Drawer puzzle?

[woodbloke]

I made a media unit some time ago containing a central four drawer unit. For the last eighteen months or so it's been sitting in our lounge behaving perfectly and the drawers were a really good sliding fit and running sweetly. Then last night the second drawer started to bind slightly...but why :? The CH's been on in the evenings, the room is warm and dry, so I'd have thought the timber would have shrunk just a fraction maybe, but it hasn't, it's expanded making it bind.
This morning I cleaned off the runners and gave them another swipe of candle wax and it's running slightly better. TBH, all it needs is to fix it is a pair of fine shavings off the edges with a block plane which will take around 10 seconds...but why is the drawer suddenly binding slightly? - Rob :?

 

[AndyT]

Could it be because of slow movement in one of the bigger timbers in the carcase (bigger=takes longer to change) making the box in which the drawer runs distort slightly? It could be only affecting one drawer because that one fitted most exactly when first built.

But it is a puzzler!

 

[Paul Chapman]

I reckon it could be one or more of three possible reasons. I imagine that you made the drawers with a "piston fit". Piston fit drawers take no account of the fact that wood will always move. They will, therefore, invariably end up sloppy or sticking.

All pieces of wood are different - even two pieces cut from the same plank will behave differently. That could explain why one drawer is sticking and the others aren't.

I don't know what pieces of kit you have on the media centre, but they all give out heat, so there may be a localised heat issue.

Hope this helps.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I reckon it could be one or more of three possible reasons. I imagine that you made the drawers with a "piston fit". Piston fit drawers take no account of the fact that wood will always move. They will, therefore, invariably end up sloppy or sticking.

Paul

Agree Paul, the drawers are a piston fit, but the sides ought to have shrunk rather than expanded (even slightly) The drawer sides are made from mahogany that's at been indoors at least 25 years (acquired from another life :-" ) so is very stable in itself. Edward Barnsley used to go round to clients houses with a block plane in his jacket pocket to cure this very same problem, but that was in the days when there was little or no CH and pieces with piston fit drawers went into houses that were much cooler (and maybe damper) than today and hence drawer sides expanded and stuck. But our house (as you know) is relatively new with all mod cons...we even have inside loos and running water! :lol: :lol: The carcase work that the drawers run on is nice dry oak, so I'm still a bit puzzled :? - Rob...who's going to get a block plane from the 'shop after coffee :wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

I'm reminded that Alan Peters' wife commented that she didn't know why Alan spent so much time perfecting his piston fit drawers because the ones on metal runners in her kitchen worked much better :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I'm reminded that Alan Peters' wife commented that she didn't know why Alan spent so much time perfecting his piston fit drawers because the ones on metal runners in her kitchen worked much better :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Now you're trying to get me started! :lol: I used mahog for the sides after reading Peter's book (again 8) ) where he mentioned that old mahogany was his preferred material for drawer sides - Rob