How to remove drawers
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 5:53 am
I get asked this question a fair amount and I thought it might help to post it here
The early drawers had no guides and they pull right out. The modern drawer guides are ball bearings and they have a clip built in. In between are the slides
There is a tool. The tool looks like the picture Snap on sells them ($15?)
You can make one, but a hack saw blade is too wide. It is also too thick. The spring that is used on the back of picture frames is about right. Some people have had success with a part of a tape measure.
The slides are easy to get out – once you know how. There is a tab that you need to slide by. It is about ½ to 2/3 out on the inside between the drawer and the rail. Because the drawer is a part of the slide, you can also pull the drawer all the way out, then hold the black slide out, and push the drawer in, put in the tool, then push the black guide back to release one side. The 2nd side should be easier
The black slides bend. You can bend them back (carefully) or flip them over. I know of no source of replacement slides – be careful
Hope this helps
Frank
The early drawers had no guides and they pull right out. The modern drawer guides are ball bearings and they have a clip built in. In between are the slides
There is a tool. The tool looks like the picture Snap on sells them ($15?)
You can make one, but a hack saw blade is too wide. It is also too thick. The spring that is used on the back of picture frames is about right. Some people have had success with a part of a tape measure.
The slides are easy to get out – once you know how. There is a tab that you need to slide by. It is about ½ to 2/3 out on the inside between the drawer and the rail. Because the drawer is a part of the slide, you can also pull the drawer all the way out, then hold the black slide out, and push the drawer in, put in the tool, then push the black guide back to release one side. The 2nd side should be easier
The black slides bend. You can bend them back (carefully) or flip them over. I know of no source of replacement slides – be careful
Hope this helps
Frank