We did ours and once you determine the exact placement and make a template, it was really simple. You can buy these pre-made templates at Home Depot that have a whole bunch of holes in them...if any of them work for your placement it makes it super easy.

I was so nervous but my DH is an engineer and is extremely detail oriented and precise. They came out perfectly. I will admit that I thought I would throw up at that first hole being drilled though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardware Templates

32" wowzers! You should definitely do it yourself if you want perfection. The templates are a must but I'm not sure they make them that long - if they do, make sure to tape over ALL the holes you're not going to be using otherwise things can get kind of confusing.

If your DH is crafty, he could easily create his own template using some scrap wood and a drill.

joygreenwald:

Hot melt glue some plywood scraps together to make a jig. Picture a "T" with a rectangle of plywood over it. One side is for right doors, one side is for left. This is the only way to go; you can't screw up. Measuring is not good in this application.

It would help if you post a photo of a door and a pull because you may alter the method accordingly. Installing hardware can be a little tricky it's not always as easy as it looks. I like to do it on a drill press with a jig set up whenever I can sometimes even before I put a finish on the door. You can do it simply with blue tape on the door and a marking jig with center lines and using a brad point drill bit or make and actual drilling jig but thats needs to be made right and held in place well without damaging the door. If I see what you have I can give you more details. Even after building furniture and cabinets for like more years than I can remember I still don't look forward to installing hardware on a finished piece.
John

Thanks everyone! I leaned them up against a cabinet, so you can see everything. I turned one to the side for another perspective. Diet that I can't really capture the look well.

Here is a photo of how the screws go in.

Treb, my husband suggested something similar. I'm not sure I understood exactly what you had in mind, but I think my husband will.

I've been drilling and installing hardware for close to 40 years, and I've only made a template occasionally, when there were dozens of doors with the same pull location. Otherwise, I just use blue tape and mark my centers with a pencil, measure at least twice, then poke the centers with an awl, and drill with a brad point bit 1/16" larger than the machine screw diameter which allows for a bit of visual adjustment, as all hardware is not created equal...
A great tip I learned many, many years ago, was to drill drawers a 1/16" to 1/8" above center as you go down the drawer bank, to allow for "visual centering" when looking down from standing!

This post was edited by ctycdm on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 20:47

Also close to 40 years here but the person drilling these probably doesn't have even 40 minutes of experience. Blue tape and a sharp pencil will be fine for a flat slab door like this. I would use a small adjustable combination square to do some of the marking especially from the side in because you just set it and all your marks will be the same. If there are a lot of them and all the same drilling then a simple jig some version of this one in the picture can work too.

I, too, have over thirty years experience drilling for pulls. Several years ago I had to fix my nephews drawers from drilling them wrong. MAKE AND USE A JIG.

Treb, if it's not too much to ask, can you show me a drawing of what we should make? (Or take a photo of one if you have one hanging around.) I understand images better than descriptions. Thanks so much!!! I just want to do this right.

joy, the type of jig jdesign shows is a good example of what I've made when I have many doors with the same pull location. Although, I've found with drawers, there are so many different widths and heights, it's easier just to tape and measure. I do use an adjustable combination square, an invaluable tool.
...show us those pulls installed, very cool looking! Chris

Hi,
Jigs work, and if all the hardware is the same they can be an awesome time saver, just make sure you are positioning them properly and not running in "automatic" mode.
I used 6 types of hardware, so making six jigs was not considered.
I came up with a rule for positioning bar pulls, and shared it here years ago, but it's worth repeating. Make your pulls slightly higher than the centerline of the drawer if you want them to appear centered. You need then a bit higher to overcome the forced perspective that you will impose on them by the virtue of being more than 3ft tall. When you look down on a bar pull that's mathematically centered, it looks lower.
1/16 to 1/8" is about the fraction to raise them.
I use the Festool 5mm Centrotec drill bit for knob screw holes. It is the best bit for the job, as there is very minimal tearout on the back side, and while it is a brad-point bit it does not grab aggressively into the wood. A brad-point is crucial, because you can place it on your mark within 0.005 every time (if not using a template )
After you have aligned your doors, mark for the hardware that are adjacent to each other, like pairs of doors. Use a small level to see that they are both the same measurement and the same height/level from the floor.
Double check that you're not drilling into the hinge side of doors! Check every single time before you drill.
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: Festool drill bit

I keep checking this thread to see if hardware has been installed yet...I am dying to see those beautiful cabinets draped with that gorgeous "jewelry"!!!!

We decided to have our contractor's team do the job. They are such perfectionists. Most of the pulls went up today. (There was (and is) other finish work left to do.) My husband needs to adjust the hinges, so the doors aren't quite even now. That makes the pulls look uneven. But since I know you were waiting... Here's a sneak peak.

Thanks for all the advice. Even though we wimped out, we really appreciate it.

love your pulls and red wall joygreenwald!

Very nice!

Thanks! :) I'm totally thrilled with how they look installed. That's a relief. I was petrified of ruining my beloved doors.

Fingers crossed for a reveal before Thanksgiving.

They are all up now. And so is my reveal. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: JoyGreenwald's kitchen reveal