Tandemboxes for the kitchen: modern and essential furniture fittings

Comfort and quality of life are largely determined by the versatility and ease of use of various pieces of furniture. To increase the capacity of various types of cabinets, chests of drawers and tables and to hide their contents, drawers mounted on guides are widely used. Today, sliding guides - slides - are practically not used - they have been replaced by roller and ball guides, and of the latter, tandemboxes (TANDEMBOX) are becoming increasingly popular.

Tandembox systems can be used in the production of office furniture, as well as for cabinets, tables and cabinets placed in hallways, bathrooms and kitchens. Today you can purchase sets of these guides and use them to independently modernize furniture, replacing existing retractable systems with more ergonomic and functional ones.

Blum tandems. Calculation and installation. TANDEM BLUMOTION.

Article number in the Blum
: 550Н5000В.

The dimensions for fastening the guides on the side of the cabinet will be given taking into account the possible interchangeability of the drawers. The calculation and example are given on the basis of a three-drawer kitchen cabinet section (Fig. 2.). At the end, a fully parametric model of such a cabinet with all the fittings will be given for more detailed acquaintance. Model PRO100 in “*.sto” format.

! All calculations are made on chipboard with a thickness of 16 mm.

Width 400 mm. Height 720 mm. (without legs), Facades - 3 pcs. Guides - 500 mm.

140x396 mm. - top. 284x396 mm. - lower ones.

Drawer length.

Fig.3

where, NL is the nominal length of the guide. SKL - box length. SKL = NL - 10 mm.

Drawer width.

Fig.4

where, LW is the internal size of the cabinet (between the sidewalls). SKW is the length of the front or back part of the drawer (provided that this part is placed between its sides).

Drawer height.

Fig.5

Diagram for calculating the height of the box.

Practical part. Calculation and installation.

In practical application, we will move a little away from catalog diagrams and make a diagram for ourselves. See Figure 6. Black numbers

- dimensions of the body, drawer sides, fronts and gaps.
Red
- dimensions for attaching guides.
Blue
- the size of the front and back panels of the drawers.
Green
- gaps in the drawer body between other parts.

Fig.6
With this scheme, the lower and middle drawers turned out to be interchangeable.

Tandem box diagram.

Fig.7

The Blum catalog suggests making boxes with a groove for fiberboard in all four parts, and then making cutouts in the front and back parts for the clamps. For what? It is enough to make only grooves in the sides of the box, and reduce the height of the front and back walls accordingly.

Fig.8

We take the length of the side of the box as according to the catalogue. Those. 500 mm - 10 mm = 490

mm.

Then, the dimensions of the drawer parts

:

1. The sides of large drawers are 490 x 210 mm.
2. Front and back parts of large drawers - 326 x 194 mm.
3. The sides of the top drawer are 490 x 100 mm.
4. The front and back parts of the top drawer are 326 x 84 mm.

When mounted to the side of the cabinet, the guides are fastened by 4 mm. from the front edge of the sidewall. Hence, the minimum

the depth size (the width of the side of the cabinet) should be = Length of the guide + 4 mm. For convenience, the depth of the cabinet should be considered as follows: Length of the guide + 10 mm. In our version, with a guide length of 500 mm. the depth of the cabinet will be = 510 mm.

1. Fastening the guides.

2. Assembling boxes.

Cabinet with drawers on Tandems assembled.
Bottom line. General formulas.

In order to calculate the detailing of a product for using Tandem guides, we present the general procedure for universal calculations.

1. Sidewall of the cabinet =
   Tandem guide length
   +
   10 mm.
2. Drawer side =
   Tandem guide length
   -
   10 mm.
3. The length of the front and back panels of the drawer =
   the width of the cabinet
   -
   32 mm.
   (thickness of the sides of the cabinet) -
   42 mm. (catalog size).
4. The height of the side of the drawer (for facades with a height of 200 mm.) =
   The height of the facade
   is
   40-41 mm.
   (gap at top) -
   17 mm. (gap from the lower edge of the facade or from the bottom, connection).
5. The height of the front and back panels of the drawer =
   the height of the drawer side
   -
   16 mm.
6. Height of the drawer side (for facades less than 200 mm high) =
   Front height
   -
   23 mm (gap from the top of the facade)
   -
   17 mm. (gap from the bottom of the facade).
7. The bottom of the box is made of fiberboard. Width =
   Length of the front and back panels of the drawer
   +
   14 - 16 mm.
   (for placement in the grooves of the drawer sides). Length =
   drawer side.
8. Dimension for marking the fastening of the guides to the side of the cabinet. 40 mm
   . from the lower edge of the facade or from the connection, bottom.

Tandemboxes: calculation, choice of manufacturer and installation

To achieve maximum functionality and ergonomics, modern drawers are installed using "Tandembox". Tandembox is a special system that allows you to fully extend the drawer and view all its corners, which is especially important when storing small items or things. How to choose a tandembox yourself, calculate it and install it, read on.

Drawer guide kit

Tandembox device

The first manufacturer of modern tandem boxes is the Austrian company Blum. Currently, accessories of this type are produced by many other companies.

The standard tandembox includes:

1. guides along which the drawer moves when opening or closing. As a rule, systems of this type use ball guides, which are characterized by high strength and silent operation;
2. metal sidewalls intended for fastening runners (another name for drawers);
3. rails or drawer height extensions - most often used as additional fittings;
4. fasteners for the walls of the device;
5. decorative plugs.

The main components of a tandembox box

The advantages of tandemboxes are:

• silent operation of the system;
• smooth closing, eliminating the possibility of damage to the facade;
• Full drawer extension, which provides free access to the far corners;
• the ability to supplement the standard design with fittings that increase comfort of use;
• modern design;
• durability. For example, the service life of a tandem box from the Blum company, declared by the manufacturer, is 20 - 25 years.

Disadvantages include:

• the difficulty of independently calculating design parameters;
• complexity of installation;
• high price.

Criterias of choice

When choosing tandem boxes for a cabinet or cabinet, you should consider:

• overall dimensions of the device;
• type of guides;
• additional options;
• manufacturer.

Size selection

Manufacturers produce tandemboxes in standard sizes (from 270 mm to 650 mm) or upon individual order. The maximum load depends on the size of the device.

To independently calculate the bottom and rear wall of the structure, you must use the following formulas:

1. the side part of the cabinet is equal to the length of the guide + 10 mm;
2. the side of the drawer is defined as the difference between the length of the guide and the gap of 10 mm;
3. overall length of the front and back parts of the drawer = width of the cabinet (cabinet or other piece of furniture) – 35 mm;
4. side height = drawer front height – 38 mm;
5. the height of the panels at the front and rear is equal to the difference between the height of the side panel and 16 mm;
6. the width of the bottom of the drawer is determined as the length of the front (back) sides + 14 mm;
7. bottom length = side length.

Determining the type of guides

To install tandem boxes, guides equipped with the following technologies can be used:

• TANDEMBOX BLUMOTION. The drawer closes automatically, as additional equipment is installed on the guides - a closer. Drawers with closers are silent when closing, which completely eliminates the possibility of chipping on the facade when closing quickly;

Tandembox with soft closing drawer system

• TANDEMBOX TIP-ON. The main difference between the guides is the presence of additional fittings that allow you to open the drawer by pressing the front wall of the device. Such equipment increases the level of comfort when using furniture;

Tandembox with the ability to open by pressing

• TANDEMBOX TIP-ON + BLUMOTION. As the name implies, furniture fittings are complemented by both a push-opening system and a door closer. The main disadvantage is the high cost.

Additionally

To increase the level of comfortable use, tandem boxes can be supplemented with:

• electric drive, increasing the level of convenience of opening/closing the drawer;
• internal dividers that allow you to store small items separately from each other.

Drawer divider system

Manufacturers and their features

The main manufacturer of tandem boxes, as mentioned earlier, is the company Blum (Austria), which produces devices in the following series:

• "Plus". Tandemboxes are designed for loads up to 60 kg. Depending on the owner’s preferences, they can be supplemented with transparent or combined inserts;
• Antaro. Antaro models are distinguished by their straightforwardness and classic appearance, which allows them to be installed in any interior;
• "Intivo". A line of designer tandem boxes of various configurations.

Features of different types of tandemboxes

Pull-out drawer compartments, pallets and containers equipped with the Tandembox system are made of:

• chipboard or MDF board (facade and back wall);
• plastic – bottom;
• aluminum – sidewalls.

Large capacity boxes are equipped with a tubular fence on top - a rail. Some tandem boxes have sides made of transparent plastic or glass.

When making or upgrading drawers yourself using the Firmax Newline, Moovit, Deco Line and others kits, you can use fiberboard for the bottom.

Particularly popular are the Tandembox Blum drawer systems, which have improved ergonomics, rigidity, strength and ease of opening.

Standard Tandembox guide kits include:

• 1 – ball guides, mounted on the sides of the drawer compartments of the table, cabinet or cabinet;
• 2 – sidewalls of the box (tsar), on which the profile runners are fixed;
• 3 – brackets for fastening the rear wall;
• 4 – brackets for fastening the facade.

On a note!

Additionally, the sets can be equipped with dividers for the internal space of the drawers, which make it more convenient to store kitchen accessories.

Tandemboxes can be installed on a container or box of any width and depth. There are furniture fittings on sale, on the basis of which the owner of the apartment can independently design and manufacture a drawer for kitchen furniture according to the owner’s order.

Many sets are equipped with a closer, which significantly increases the comfort of using kitchen furniture. Modern models are equipped only with ball guides, which have the following advantages compared to other furniture fittings:

• ensures full (100.0% depth) extension of the box;
• low noise level;
• high reliability when opening and closing with complete absence of jamming;
• Possibility of integration into any furniture structures;
• The variety of design options allows you to implement a variety of drawer designs.

How to install blum tandem boxes correctly

Hello dear friends.

Today we will talk about what retractable systems with a “self-driver” are and how they are installed.

In our example, it will be a tandem on a box, 440 mm deep.

To begin with, I will say that for this fittings, there are special catalogs that indicate all their sizes and installation diagrams.

So, for tandems, the drawer is designed differently than for conventional guides (for example, for the same “telescopes”).

The height of its side parts should be 12mm greater than the height of the transverse parts.

Special mechanisms are attached to the resulting protrusion (from the front end of the box) (in the photo, they are red).

Its total width in this case is also greater than the standard width, since it does not depend on the gaps on the guides, the size of which is usually, as you know, 13 mm.

In this case, this gap will be 5 mm.

So, special mechanisms (latches) are mounted on the front edge of the box, and holes are made on the back edge, thanks to which it is fixed in a special mechanism.

Next, at a distance of 37mm from the front edge of the side, guides are attached to the side itself. In this case, the box contains one telescopic guide (upper) and two “tandems” at the bottom.

After assembling the box, the box is very easily inserted into the system and works great.

In addition to the fact that the Blum tandembox is a system with a self-winding mechanism, it (according to the instructions) can withstand quite a decent weight.

Blum slides and drawers – easy and smooth movement

Blum furniture drawer systems are not only sets of guides, but also built-in drawers with convenient internal divider systems. Distinctive features of fittings in this category are smooth operation and design for high loads. Drawers with Blum guides are equipped with BLUMOTION closers, which make movement silent and smooth no matter how busy the compartment is.

Reliable Blum guides for furniture of any purpose

The Uyut Center online store offers options for drawer systems for all types of drawers. Bloom guides are available in the following series:

MOVENTO – systems with rollers made of wear-resistant plastic and fully synchronized, flush-mounted guides. The permitted load depends on the model - 40 or 60 kg per box. When the box load is up to 40 kg, the depth of the box can vary from 250 mm to 600 mm, up to 60 kg - from 450 mm to 750 mm. Adjustment of full extension drawers is carried out in 4 planes: height, width, depth and inclination, which allows you to effortlessly achieve the ideal design of the facade. The drawers move very easily and silently. Thanks to the opening technologies SERVO-DRIVE, TIP-ON BLUMOTION and TIP-ON, MOVENTO guides can also be used in furniture without handles. To open the drawers, you just need to click on the front.

TANDEM is a line of Blum hidden guides with a dynamic load of up to 30 kg. Full and partial extension drawers. When installing full extension guides, the drawer depth varies from 250 mm to 600 mm, partial extension – from 270 mm to 650 mm. Complete with TIP-ON, BLUMOTION and SERVO-DRIVE systems. A special series for industrial production - TANDEM 551 with fastening of the drawer with clamps, quickly and without unnecessary effort. The box is fixed in special holes and securely mounted on the guide.

STANDARD – classic roller guides with a dynamic load of up to 25 kg. Reliable, simple guides with partial extension are easy to install and remain operational throughout the entire life of the furniture.

Tandembox device

The first manufacturer of modern tandem boxes is the Austrian company Blum. Currently, accessories of this type are produced by many other companies.

The standard tandembox includes:

1. guides along which the drawer moves when opening or closing. As a rule, systems of this type use ball guides, which are characterized by high strength and silent operation;
2. metal sidewalls intended for fastening runners (another name for drawers);
3. rails or drawer height extensions - most often used as additional fittings;
4. fasteners for the walls of the device;
5. decorative plugs.

The main components of a tandembox box

The advantages of tandemboxes are:

• silent operation of the system;
• smooth closing, eliminating the possibility of damage to the facade;
• Full drawer extension, which provides free access to the far corners;
• the ability to supplement the standard design with fittings that increase comfort of use;
• modern design;
• durability. For example, the service life of a tandem box from the Blum company, declared by the manufacturer, is 20 - 25 years.

Disadvantages include:

• the difficulty of independently calculating design parameters;
• complexity of installation;
• high price.