The BEST Drawer Slide Method! Ana White's Secret Trick! 

My late hubby's step-dad was a master craftsman who built amazing furniture. One trick he always used was to set the drawer slides just a hair off level, sloping toward the back of the furniture piece (using the vertical adjustment slot on the slide). The off-level was slight enough that the drawer never bound, and the front lined up just fine, but it was enough to make the drawer self-closing. You'd just give it a tiny, gentle push, and it would glide all the way closed by itself. Brilliant!

Your video is one of the best of this genre I've ever come across. You don't muck it up with a bunch of intro and music and useless information. You demonstrate and explain as you go. Most of all you're calm and confident and that makes a viewer feel like they could do the same. Thank you.

I've been an amateur cabinet maker for 40 years. I've watched thousands of hours of This Old House and New Yankee workshop. You scooped them both. THIS LAYOUT METHOD IS BRILLIANT!!!

I'm a newbie woodworker, and I built 27 drawers for my new shop using your method. Every single one worked, perfectly, the first time. What a live saver!

After watching the video advert i was still skeptical. But when i finally downloaded the plans ru-vid.comUgkxZF0EMnrujZvqHhGkxiz559uIABJWR9TG i was very impressed. The whole plan was just as you said in the video. Thank you very much. I now have a large and valuable collection for my woodworks. This is great!

This is a fantastic method. I never thought about installing the drawer members first, then building the drawer. Thanks!

You just changed This old mans life! Perfect how to, so well explained, such calm back ground music, your the best! My family thinks I am a genius carpenter thanks to you!

When putting the front piece on the drawer, you can figure out and mark where you want the handles. Put the front piece on your bench and drill the holes for the handles through the front piece. Then just put some temporary screws into those holes to mount the front piece onto the drawer body. Then install screws from the back like you did, then take the temp screws on the front side out and mount the handles in the drilled holes. No nails and no filler needed.

I was about to give up trying to repair a broken drawer in our bathroom.After 6 videos that were overkill. I found yours Thank You for sharing and making it easy to follow. I’m 72 years old and still learning from you guys. I added new drawer slides and built a new drawer and it works perfectly. Thank You both Robert

I’ve been waiting to buy tools so I can try making this exact drawer and yesterday my husband and I made a drawer by following Ana’s instructions! It was easy but took us some time because we had to put a table saw together and buy some wood. We also watched Ana’s video on how to use the Ryobi nail gun which was sooo helpful . Ryobi should be very grateful for Ana’s work because she is why I bought the nail gun and also made the drawer. Cant wait to make more!

I like how your just so straight forward, simplistic and pleasant, not excessive or try to be entertaining like so many of these vids. I love learning from other peoples mistakes and learning from their light bulb moments. This is so much less intimidating to tackle!! ty

I've watched other videos on doing this but they all made me say "what?" Lol this video makes so much sense and makes it look like 100x easier. Thanks for sharing.

Ana, you make it look so easy! I also wanted to tell you that my youngest son built me the exact rustic coffee table I've wanted for about a year. He found the plans on your website and gave it to me for Christmas! He is a police officer with no woodworking experience but started following you (mom's suggestion) as a stress buster from work. Thank you so much💕

I really enjoy your videos, thank you. I appreciate that there's none of the flash or intros or anything, it just gets right to the point of good woodworking. I have really learned a lot.

I love this! As a novice woodworker I have always struggled with drawers and mounting slides. This is a no nonsense (and frankly common sense) way of doing it! Thank you for posting!

I love how you think outside the box, beyond how it is supposed to be done and I thank you for sharing it with us. You are truly a role model.🥰

very neatly done! Perfectly square, clean and smooth - all without clamps, drop cloths and right in the kitchen!

I have 30+ years as a housewright and I must say, you have taught me an easier way of installing those slides.

Anna, you are my hero. I’m not overstating how your videos have been helpful and encouraging to me. I’m doing DIYs that I wouldn’t have thought was possible for me to do before. Thank you.

I am always doing a lot of DIY at home and as such use RU-vid a a lot. I've watched lots of videos on this subject to help me with my project. This is the most informative and to the point. It's always a good feeling when you find a video that doesn't waffle pointlessly and gives you the content that you need. Thank you and Well done.

Instead of driving a small pin nail into the face of the drawer head, try using 3m double stick tape. Same idea, except sandwich the tape between the drawer head and the drawer. It definitely holds the drawer head long enough to drill from behind and will compress when you tighten the screw from within the drawer. I use two 1" to 1-1/2" pieces of tape, one on either end at approx. where I'll drive the screw. The screws on the drawer pulls will further compress the tape.

This looks like it would work for hidden drawers, underneath cabinet - behind the kick plate- you make it look so easy!

Oh my gosh! I've been following you for years but this is the first time I've seen this video. Thank you so very much! I've been putting off building a kitchen cabinet because I could never figure out how to make the drawer slides fit perfectly, no matter who I asked for help. You are amazing and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge!

Just wanted to say that out of all the drawer slide videos I've watched, your method was the way I did mine. I figured this out through trial and error but watching your video helped me refine my approach...Drawer slides are no longer scary! Thank you!

I made my first drawer for an old vanity and used your method to install it. It worked perfectly!

I have also been installing drawer slide and never thought about this method and I WILL be doing it this way from now on!! Thanks Anna!!

Brilliant! You're teaching applied engineering statics; 1:50 minutes in "I like to mount the drawer slide about where the handle is so you're pulling right where it slides." My trepidation with drawers and their slides is over. I am looking forward to watching your other videos. Thank you.

I've just made 6 drawers, doing the maths was a complete nightmare and had to be corrected so many times you wouldn't believe it (never having done this before) I have another 9 to go, and you have just made my life so much easier - THANK YOU!!!

This video gave me the confidence to complete a small job that a contractor refused to finish for 18months. Paid under $30 for materials had a friendly neighbour assist with cutting the wood and we completed 2 slide shelves in under 2 hours. thx Ana

That was the easiest way I have ever seen a drawer guide put in thank you so much. I love watching a woman that knows carpentry. I,m 63 yrs old and always looking for easier ways to do things.

If you put dividers in the drawer they can also double as bracing for the drawer bottom by attaching the bottom to the dividers.

Just a little tip, I use small screws on the bottom of the drawer after using the staple gun. I've heard people talk about you need to allow for shrinkage or something of the wood, but believe me when your utensil drawer bottom pops off and all those utensils hit the floor, you'll wish you had.

There are lots of methods to hold a drawer face in place as other people have mentioned in the comments. But if you are going to use a nail gun, I highly recommend pre-drilling the holes for the handle, and putting your nails very close to those holes where your handle would cover them up. 👍🏻 Thanks for the video:)

Your drawer slide installation video made installing 8 sets of drawer slides in my dresser so much easier! It truly works great! Thank you Ana!

I like to watch craft videos that are about more about The Craft and less about The Craftsperson. Very nicely done drawer install and very nicely done video. Congratulations. This is the FIRST drawer construction video I've ever watched that actually makes drawer design, build and install so utterly intuitive.

Just again realized one is never too old to learn.Brilliant even though its building it backwards.Subscribed.

Thank you for this great video that removes my confusion on installing drawer slides. And the drawer building method simplifies that process too.

Love it when someone comes up with genius idea.

Thank you for sharing these good ways of making things easy to see and use. You are a great helping hand to making life simply every day. Yes, the one I like the most is your pans to slide out and select what sizes you want to cook with. I know my wife and I will be a great help keeping the kitchen even more organized.

Long time amateur cabinet maker. Absolutely brilliant. I'm now replacing all my 30 year old slides. Thank you for this post.

Ana you just make it look so easy. I know my draw building would take me hours to do plus would be all chalky like. Thank you so much for giving us free tips on all you share. Your amazing. Chris from Missouri

Thanks a ton Anna, I can't stress enough how important it is to take the smaller of the two measurements between front side and back side. Now I know where I goofed up the last drawer!

The line in the middle is a game changer here! Thank you!

A method so simple even a man could have thiought of it. But we didn't! Thank you so much for 'easifying' my life! I liked the drawer better without the bottom. I can throw so much more into it!

I am 66 years old and had a silverware drawer that was broken I saw your drawer method and I took a chance and tried to make one, much to my surprise I did it and it works, I am so grateful that you shared this video. Thanks so much.

Fantastic! Thanks for your straightforward delivery. You are an inspiration to an aspiring woodworker like myself.

10:20 lucky husband, playing video game while wifey making cabinet. My true hero!

Loved this tip, so much easier than doing it to a finished drawer! Can I give you my tip for drawers? When I'm putting the front on, I have some little shims to make it an even gap all around, then I temporarily attach it with foam double sided tape. Push it on nice and snug and it holds it in place so you can put the screws in from inside. Just don't pull on the front to pull it out, reach inside and do it from the bottom, the tape isn't that strong! Oh another tip is to make a masking tape "handle" on the top of the drawer front, if you put them all on before putting hardware on and then close them all to look it makes it easier to open them again, especially with set-in drawer fronts.

Oh my goodness! I have been so intimidated by drawers. This is so easy and straight forward. I have used you plans several times and the always turn out great. Thanks for sharing.

I’m a tradesperson. This is hands down the best method. I use it now. Thanks, and nice work!!

Well done! When attaching your drawer fronts you can use playing cards to get your spacing, figure out where your hardware is going to go, and drill those holes uusing those to fasten your drawer front. This avoids having to nail and fix the holes and provides an accurate way to clamp the front tight when you apply a little glue to permanently attach the front.

This is EXACTLY the video I've been searching for. THANK YOU.

Beautiful! Thank you! It makes me nervous to see you work on those beautiful granite counters without covering them to protect against scratches and other damages 😱

Hello Ana - I know this video is over a year old but just want to thank you for posting it. I never thought of this method for mounting the drawer glides before putting the drawer together. What a great idea! Never seen it before. And I like the idea of using the pocket hole joints. I hate glue and clamps. And if you need to make the drawer a little bit thinner you can just take it apart and cut it down. I'm going to re-model my kitchen in my house I just bought and will definitely use this method. Great job!

You're an absolute icon in diy. Brilliant work, tips, and ideas, and even better delivery. Thanks for choosing and being up for this line of work.

You have outdone yourself, my dear! Great video! Answered all the questions I had that were not answered by others. NOW I feel like I can do this without a ton of frustration. Many thanks.

I also got induction and it really only needs 3.5" from the top, so I installed a slim drawer underneath which comes in very handy. Another win for induction: free space!

I think I’ll try this! Makes sense to me to build them after putting in the slides. I already built 9 boxes ahead of time today so keep your fingers crossed for me lol I still have 23 more drawers to do so plenty of room to experiment with different techniques. Great video thanks for sharing!

You are the best at explaining complicated things which is to me so easy. Finally, I understand how to install drawers after all these years to understand it. I really appreciate your channel!! I feel blessed to have found it.

Thank you! You are so much better than the 'carpenter' I hired a few years ago!

I want to grow up to be you! I love your videos and I am continually inspired by you and Jacob. You are empowering. ❤️

Great Video, thank you. When squaring the box with the bottom, after doing one end of corners like you did, I then square up the other two corners. After that I make sure the long sides are not bowed in the middle by nailing the middles, and then you can hit the rest of the nails around the frame. Learned this trick making shelves with cheap 2x4s.

Great video. You could also drill the holes for the handles and use a couple of screws to temporarily mount the facade to the drawer carcass, then screw it from the back.

Having had problems with the first installation of drawer slides , your instructions will take installing drawers to another level . Thank you. You were really clear

This method of fitting the drawer after the slides are in made the job so much easier...and less stressful! Thank you so much.

If you invert the level and rest it on the drawer opening, you can draw lines each side perfectly level with the other side. Drill the drawer front for the pull handle. Space the front from door below and either side with shims and screw in place. You can now screw from the back, remove the temporary screws, drill the handle hole(s) and fix the handle.

Halfway to a Million Subs soooo Deserving of All your Blessings!

Looks like you made the knife block too, that's one organized kitchen! ❤

Thank you. This video made fitting drawer slides seem so much easier than it would otherwise have been. You have just gained another subscriber.

Such a clever build/install method but I can't believe you connected the bottom in such an impermanent manner.

This makes me want to search my house for places to install drawers. Also, I love that you just do all the construction right on your countertops. 😁

Thank you! I am making a “flat file” cabinet that is 3’ x 4’ and the drawers will be heavy by the time they’re made. This method is not only accurate but saves me time and energy aligning everything while holding a heavy drawer. I can always count on you to provide sensible, innovative ideas for my projects. Thanks again! 🙌

I prefer to pre-make the drawers myself but this is an interesting idea, maybe I’ll give it a try. I always err on the small side with my drawing widths, it’s a lot easier to shim the slides with fender washers than to make the drawers narrower after the fact. I did something similar to your sliding wall cabinet, I built a caddy for storing cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc., that slides out of a bottom cabinet the same way. I’m getting to the point where the hardest part of installing drawers is just getting up and down and reaching in!

I've built over a 100 drawers in the past with the old "guessing game" technique and doing the math. So frustrating! I just built a few today using your method. Wow! So easy!! Perfect first time. What a great technique! I'll never build drawers any other way again! Thanks for sharing!

Another Anatastic method and video. Attempting to build cabinets for my son's first home, together. He has very little woodworking experience. I put him onto your site and I believe we can do one of your projects successfully. Hoping he will develop the confidence to do more himself, so I can stay home more. Thank you, Ana.

Love how easy you make this look!! I’ve needed this in my cabinets for yrs!!!

OMG :) loving every work you put out, and you make it seem so effortless ;) boss lady, keep it going

Great video. Wish I’d seen it before I installed over two dozen of these exact drawer slides last year, in a kitchen and 2-bathroom cabinet refurb. I ordered ready-made dovetailed drawer boxes online. Saved me time and effort vs building from scratch, though wasn’t cheap. It’s an option for the less industrious.

I've just installed a drawer, using your method. It's got to be the easiest method yet. I can now use the full width of my workbench. Thanks.

OMG! I’ve been struggling with drawers since I started my woodworking adventure. My husband and I do a lot of projects for our home and those moments when is the drawer time are the toughest. Right know my younger daughter and I are making sliders for our kitchen cabinets. We’re going to make some adjustments to the wood cuts we have and do it your way. You make it look so simple! I know it isn’t but we’re going to figure it out. Thanks so much,you’re so awesome and generous. And having Steve Ramsey comments is crazy! 👍🏼❤️. Blessings from México 🇲🇽 💕

Suggest using some double back tape to hold the front on the box until you screw it from the inside. Saves the extra step filling, painting, etc.

That bottom is going to tear loose. Wood changes size. Your drawer is too wide to just nail and glue plywood to, the glue is going to give then the entire weight of the contents of the drawer is going to hang on nails... The bottom should be in a groove so the drawer can expand and contract without fighting the plywood.

on the part that attaches to the cabinet , there are sideways , "U" shaped cut outs where the screws go, when the drawer is installed, if it is too short from side to side, they will bend to compensate and center for poor alignment

you are a very good teacher, most important - you are not afraid to share information you have worked hard to gain over the years. Thank you.

‘Parallelogram’ is the PERFECT word to describe MY home projects! 😜 Your skills are so impressive, your kitchen is lovely, Ana White 💐 thanks for sharing your knowledge

Nice job. I would recommend to use a spacer to set the height above the frame instead of eyeballing it. That way, the drawer is perfectly parallel with the frame.

Love everything you do, my dream is to build and furnish my own home. Tip I saw on a video. Figure out the handle placement before attaching the front, pre-drill those holes and use them to temporarily attach the front in place that way you wont have holes to fill in and touch up with paint later :). Remove screws and attach handles

Another good idea for installing drawer fronts is to mark and drill the holes for the handles before installing the front. Then use those holes to temporarily screw the drawer front on (making sure to use screws that are as small, or smaller than your handle mounting screws). Screw the drawer front on from the back, remove the temporary screws and put the handles on. Alternatively, apply painters tape to the back of the drawer front, and front of the drawer. Use super glue to glue the drawer front to the drawer. You may need to put something like foam at the back of the drawer to make it stick out slightly from the cabinet face. The glue then only sticks to the tape. Drill your holes to mount the drawer front from inside the drawer. Rip the drawer front off. Remove the tape. Screw drawer front on. Hope this all makes sense.

I've been researching drawer slides, as I will be doing so next year. By far, this channel has been the most helpful. 🙏😊🙏

You are the best female carpenter I've seen in a long while may my Lord God continue to bless you sweetie🙏🙏🌹

WOW I wish I could "like" this 3 or 4 times.

Here's a tip. For most side mounts (she is using an Accuride 3832 or equiv.) subtract 1" - 1/16" from your opening, and that will give you the drawer box width. Typical depth for all of that hardware is 12" 15" 18" 20" 22". Undermounts are similar but 15" 18" 21" are the easiest to find. For undermount guides like Blumotion or equiv. you would subtract 5/8" if you are using a 1/2" material for the drawer box. Rarely a need for more than 1/2" thick drawer box unless you are working on furniture. Faceframe cabinets may have varied backset you need to fill ( the 3/4" filler pc she installed first). Make sure you check your nail size before nailing that on. It's too easy to shoot thru both the filler and the adjacent wall and right into the drawer on the other side. That is not a lot of fun to fix. Secure the cabinet component of the drawer slide (side mount) flush to the face frame. Undermount guides should be set back 1/8" (3/32" more accurately). It is worth noting that the name brand hardware usually has more adjustment built in for things like tilt, and height from left to right. Also, if your needs are for inset fronts your best bet is the softclose Blumotion hardware with the 5 way adjust clips. Don't spare the expense here. You will need all of the adjustment that hardware provides to maintain the gaps for the inset. Lastly, all drawers and hardware have a break in time frame based on use. You will probably need to adjust these after a few months. EDIT: If you want to add boxes to your cabinets and replace the adjustable shelves (install roll out shelves) in addition to the above, you need to add another 1" of backing behind the guide on the side where the hinges are so that your drawer box clears the hinges. Set the guides back the additional thickness of the front so that you can close the door over them.

Love this! I wish you were my next door neighbor! :)

Oh my gosh girl, this is awesome. I have rebuilt my childhood home that was basically a tear down when I bought it. We are talking removing and rebuilding complete walls, raising ceilings, complete plumbing, electrical (didn’t do myself). I rebuilt 60 year old bathroom cabinets and when I went to put in the drawers I built the job cam out like a 5 year old did them. My confidence was shattered lol. Your method is so simple. Im about to do my other bathroom and I will use you method 100%. Thank you so much. Saving video for future reference.

One of the best instructional videos I've EVER seen. Your method clears up the issues and problems I had with doing this task. Trust me, your method is GREAT! I'd only do two things differently with the drawer front installation; although that's just got to do with my preferred method. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

This is amazing! I have been so nervous putting sliding drawers in my builds... now I can totally do it! Thank you for your video!

the guesswork for installing cheap slides like this is ist just for the imperial world. the metric world has a system32 ( since the 70`) and slides like "blum bluemotion". that is why nearly everyone can install IKEA cabinets and drawers. AND the slides can be adjusted in 3 dimensions for getting a perfect fit and spacing.

This is brilliant! And makes so much sense!

You’re a badass! I’ve been going to your website for years but just recently started watching RU-vid videos and found you on here…thank goodness!! You’re amazing to watch and so easy to understand! Thank you so much for all you do! I’m a fan for life!! 👍🏻

Such an excellent job Ana! I just built my 9-YO grandson a student desk, and now to add a drawer under it… and your video is the perfect example to follow. Thank you so much!! 😊❤