How To Cut Drawer Slides for a Custom Project

Use a Hacksaw to Cut Drawer Slides to a Length Needed for a Project!

Lately I’ve been running into this problem… The plan calls for drawer slides and I have a few on hand but they are too long. Ok, let me be honest here – I am building a desk and thought I ordered 22″ slides for the project but I ordered 24″ instead. I didn’t want to send them back and wait, which holds up my project. I just whipped out the hacksaw and cut the drawer slides to the length I needed.

The roller slides are inexpensive, and generally the home improvement stores only carry them in certain lengths – usually 14″ to 22″. I know I’ve drawn a few plans where 12″ or even 10″ drawer slides are needed. The shorter slides can be found online through eBay or other woodworking stores but generally, I don’t want to wait for them to be shipped to me (not that I am impatient or anything!) nor pay an outrageous amount of money for them.

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So, I was ready to install the drawer slides in my desk and realized they were too long. Great. You see, the hacksaw and I do not get along but this time I decided to make more of an effort to cooperate with it because I really needed to shorten these drawer slides. After all, I had seven sets of slides to cut down and it was time for me to show the hacksaw who the boss really is… ha!

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What You’ll Need:

  • Roller-type Drawer Slides
  • Hacksaw (<– affiliate link!)
  • Masking Tape

Start by removing the packaging from the slides. I like to use the masking tape to secure each set together – this way I can make fewer cuts. Since I was shortening the slides by 2″, I made a mark 2″ from the end I was cutting off.

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Make the cut and that is it! A new hole may have to be drilled at the end of the slides for installation – use a drill bit for metal to do that, then install the slides and go!

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It is so easy to cut drawer slides! Just for the record, I’ve only tried this on the roller-type of slides and not the ball-bearing slides. I’m not sure it would work as well but I may try in the future! You could also build your own drawer slides with wood!

Originally posted 2013-12-03 08:00:50.

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