JohnnyNoName Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I am having a problem with a drawer that sticks. If I don't touch the drawer for an extended period of time, the drawer sticks when I try to open it. After I open the drawer, everything works fine - nice and smooth when it opens and closes. If I leave it alone again, say for an hour or longer, it sticks on that initial pull to open it. The longer it sits, the more it sticks. The finish is Danish Oil, with water-based poly on top of it. I have used Johnsons paste wax on the runners. Any thoughts on what might be going on here? Thanks in advance, Jonathan =================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmason Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 My guess is that your drawer is making contact w/ the sides of the case some where. Look for evidence of rubbing on the side of the drawer or the inside of the case, then a little judicious planing or sanding should fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Run a chalk line down the drawer push it in and the chalk should show you any tight spots. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I have this problem with one of my drawers in the house too. Frankly, I think its just from finish contacting finish. Usually wax helps a little but ultimately, it might be unavoidable. If the drawer has enough weight, putting two finished surfaces in contact for a period of time may always produce that friction catch. I imagine the problem is further exacerbated by heat/humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 How long ago did you finish the pieces? What I do is after a couple weeks of applying the finish is add several coats of wax to the runners/guides and the areas of the drawer that contact these areas. I would try several coats and buff it really well. One other thing I do is before I apply any finish I sand these areas to a high grit, around 400 to 600. Since my guides are on the inside of the drawer, sanding to this high grit in just these areas is not an issue . On my runners the drawer still sits on the runner but the drawer is guided from the inside of the drawer side under the drawers bottom (obviously) I learned this long time ago from seeing an antique and Charles Neil also shared a few more hints for this technique on the guild site in the dresser build. Doing this allows one to reduce the friction ,and because of the way it is done, as the drawer closes it is still brought into the perfect alignment that you want. One last thing, on drawers that I plan on having a lot of weight (more of a shop hint) in I use formica on all areas where there will be contact-slides smooth as smooth can be. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 I have this problem with one of my drawers in the house too. Frankly, I think its just from finish contacting finish. Usually wax helps a little but ultimately, it might be unavoidable. If the drawer has enough weight, putting two finished surfaces in contact for a period of time may always produce that friction catch. I imagine the problem is further exacerbated by heat/humidity. Marc- I think that's what the problem is, the finish to finish contact. I have put on some coats of wax on the drawer, but it doesn't seem to be alleviating the problem. I guess I will try and coat the inside of the case too. Thanks, Jonathan =================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 How long ago did you finish the pieces? What I do is after a couple weeks of applying the finish is add several coats of wax to the runners/guides and the areas of the drawer that contact these areas. I would try several coats and buff it really well. One other thing I do is before I apply any finish I sand these areas to a high grit, around 400 to 600. Since my guides are on the inside of the drawer, sanding to this high grit in just these areas is not an issue . On my runners the drawer still sits on the runner but the drawer is guided from the inside of the drawer side under the drawers bottom (obviously) I learned this long time ago from seeing an antique and Charles Neil also shared a few more hints for this technique on the guild site in the dresser build. Doing this allows one to reduce the friction ,and because of the way it is done, as the drawer closes it is still brought into the perfect alignment that you want. One last thing, on drawers that I plan on having a lot of weight (more of a shop hint) in I use formica on all areas where there will be contact-slides smooth as smooth can be. Nate Nate - I put the finish on weeks ago. To check my own waxing process: - what do you apply the wax with? - what do you use to buff the wax? - how long do you let the wax sit before buffing it? I am not using guides, just runners, kickers and the inside of the case, so it's really only sitting on the drawer bottom. Jonathan ============================ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 OK, I went back and sanded again. I put wax on again. Multiple coats of wax, again. The drawers still stick. Would it be a disaster if I put some type of lubricant on the drawer bottom? Maybe a small streak of WD-40. (I can't believe I am even thinking about it) Jonathan ================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Would it be a disaster if I put some type of lubricant on the drawer bottom? Ooh. That sounds icky. Instead, how about a couple of little thin teflon pads or something like that for the drawer to ride on? -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Ooh. That sounds icky. Instead, how about a couple of little thin teflon pads or something like that for the drawer to ride on? -- Russ Russ - I don't have the room for a pad. It would require rebuilding the drawer altogether. Do they sell it in thin strips? Jonathan ============================ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 My brother was telling me about some "super slick tape" that he put on some drawer runners. I don't know what it is called or where he got it but, I'll check with him and find out. We were thinking of using it on the guides in the miter slots of a miter sled for the table saw. It would give you a small amount fo thickness to deal with but if it works as well as he said it did,it might be worth a little sanding to un-stick your drawer. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 I don't have the room for a pad. It would require rebuilding the drawer altogether. Do they sell it in thin strips? I'm not really sure. I just seem to remember seeing drawers that ride on little squares of plastic, maybe 1/2" on a side and maybe 1/32" thick. If I'm remembering correctly at all, it seems like at most you'd have to plane a little bit off the bottom of the drawer in order to accommodate the thickness of the pads. I'll fire up Google here in a minute to see if I can find a picture of what I'm talking about. time passes ... Okay. I'm back from Google. This stuff looks close to what I was remembering: http://www.woodcraft...ick-Strips.aspx I also saw some UHMW tape that's only .015" thick (about 1/64"). Google for "uhmw slick strips" and/or "uhmw slick tape" (without the quotes) and you'll find all kinds of good stuff. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Okay. I'm back from Google. This stuff looks close to what I was remembering: http://www.woodcraft...ick-Strips.aspx I also saw some UHMW tape that's only .015" thick (about 1/64"). Google for "uhmw slick strips" and/or "uhmw slick tape" (without the quotes) and you'll find all kinds of good stuff. -- Russ Thanks Russ. It looks like a run to Woodcraft is in order. Jonathan ================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 My brother was telling me about some "super slick tape" that he put on some drawer runners. I don't know what it is called or where he got it but, I'll check with him and find out. We were thinking of using it on the guides in the miter slots of a miter sled for the table saw. It would give you a small amount fo thickness to deal with but if it works as well as he said it did,it might be worth a little sanding to un-stick your drawer. Rog Rog - Maybe it will be thin enough. I'll see what I can do. Thanks. Jonathan ====================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Sorry about the late response but life has been busy. I use Johnsons floor wax and buff it with a micro fiber cloth several coats several hours apart. I am at a loss on your situation. I don't normally use danish oil but commonly use poly without any problems. I would try adding a few more coats of wax to create a barrier between the finishes. Please keep us posted. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted October 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 I have abandoned the wax path. I put on several coats with hours in between the layers, and still the drawer stuck. I even tried beeswax (I have a stick of it. I figured why not). No dice. I went to Woodcraft and bought some of the UHMW Slick Strips. I was able to remove a 1/32" from the bottom of the drawer, and applied the strips to the drawer runner. Success!!! I have tried letting it sit for a couple of hours, and the drawer glides perfectly. The last test is to let it sit overnight. Thanks for all of the ideas. I knew I would find an answer. Jonathan ======================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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