Pine chest of drawers swollen due to garage storage?

[Eskimoernie]

Hello one and all,

I recently stored a pine chest of drawers in our garage for a couple of months before painting them and bringing them back into the house. The drawers had been taken out when they first moved outside, and now the drawers are difficult to get back in. Quelle suprise, I know...damp I take it?

My question is - as they dry out, will the drawers fit again, or do I need to do something remedial like sand the sides of the drawers?

Sorry, not much wood-working as botching, I know, but all advice gratefully received and pondered...

Ray.

 

[NickN]

I'd be very surprised if you had to do any work to them, give it a week or two in your house and you should find they fit as before - might need a bit longer if the garage was very damp / the house is not centrally heated.

It's incredible how much movement wood can make with the addition or subtraction of moisture - the slot in the hasp on my shed door has about 5mm extra length around the staple, and yet in the summer I struggle to close it as it binds on the outer end (door gets narrower), and in the winter I struggle to close it as it binds on the inner end (door gets wider). And that door does not get rained on, it's purely humidity.