Drawer Slide question

[_) (V) (-)]

First off, hope I am posting this in the right place.

Was going to address it to any kitchen 'Cabnet Builders' but figured it would be mis-interpreted.

What I am doing is making a control panel for my Mame cabnet. Wanted to have it extend outward about 8" for when players are seated at the barstools. I have been looking at some different types of rollerbearing sliding rails and am getting more confused with each new set I inspect.

So far, the strongest most compact ones are the server rack rails, however they are much long and it doesn't look like they can be shortened any.

It seems like these rail sets are 'rated' (or measured?) by their overall length when closed, Once opened, their travel length varies and is seldom listed in the spec sheets.  I was going to move my search to on-line vendors, but need to know how to find a suitable set for my project.

Is there any way to narrow down my search to a specific distance of travel length? If so, what do I ask for?  (Any special terminology for this?)

Also, does anyone here have any recommended sources or favorite vendors for such parts?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!
_)

[prOk]

You really don't need heavy duty rails here.. standard drawer slides will work fine.   I usually use Accuride (you can find them at Woodcraft) and home depot sells a generic brand..

[leapinlew]

You really don't need heavy duty rails here.. standard drawer slides will work fine.   I usually use Accuride (you can find them at Woodcraft) and home depot sells a generic brand..

Standard drawer rails for a control panel? Seems to me that would make for a flimsy control panel, but I presume Prok has more experience than I do.

[prOk]

supporting the control panel is not an issue really.. keeping it stable IE not wiggling or moving .. that's a different issue altogether.  Personally, i'd not put the panel itself on tracks to start with.

[_) (V) (-)]

It is a bit unconventional I know, but I am building this thing for my own use and comfort is a determining factor for me.

You think the standard ones would be ok? I dunno, they seem kind of loose and jerky to me. I am rather partial to the ball bearing roller type. Guess I Just like that smooth feel when it rolls out. Plus I think they'd hold up better to any 'intense gaming action' they might encounter.

Take a peek at the pictures I posted at the end of my proj announcement thread ---> http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=58145.0 and some of the following might make a little more sense.

I was going to mount the rails under the top part of the control panel and inside the side panels, from the back up to where the joystick/buttons are planned to go. That should give me enough stability.

The 8" of outward travel will be enough to avoid bad posture while seated for extended periods and make the whole thing more comfortable to use. You can't really see it in the pic but there is a slight incline towards the back of the CP, this should help with in/out stability but figured detents at the ends of rail travel would be best for avoiding unintended movement.

My problem so far is finding the rails I need to fill these requirements. There are gazillions of different types out there and I am not sure what kind to ask for.

[prOk]

Travel up/down is not an issue with any track/slider system..  Right/Left on the other hand will be there with all of them.. ball bearings or not.  I'd look to find a different way than drawer slides to solve that problem..  perhaps make a tight tolerance wooden slide (reference a dedicated golden tee cab).

[_) (V) (-)]

Good idea, thanks for the tip! 

[_) (V) (-)]

Just an update for you guys . . .

I've been doing a lot of testing with different types of slide rails and so far have settled on these little guys I found at a local cabnetry store. They retail for about $6 per set. 

I was able to eliminate most of the 'slop' in the movement by mounting them horizontaly, (See picture) and will be adding some guides to the back portion of the final CP, once completed. This should add strength in case anyone applys excessive leverage to the extended panel.