How to Build Slide Out Shelves and Wooden Roll Out Drawers for the Kitchen

Remove all items from the cabinet where the slide-out shelves and roll-out drawers will be installed. The cabinet must be completely empty, including any shelves built into the cabinet. Remove shelves using the reciprocal saw or by removing any brackets holding the shelf in place.

Place the measuring tape inside the cabinet to get the total width and total length of the cabinet’s frame. The length is the horizontal distance between the two side panels, while the width is the distance between the back panel and the front of the cabinet. Write the dimensions down.

Adjust the dimensions to fit the given cabinet. Subtract one inch from the total length measurement to make room for the sliding tracks and subtract at least one inch from the width dimension, so the drawer or shelf won’t hit the back panel or door within the cabinet.

Lay the plywood sheet on a flat surface and draw two bottom panels with the pencil and ruler; one for the drawer and one for the shelf. Both should measure the adjusted width and length dimensions. For the drawer unit, draw two additional side panels using the adjusted width dimension and a two-inch height. Draw two end panels measuring two inches in height by the adjusted with, minus two inches for the side panels.

Cut all six panels using a reciprocal saw. Follow the pencil lines evenly for an ideal custom cut. Sand the edges and sides with the sandpaper to eliminate all splinters and cracks.

Place the two side panels across from one another on their lengthy one-inch sides, so they are parallel to one another. Place the end panels in between them near the edges, so a rectangular box is created. Nail the corners together using two-inch long nails and a hammer. Lay one of the bottom panels on top of the frame to create a drawer. Hammer nails around the perimeter, spacing the nails at least an inch apart.

Separate the sliding tracks, so you have one base track, which has a flat surface and one sliding track, which has installation holes for the shelf or drawer. Do this for a second pair of sliding tracks, so you have a total of four base tracks and four sliding tracks.

Line the sliding tracks up to the sides of the shelf, so the track is lined up to the width side. Install the tracks to the shelf using the half-inch screws and a handheld screwdriver. Repeat this step with the roll-out drawer, so the tracks line up with the bottom panel of the drawer – not the drawer’s side panels. Use the same installation method.

Use the measuring tape, a pencil and a level to determine the location of both the slide-out shelf and roll-out drawer inside your kitchen cabinet. Install one of the two near the bottom of the cabinet, while another should be close to the middle of the cabinet, so both have at least 10 inches of space above the surface. Draw an even horizontal pencil line on the cabinet’s side panel, using the level to make the line even. Repeat the line procedure on the opposite side of the cabinet using the same height, so both the shelf and the drawer have a line on each side.

Line a single base track up against a pencil line and install it to the cabinet side wall using the half-inch screws and a handheld screwdriver. Repeat this step until all four base tracks have been installed on the drawn pencil lines. Insert the shelf and the drawer into a set of base tracks, so both are installed within the cabinet.