Before installing the guides, it is important to correctly calculate the attachment points. Under no circumstances should the screws be tightened all the way straight away, as the entire mechanism may become skewed. First you need to attach all the screws, and then secure them until they stop. In this article you will learn how to install guides for different types of drawers.
Don't be afraid to install the guide mechanism yourself. Complex calculations are also inappropriate here - minimal mathematical knowledge and understanding of how a screwdriver, pencil and ruler work will be enough. . However, the work must be approached with full responsibility, since incorrect installation of components will shorten the service life of the mechanism, or the box will be positioned crookedly.
Installation of telescopic guides
The most popular today, as before, remain telescopic (ball) full extension guides.
They look like this:
Their advantages include:
- Relatively inexpensive price
- Smooth and quiet running throughout its entire service life
- Able to withstand certain loads
- Wear resistance and strength
- Ease of installation
These guides are very often used for drawers of chests of drawers, kitchen sections, wardrobes and other sliding mechanisms, with the operation of which they do not want to have problems in the future.
Premiere of the “Do It Yourself!” section
Our chat often receives interesting questions from site users. Sometimes questions are asked by experienced, venerable furniture makers, and their questions are always clarifications, additions, and subtle nuances. But sometimes we receive questions from newcomers, from simple, handy men and businesslike ladies who want to assemble a wardrobe with our profile on their own. We are always willing to meet and try to give complete, detailed answers to any, even the most basic aspects of installation. So that any buyer of our brand can fully enjoy not only the operation of a sliding wardrobe with a Premium profile, but also the process of its creation. We believe that assembling furniture is not a chore, but creativity!
Therefore, we present to you a new section of our blog - “Do it yourself!” Here we will try to publish materials with real advice on how to design, calculate and assemble a wardrobe, sliding doors, furniture facades yourself without the help of professionals.
And the first material for publication in the new section will be an article with the rules for installing guides for the movement of doors in classic wardrobes, a question that came to us from a reader from Voronezh: “How to install the bottom track in the Elephant system?”
Calculation of drawer parts
To properly install the full extension telescopic slides, let's make sure you've detailed the drawer itself correctly.
When assembled, the drawer (without a front) in width (between the drawer and the side of the product) should have gaps of 13 mm on each side (this is exactly how much the thickness of the “telescope” will take over).
The depth of the drawer should be equal to the length of the guide; usually they have a length from 250 to 800 mm, in increments of 50 mm. Also, be sure to leave at least a 1cm gap between the back of the dresser and the back of the drawer.
The height is usually made based on the needs of the person who will use it. The height is usually 80-250 mm.
Types of metal cutting machines
Mechanical processing is practically not used in enterprises nowadays, since it does not allow cutting metal quite accurately; thermal cutting is increasingly used, since its accuracy allows the creation of workpieces of various sizes and shapes with minimal errors.
Let's look at the most common metal cutting machines.
Guillotine
The machine, whose name is similar to the name of the device for the most humane execution, separates metal through the use of mechanical means, special scissors and metal knives.
The advantages of this processing method include: perfectly smooth edges of the finished workpieces, the absence of chips and nicks, as well as the absence of cut curvature, since the guillotine makes it simultaneously across the entire width of the sheet.
Disadvantages: dependence of the accuracy of the strips on the qualifications of the operator, a limited range of types of metal that can be worked with, the impossibility of performing figured cutting.
Such machines are most often used at the stage of procurement work.
Laser machine
The principle of operation is that a laser resonator creates a beam with a wave that has a certain length; it melts the metal locally in a certain area.
This method allows you to cut any metals and alloys, however, work with stainless steel, aluminum and aluminum alloys is very limited due to the reflective properties of these materials.
This processing method allows cutting of any complexity, after which the edges remain perfectly smooth, there are no sagging or other side parts on them, therefore the finished parts do not require additional processing.
Plasma machine
Metal cutting machines operating using a plasma torch are used for cutting conductive materials.
The compressed cutting arc, which is created by the plasma torch, acts on the metal and ensures its high-quality separation.
Such units are widely used in mechanical engineering, shipbuilding and other industries, as they help to carry out cutting quickly, efficiently and economically.
Oxygen gas machines
These units locally heat the metal to a temperature above 1000°C, in this state it burns in technically pure oxygen, a thin stream of which is supplied to previously prepared sections of the web.
A directed stream of oxygen simultaneously burns the metal at the cut site and blows out combustion products, which ensures clean and even seams of finished products or parts.
This cutting method is one of the most ancient; it is mainly used for processing thick metal.
Waterjet machines
Metal processing is carried out by exposing the sections to a stream of water compressed under a pressure of 5000 atmospheres, to which an abrasive material is added, namely quartz sand. When cutting in this way, metal parts are destroyed at the molecular level, so this type of cutting is used to obtain cuts with minimal errors.
At the same time, the physical and mechanical properties of the metals remain unchanged, deformation of the seams, their melting and soldering are eliminated. This type of processing is available for materials up to 300 mm thick.
Installation of ball telescopic guides
On the side of the drawer, horizontally, strictly in the center, mark a line and screw one half of the guide along it.
Now we need to mark a similar horizontal line on the inside wall of the chest of drawers.
I took the exact distances and dimensions from the drawing of my chest of drawers; you can use the drawing of your furniture product, approximately as shown in the figure:
That is, we mark 417 mm from the floor on the sidewall, and mount the telescope at this height.
With this, the hardest part of the work is finished; now we screw the two halves of the guides to the box and to the side exactly along the line and put the box in its place.
Repair tool
The required set of tools for working with a chest of drawers depends on the nature of the problem, therefore, first carefully inspect the product and make a list of breakdowns.
But it’s a good idea to keep the following on hand: Show hidden content
| Tools | Consumables |
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We attach full extension ball guides: how to take into account the dimensions for the additive
Today we will analyze such a popular type of drawer guides as full extension ball guides. Honestly, I personally really like them for their price/quality ratio.
These guides are convenient and easy to install, they are quite durable, have good performance characteristics such as smooth running and load (up to 46 kg).
Manufacturers offer a fairly wide selection of these guides. The length varies from 250 mm to 700 mm (in increments of 50 millimeters). The presented diagram shows the main standard sizes, as well as filler sizes. It is worth noting that the location of the main holes may differ among different manufacturers, although there are also fixed ones (which we will discuss below).
Mounting surface accuracy
Profile rail guides are installed using fastening on a machined base surface. The fastening method consists of creating a shoulder on the seating surface and placing the base surface or carriage on it. It is possible to avoid distortions if there is a groove in the corner of the bead itself.
There is a direct relationship between rail surface accuracy and moving accuracy. The accuracy of all equipment will depend on this. In this case, the accuracy of the machined mounting surface necessarily corresponds to the specified movement accuracy
It is important to remember that it is necessary to take into account the flatness of the block, while eliminating the deformation of the carriage
What types of telescopic rails are there?
Despite the fact that their design is simple, telescopic guides are divided into types depending on their form and functionality. In theory, the following points can be distinguished:
- the ability to disassemble into removable and non-removable parts;
- number of “steps” (two-section or multi-section);
- by type of construction - single- and multi-level.
Non-demountable structures, as a rule, cost less than collapsible ones. This is due to the fact that when using the latter, it is necessary to use special methods for producing rails and methods for attaching balls to them. It is these same balls that allow you to freely assemble and disassemble the structure without fear of losing small parts.
The price may differ in the number of steps in the structure, and also depends on the number of levels involved in it. Roughly speaking, the more complex the system, the more it costs.
Advantages of telescopic guides
Despite the variety of other systems for pulling out drawers, it is ball guides that have a number of visible advantages. The main ones:
- long service life, corrosion resistance;
- ease of installation;
- low price;
- smooth sliding, unlike simple wooden analogues;
- durability and high-quality assembly.
These types of guides are applicable in almost any type of furniture: cabinets, kitchen units and other structures.
General rules for assembling cabinet furniture
There are general rules for assembling cabinet furniture, following which you can assemble any cabinet product quickly and efficiently:
- Assembly is carried out according to the rule “from large to small”: the main body of the product is immediately assembled, and then equipped with parts
- To avoid unwanted distortions, the structure is assembled on a flat surface
- To protect product parts from mechanical damage and contamination, the working surface on which assembly is performed is covered with a soft cloth or cardboard.
- To avoid cracks in the chipboard or MDF parts of the product, you should not be overzealous when tightening the bolts.
How to mark places for fastening guides
Installing ball guides is much easier than it might seem at first.
The telescopes (by squeezing the black “tendrils” you can pull out half) can easily be disassembled into 2 parts, attaching one of them to the side of the box, and the second to the inner wall of the cabinet.
The main goal is to accurately determine the locations for these parts. They must be marked with a marker. After that, each half must be screwed on with screws and the box must be inserted into the cabinet, connecting the two parts into one whole.
How to calculate sizes correctly
For correct operation of the structure (full extension back and forth), you need to carefully mark the places where the components are fastened. Check the size. Between the wall of the cabinet and the side of the drawer you need to leave gaps where the guides will be located. Most often it is 13 centimeters on each side.
The guides are usually 25-90 centimeters in length in increments of 5 centimeters. In this case, you need to make sure that they are 6-10 centimeters shorter than the box. That is why the structure is mounted in the middle of the side of the box, leaving a little space in front and behind.
Let's sum it up
Installing furniture components is, in its own way, a real art, mastered only by experienced furniture makers. However, it is up to everyone to gain quality experience. So, if you are installing for the first time, take your time, carefully watch the videos presented in the article and re-read the instructions. You will need this to assemble the furniture efficiently.
Video - How to attach ball guides
Hello!
In this short post, I want to solve the problem of many novice furniture makers. Sometimes I read interesting questions, one of which sounds something like this: “How to install a drawer with telescopic guides into a box?”
The fact is that when the drawer is inserted into the box, when closing it (the drawer), some resistance is observed. And this is natural. But the following may also happen: when closing the box, the front part of the movable plate (containing holes in which metal balls are located) may “bite”, that is, it will be slightly deformed (bent). In this case, how much this part bends, how many balls will fall out of it.
This problem is solved simply: the plate takes its original shape using pliers (of course, the dropped balls are put in their place), after which its front ends (those that were bent) are pressed against the guide itself as far as possible with the same pliers.
In order to correctly insert the box with telescopes, you need to observe the following points:
- Those parts of the guides that are attached to the box itself should be pulled out of it as much as possible.
- The moving plate with balls (which we talked about above should also be shifted forward as much as possible - from the box to the outside).
- When a drawer is inserted with its guide rails into the corresponding places of the guides, which are fixed on the box itself, you need to make sure that the drawer does not warp when it slides inside the box. It should go straight in.
- At a certain stage, slight resistance may appear. If the drawer slides smoothly, then you need to apply a little force, the latches on the guides will work, and everything will go like clockwork.
Here, in brief, are the main points of working with telescopic guides.
How to Install Hidden Guides
Hidden ball guides are installed according to the following scheme:
- The clamps for the system slats are attached to the bottom of the box. The fasteners can be fastened in the following way - using self-tapping screws, according to a special scheme that was developed by the furniture fittings manufacturer.
- Then the ball guide strips are inserted into the clamps.
- For fittings whose size does not exceed 4-4.5 centimeters, auxiliary clamps are not needed. During the installation of large-sized guides, the bar can, if necessary, be additionally secured using self-tapping screws.
- Holes must be drilled near each fastener. Their size should be equal to the size of the hooks for fixing the guide.
- On the body, fixation points for the rail bases are marked and the components are further secured using self-tapping screws.
- The rail parts are combined with each other.
Assembly of units with linear motion guides with sliding and rolling friction
For high-quality assembly of units with linear motion guides with sliding and rolling rhenium, it is important to solve the main design problems: choosing the right combination of materials, creating the most technologically advanced design. Good results are provided by the following combinations of materials: unhardened or hardened steel - bronze, brass LS 59-1 - bronze, hardened steel - cast iron, unhardened or hardened steel - plastics (textolite, polyethylene, carbolite, nylon)
Good results are provided by the following combinations of materials: unhardened or hardened steel - bronze, brass LS 59-1 - bronze, hardened steel - cast iron, unhardened or hardened steel - plastics (textolite, polyethylene, carbolite, nylon).
Fig.3. Adjustable linear motion guide.
To ensure the greatest manufacturability of the design of the unit with guides and to reduce the number of fitting works during its assembly, guides with an adjustable gap are used. The gap is eliminated by pressing the moving part (carriage) 2 using screws 3 and slides 1 to the surface of the guide 4 (Fig. 3).
To reduce the amount of fitting work when assembling assemblies with guides, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare the rubbing surfaces of the mating parts by grinding, fine turning or milling with surface finish grades 7-9. This reduces the labor intensity of fitting work.
Flat guides can be processed with an accuracy of 0.01-0.02 mm on a surface grinding machine for a length of up to 1000 mm, and cylindrical guides - up to 0.003-0.005 mm on a cylindrical grinding machine.
Fig.4. Assembling the dovetail guide assembly.
A typical technological process for assembling a unit with a dovetail guide is carried out in the following sequence.
1. Assembled parts 1, 2, 3 (Fig. 4, a) are cleaned after machining.
2. Install part 2 into part 1, while part 2 is pressed using strip 3 to the rubbing planes B of part 1 on both sides and the gap between parts 2 and 3 or 1 and 3 is checked with a feeler gauge (Fig. 4, b).
3. If a gap is detected, surfaces A are adjusted by scraping and subsequent grinding of planes A and B in parts 1, 2, 3.
4. After grinding in, parts 2 and 3, without disassembling, are pulled out of part 1, everything is washed, lubricated, reinserted into part 1 (Fig. 4, b) and the smooth movement along the guide is checked.
Assemblies with other types of linear motion guides with sliding and rolling friction are assembled in approximately the same sequence using fitting work, which can be reduced by rationally selecting tolerances and assigning a cleanliness class for the processing of mating surfaces.
Tips and tricks
Here are some useful tips and tricks that home craftsmen should consider when getting started:
- during the installation process, it should be noted that the height of the box should be approximately five centimeters less than the immediate height of the facade;
- Most people often confuse ball drawer slides with roller drawer slides. It's actually not difficult to distinguish them. The second ones are painted white as standard. At the same time, the drawer is pulled out using plastic wheels. Professionals say that this version of guides is not as convenient as ball guides. And, besides, it is not so resistant to wear. Therefore, it is not advisable to purchase them;
- If the bottom of the drawer is inserted into special grooves, it will be more useful to secure it with thin edged screws. Otherwise, the entire contents of the box may fall out along with its bottom;
- if the box has to be heavily loaded, it is useful to use a pair of rails;
- Professionals recommend installing ball mechanisms even before the furniture (chest of drawers, wardrobe, etc.) is assembled. If you act in this way, then it will be much more convenient to install the mechanism, and in such a case, much less time will be required for work. After assembling the furniture, all that remains is to adjust all the details.
In fact, installing a ball mechanism for drawers is not at all a hassle. It will be enough to buy good quality guides and follow the instructions. It should also be taken into account that for stable operation it is necessary to correctly take measurements and adjust the mechanism. If you follow all these details and instructions for use, then the guides will last a long time without any problems.
Beware: incompetence!
You have to read messages on forums like “I lubricated the ball screw with sewing machine oil.” Opponents immediately join in and categorically prohibit the use of this remedy. It’s not worth relying on the advice of forum members. Many share their incompetence, misleading others.
To remove the old layer of lubricant, some advise using WD-40 or a similar liquid, while others are categorically against it. Although this lubricating and cooling fluid comes in the factory kit for the MAGIC 30 desktop jewelry engraver and milling cutter.
Many people do not take into account an important physical property of a lubricant - its viscosity, which is divided into 3 classes. It determines the thickness of the protective lubricant layer, which depends on the degree of load, contacting surfaces and rotation speed
If the bearing's rotation speed exceeds the average level, the viscosity should be lower.
This requirement is often ignored. Many components of CNC machines lubricated in this way have an unenviable fate. The most reliable recommendations are in the instructions for using the machine and its maintenance.
Use good oils and lubricants, which will also ensure reduced friction and wear, protection against corrosion, and quiet operation. The lubricant also serves as a heat sink.
In this article, we briefly analyzed how to lubricate ball screws in a CNC machine and answered, if possible, a number of important questions on this topic. The main and most acceptable ones can be applied in practice.
