Instructions for Removing Drawer Slides

Removing the Drawer

• Removing the drawer requires an understanding of how the drawer fits into the cabinet. On either side of the drawer is a long metal piece, called a drawer guide. At the back of each drawer guide is a single wheel. These two wheels fit inside the drawer slides, sometimes referred to as "tracks." To remove the drawer, it is necessary to disengage the guides from the slides. To do so, pull the drawer all the way out until the drawer stops. At this point, the wheel located at the back of each drawer guide will have reached the end of the drawer slides. Apply upward pressure on the bottom of the drawer with one hand while simultaneously pulling the drawer away from the cabinet to remove it. The upward pressure will lift the back of the drawer out of the slides.

Removing the Slides

• Each of the two drawer slides within the body of the cabinet are held in place with a number of retaining screws, typically three. The slides can be removed by removing these screws. However, the difficulty is in accessing the screws due to the lack of room to maneuver a standard-sized screwdriver.

  If the cabinet has more than one drawer, remove the drawer just below to access the screws. If there is no other drawer, or if the slides to be removed are for the bottom drawer, removing the screws will be a bit more challenging. Two tools are invaluable here. The first is a shortened version of a standard screwdriver. These screwdrivers can commonly be found in sizes of 2 to 3 inches in length, and are sometimes referred to as "stubbies." The smaller length will allow easy access of the slide's retaining screws. The second tool is an angled power screwdriver. These screwdrivers look much like a hammer, as the end of the screwdriver is at a 90-degree angle. The angle makes accessing the slide's screws much easier, and the screws are removed by simply pulling the trigger on the powered screwdriver. Either tool is effective, but because of the convenience of the powered screwdriver, it is more expensive than a stubby screwdriver.

  Once the slide's screws have been removed, simply pull the slide away from the interior of the cabinet to complete the removal process.