Please help! Full extension drawer slides question....

[southgalawyer]

You know that line in Finding Nemo, where his dad says "You think you can do these things, Nemo...but you can't...you just can't!"? OK, that's me!

I am trying to build a kitchen island for some friends, and it's supposed to have 4 pullout trays on full extension slides, which are set behind cabinet doors. I have the frame built, and I'm blocking out the areas where the slides will mount (so they will clear the doors and hinges). But, for the life of me, I can't get the boards on which the slides will mount to be perfectly parallel. They aren't terribly out of line, maybe 1/8" off at the front or back, depending on which drawer. I guess I'm a little out of square somewhere in the cabinet part, but it's too late for me to remedy that. And I think I can shim out the blocking just a little here and there to get the mounting blocks parallel. This is my question...Do they HAVE to be PERFECTLY parallel, or is there some tolerance in the slides for that problem? Or can the slides themselves be shimmed out a little during the mounting process? If I have the option of shimming either the blocks or the slides, which is better?

Thanks so much for your input...I'm in over my head, and trying to cure my inner-Nemo before I commit to something else that I just can't do.

[barryvabeach]

Many slides have mounting holes that are on tabs, so they can bend out a little. Check your slides to see. If not, some should work

[Glen Bell]

Some slides actually have a little tab (that is actually the screw mount hole) that you can bend out to make up a slight out of square imperfection. If not that type then sure a little shimming won't hurt.

[jteneyck]

Instead of trying to block out for each shelf, individually, mount the slides on two vertical pieces of plywood that is thinner than the total depth you need to block out. Make them 2 to 3" wide and as long as needed to reach from the bottom of the cabinet on the inside to several inches above the top slide. Mount the slides to them at the front and back. It will look like a ladder with 4 steps. Do that on both sides. Now set them in the cabinet. Make 4 spacers the exact width of your drawers plus 2 times the slide clearance stated in the directions for the slides. Put those spacers between the plywood slide carriers at both the top and bottom. Then shim between the plywood slide carriers and cabinet sides, as needed, at the top and bottom and screw them in place through the shims. Remove the spacers, install drawers.

John

[southgalawyer]

Thanks, guys. Between the tabs and this mounting technique, I think this will turn out a lot easier than expected!