How To Fit Drawer Runners

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Secret to easy mount of ball-bearing drawer runners

Mounting drawer runners can be tricky if you don't get the measurements right. I recently posted easy DIY tips for mounting metal drawer sides on runners and in this feature you will discover an easy way to mount ball-bearing drawer runners.

Once you see how easy it is to mount drawer runners this way you will soon be making chests of drawers and adding drawer storage to cabinets!

When I first saw this You Tube video I wanted to kick myself. For years I have been measuring this way and that to ensure my drawers fit perfectly. This method makes installing drawers a breeze!

1. You will need a carpenter's square to make a mark along the bottom of the drawer cavity - on both sides.

2. Take apart the sliders. You will find instructions here for separating ball-bearing drawer runners.

3. Mount the slider onto the side of the cabinet with the screws along the length of the drawn line. Make sure that the screws are mounted flush with the steel to prevent any sticking or catching.

CONTINUES BELOW

4. Clip the sliders back together again.

5. Use a couple of 3mm thick strips (and allow for this when making your drawers) to lift up the drawer assembly and prevent it sticking to the base of the cabinet or individual shelf dividers.

6. Place the drawer into the opening, making sure that it sits properly on top of the 3mm spacers. You want about 100mm of the drawer to protrude at the front. Pull out the runner to the end of the drawer - on both sides.

7. Now you can secure the front end of the runner to the drawer using 16mm screws. Secure the drawer runner on both sides.

8. Pull the drawer out more to secure screws along both sides of the drawer.

9. Now you can pull out the drawer to finish off adding screws to the back of the drawer.

10. With the drawer runners attached along the length of both sides, clip the drawer back into the side runners. If you want to watch the You Tube video for this assembly click here.

This has to be the easiest method of attaching drawer runners and does away with all the fiddly measuring that normally has to be done to make sure drawer runners fit properly.