Drawer repair - 2 questions

[Brian Kent]

I need to repair the drawers on this decades-old oak piece. I need it to work right, not to be totally restored.

1st problem is the grooves. I need something to bring it back to level, lifting the drawer to the original position. I do not want to go to the work of squaring the whole groove. Is there a filler I can use? Maybe a nylon strip?

2nd problem is easier. The drawer goes too far back. Is the appropriate fix to glue a block on the inside back of the carcass or on the drawer itself? I don't want to knock out the back of the dresser over the years.

Thank you.

[Mel Fulks]

I think you could use auto body putty to level it ,then put a piece of vinyl or sheet metal over it to prevent wear. The block stop idea will work. No one wanted to blamed for this repair....so I stepped forward. "This opinion can not be used as a precedent"

[Brian Kent]

Great idea with the body putty.

And I just ordered some UHMW tape for the slides after the grooves are filled in.

[John TenEyck]

I used Bondo for that repair in that exact situation, and then put a piece of UHMW tape over the top, just as discussed. It's been a couple of years now and, AFAIK, all is well.

Those type drawers often had a drawer stop glued and nailed to the front rail, and I've seen a lot of them go missing after many years. If that's what they had you should see evidence of them when you inspect the front rail. If so, just glue and nail on some new ones.

John