Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a big difference. Save a minute a minute here and a minute there, and pretty soon you’ve saved an hour. That’s much of the thinking behind the Miller FastBlock available from FastCap.

This is a very simple device designed to shave time off of your drawer slide installs while helping to eliminate some of the little spacing and alignment irritations that frequently show up in those jobs.

Simple solution  

Developed by cabinetmaker Herbert Miller, the Miller FastBlock is deceptively simple. It’s just a little ABS plastic block that you use in place of the wood blocks typically required to evenly space drawer slides in face-frame applications.

I know, I can already hear you saying it: Why do I need a plastic block when I can cut wood blocks from scrap in the shop? The answer is that the money you save from using scrap blocks will be more than lost in the extra time you spend fussing with the drawer slides and blocks lining everything up.

The Miller FastBlock has two parts. There’s the body of the block with two slotted holes for mounting screws. Then there is a small square insert that works for either wood screws or Euro screws. That’s what you will screw the slide to. The small block is held into the block body with a set screw.

How it works  

In typical face-frame installation, you loosen the set screw so you can move the small block in and out, then hold the whole block behind the face frame and flush it up. Tighten the set screw then screw any slide onto the FastBlock. Next, screw the slide to the front, just as you would normally. Then level the slide and screw in the FastBlock at the back.

Because you set the spacing on the FastBlock, the slide is already aligned. But, if there is another issue, such as the drawer front being crooked, just loosen the screws on the FastBlock, adjust as needed and tighten. The FastBlock offers independent adjustment in all three dimensions.

Although designed more for face-frame applications, you could use two FastBlocks for pullouts on Euro-style cabinets.

At a price of less than $4, these aren’t going to compete with your scrap blocks for raw cost. But as soon as you start figuring your time, you’ll see they pay off.