Supporting Pull-Outs Behind Doors in A Frameless Cabinet
Cabinetmakers chime in on a tricky design problem: A wide pull-out below, a pair of drawers above. December 14, 2005
Question
I want to build a frameless 36" wide base cabinet. I want two drawers on the top. On the bottom I want a set of doors with a single pullout for pots/pans, thus there can be no stile in the middle. What do you build to support the drawer slides in the middle?
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor D:
Put a shelf in and go undermount.
From the original questioner:
Thanks… so obvious. Sometimes I just need to think out of the box. (I always use side mount.)
From contributor K:
You can't put a partition between the top and middle rails that runs front to back to support the guides? So the top would be divided, but the bottom would be open? This partition would be cut the size of the drawer opening and fastened to the top and mid rails, then fastened through the back.
From contributor R:
I also suggest skipping the doors and simply putting drawer fronts on the roll-outs. It has never made sense to me to open a door in order to pull out what is essentially a drawer, anyway.
From contributor B:
I build this cabinet all the time using side mount slides. I make two 133mm tall ends drilled for the guides and screw them in the center of the cabinet. In that way, the drawer parts for the 36" base cabinet are the same size as an 18" base. I have a stretcher under the drawers to have something for the lower doors to close against. I give my customers my opinion about having drawers, instead, but make whatever they want.
From contributor M:
Contributor R, I agree with you. But some people prefer the look of doors. What I really like is that many shops charge more for a bank of drawers than a base with roll-outs.
From contributor R:
I build frame and panel drawer fronts for all the drawers, anyway, so the visual qualities like the doors aren't lost. I don't charge any more for this, since my standard cabinet would have roll-outs anyway, if the customer wanted the door look.
