. If I make those top cleats thick enough, it might give me enough space to put in ball catches.

Thanks again.

Art

 

[bladeburner]

I glue a small half moon on the drawer slide and cut a small notch in the ledger on some of my pull thru drawers. It wont prevent the drawer from coming out but it transmits a notice to the user.

I've used the same idea on lab drawers with steel slips (angle) riveted or screwed to the drawer top edge and a corresponding steel ledger strip.

 

[Art Mott]

Hi Bladeburner,

That's intriguing, but I really can't picture it. Do you have a drawing or photo?

Art

 

[OldEd]

please... i'm curious also, and can't quite picture what you mean...

i'd use a bullet catch set into some sort of runner which would keep the drawer moving straight. the ball catch would be mounted in the center of the runner, and would hit a shallow recess in the adjacent side of the drawer - just enough to require additional pulling to pull it past the catch.

 

[bladeburner]

I didn't start taking pics of my work until I got a camera phone and those drawers are scattered all over. The drawer in the pic above does not have a bump/notch, because I built it for my wife and she doesn't care for the initial inertia when pulling the drawer. I don't have a dwg either, but try to visualize a bullet catch without the spring. That's what gave me the idea.

This particular table is a shaker sewing table and is pretty small, so it would tend to tilt over when pulling the drawer.