Thread: Sticky draw fronts

You do not mention what your draw slides are.
If you think it is wood rubbing on wood try something like Dri Lube https://www.autobarn.com.au/goss-dry-lube-27g-15 Another alternative is to use soap or wax.

Very difficult to tell from the photo's although it looks to me that the gaps are to small to allow for expansion and shrinkage

Originally Posted by Handyjack

You do not mention what your draw slides are.
If you think it is wood rubbing on wood try something like Dri Lube https://www.autobarn.com.au/goss-dry-lube-27g-15 Another alternative is to use soap or wax.

It is wood on wood. The fixed parts are hardwood the drawer parts are softwood.
I should add some soap just in case but I don't think it is the runners. Once i open the drawer it has some play. However when closed the drawer fronts are kissing each other.

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Originally Posted by China

Very difficult to tell from the photo's although it looks to me that the gaps are to small to allow for expansion and shrinkage

But I wanted something that looks good and not like it was made with a chainsaw and sledgehammer. So I thought the gaps should be quite fine. Is there a trick I need to learn?

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Looking at the drawers, I would not expect them to stick at all due to wood movement. Wood generally moves much more cross grain rather than with the grain.

As a rule of thumb, wood moves 1/8 inch for every foot cross grain due to moisture content changes. This movement is from equilibrium, in your shop, to the final resting place of the project. (3.175 mm and 30.5 mm respectively) Assumes that you are starting with KD or kiln dried wood.

From your pictures, I only see a problem where the drawers are kissing. There appears to be sufficient space between the bottom of the drawer face and the facing to hide the edge of the plywood used. My solution is, not what you want to hear, to use sandpaper to remove about a mm from each kissing edge of the drawers. After rough sanding the drawer edges, use a series of fine 400 grit sandpaper or so to keep the edge grain looking the same as the drawer front with finish applied.

The hardwood fronts are recycled wall paneling that I removed during renovations. They are at least 40 or 50 years old. So they are not getting any drier.

Is it possible for polyurethane to expand or to turn tacky with extreme temperature and humidity changes?

I think you are right. If these stick again I'll need to do some sanding.

I have a gut feeling that if I just opened and closed them a lot more they would solve themselves.
For now they are working fine again.
So much to learn.....





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Aside from enclosing timber items inside a vacuum nothing will stop timber moving no matter how dry it was, this is why when you construct something from timber you need to allow for this in the design.

Originally Posted by China

Aside from enclosing timber items inside a vacuum nothing will stop timber moving no matter how dry it was, this is why when you construct something from timber you need to allow for this in the design.

So how do I learn to make furniture if I have to have chasms between parts?

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I can't be certain, but could the finish have stuck to the drawer frame?

Because your drawers have applied fronts with the grain running side to side, I don't think movement in the drawer fronts is the problem.

When they were binding, were the drawers hard to open or just hard to crack open, and then they moved OK?


BTW, nice bit of work

Originally Posted by ian

I can't be certain, but could the finish have stuck to the drawer frame?

Because your drawers have applied fronts with the grain running side to side, I don't think movement in the drawer fronts is the problem.

When they were binding, were the drawers hard to open or just hard to crack open, and then they moved OK?


BTW, nice bit of work

Thanks Ian. That means a lot because it was my first project.
You raise an excellent question. Perhaps that was the issue. The wife has some bees wax. Should I rub some around or just wait and see if the problem returns?

They were hard to crack open. Then they move freely. All 4 shallow drawers.

The 2 deeper ones which have no runners were fine.

Another possibility is that they were binding just at the very rear of the runners. But it seems unlikely all 4 would do that because each pair shares a wall.

I don't have handles on the 4 shallow ones. There is a small lip on the underside and they are small enough to wrap your hand right around the drawer front and pull.

Would more photos help?

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what I think you should do is very gently open and close the drawers and see if you can feel an area or extension where moving the drawer becomes noticeably "sticky". Try attaching paper shims where you think the drawer is binding. If the binding is wood on wood, then the shims should cause the drawers to jam, indicating where you might like to remove a thin shaving or two to get a better fit.

My suspicion at this stage is the binding may have been related to the finish or wax used on the piece.

I'm with Ian on the sticking being something to do with the finish binding. Rather than using wax, you might try dusting talc on the parts that might be binding.