Kevin wrote:
With regards to side-mount slides, I've noticed that many slides can
be used with a maximum drawer width of 24". (I understand that the
wider the drawer, the more prone it is to racking). I had originally
planned to build some drawers that were about 36" wide, 24" deep, and
10" high, and the fact that they are wider than they are deep seems to
put them in the category of "lateral file drawers". There are
"lateral file drawer" slides available (strong and expensive) but
these seem to be overkill since my drawers will not be carrying 100s
of lbs of paper, and they also don't have the extreme aspect ratio
(very wide and very shallow) that a typical lateral file drawer has.
Has anyone built drawers of the size I am considering and used
standard side-mount drawer slides (such as the KV 8500 series)?
....

Actually, I've done so (in strict violation of manufacturers'
instructions as you note so I'm sure there will be a number of posters
just waiting to pounce given the outrage over simply using a 130V light
bulb... but, I'll venture forth anyway ) -- I've done two things:

First, simply ignored the prohibition and went ahead. No serious
problems experienced up to about the 36" width, again, in a fairly
lightly loaded application (sweaters, that sort of thing). This does
assume what I'd call the "rational user"; I'd not try it in commercial
work or in a rental, for example. IOW, that was for own use where know
the limitations.

Alternatively, in a set of fairly heavily loaded drawers in a storage
area under a set of stairs I mounted one of the same slides flatwise on
the bottom of the drawer as a guide. It's a little picky getting it
aligned "just right" but it worked as intended. Those drawers were
almost 48". They were adequate enough that I'd have no trouble doing
that on "boughten work".

That was ages ago before the advent of online suppliers that are so easy
to get specialty parts as are these days; probably one could order in
some of the wood/plastic "t-bar" center alignment kits to serve the
purpose much more cheaply. Then again, there's always the homemade
sliding dovetail guide that would work since it doesn't need to carry
the load at all but serve as alignment it can be fairly loose and still
control the wracking that would cause the slides themselves to bind.

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