I didn't expect drawers to stick in the winter

[Roger Marty]

I made my first major piece of furniture in the spring. After fine-tuning, the drawers operated smoothly for 6 months. Now it is 0 degrees in Wisconsin. The drawers are really binding up big time. Small gaps have formed where the web stretcher meets the side panels.

This is really surprising as I expected wood to shrink in the winter, and if anything, the drawers to have more wiggle room. Perhaps I didn't pay attention to making the side panels with alternating grain and maybe they're slightly bowing.

I'm not really sure how to address this other than perhaps using chalk to see where the drawers rub, sanding as needed, and re-applying Johnsons Wax?

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[Jerry Miner]

how are the web frames attached to the carcase?

[Roger Marty]

Dados that are glued on one side (since the sides need to expand)

[Andrew Hughes]

Wood swells with water in the winter.Its almost puffs up and get fat.Then in the summer it shrinks and cups.
Nice looking chest of drawers

[Dave Stuve]

Pretty dresser! The way your grain is aligned, most of the shrinkage will be along the width of your dresser (it'll get slightly less deep.) However if your drawers are really tight you might be feeling the effects of the length of the wood shrinking and the dresser getting slightly shorter and binding your drawers. As an aside, here's a fun article about wood movement that I found interesting.... http://www.popularwoodworking.com/tricks/how-to-calculate-wood-shrinkage-and-expansion

[Jerry Miner]

Wood swells with water in the winter.

Andrew and I live in CA, so this is true for us. For most of the country, summer is more humid and winter is drier, so wood shrinks in winter and swells in summer.

Roger, my best guess as to where the wood movement is affecting your dresser is in the width (height) of your drawer sides. I'm betting they are "pinched" between the web frames. The solution, IMHO, would be to shave a little material off the top or bottom of the drawer sides.

If you can pull a drawer out, you can pre-fit a scrap of lumber and compare it to a drawer side to verify this. You will end up with a slightly looser fit in the dry season, but probably not extremely so.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not really sure how to address this other than perhaps using chalk to see where the drawers rub, sanding as needed, and re-applying Johnsons Wax?

Get a white candle and rub the runners with the candle it will give longer lasting results than paste wax.

[Brian Holcombe]

Good chance the drawer sides bowed. I would wiggle the drawers to see where you can still move them, if you can move them up then you have clearance, etc.

[Robert Engel]

Either what Brian said or the sides of your case have cupped inward.

[John TenEyck]

I think this is the most likely reason. The web frames should keep the sides from cupping. That leaves pinching of the drawers by the web frames as the most likely reason for the problem.

Not for purists, but metal drawer slides eliminated this problem, and many others associated with traditional drawers.

John

[Andrew Hughes]

Your absolutely right Jerry,I thought about it last night heating in the winter can really dry things out too.Where a piece sits in room can affect things.Its better to have a drawer with plenty of space.
All this piston fit jointery on drawers is baloney.

[Brian Holcombe]

On your next project make the case wider at the back by 1/32" or 1/16", then when you cut the drawer backs to size, size them for the front opening. It makes it much, much easier to have a super clean piston fit.

This case is 1/32" wider at the back, it's imperceivable but makes fitting the drawers a smooth process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlEtjNORA38

[pat warner]

Drawers are closed 99% of the time.
And not allowed to equilibrate at the same rate
as the rest of assembly.
Maybe just the sides of the drawers need a little sanding.
Mark with something (graphite) to see where they're hitting.
Are they (& the carcass) finished inside and out? If not, that and the carcass could be
contributing factors.

[Roger Marty]

Thanks for all the responses. The carcass is not finished on the inside. I sanded the sides on one drawer. I applied Johnson's Wax to the sides of the others. It is all back to smooth...for now.

[Brian Holcombe]

IMO you need a fine set hand plane for this, plane the drawer sides lightly hollow. I sometimes run a wide shoulder plane down the inside of the cabinet to ensure that there are no high spots.

[Robert Engel]

On your next project make the case wider at the back by 1/32" or 1/16", then when you cut the drawer backs to size, size them for the front opening. It makes it much, much easier to have a super clean piston fit.

This case is 1/32" wider at the back, it's imperceivable but makes fitting the drawers a smooth process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlEtjNORA38

You can also make the drawer backs 1/16" shorter than fronts and achieve the same thing.

[Robert Engel]

IMO you need a fine set hand plane for this, plane the drawer sides lightly hollow. I sometimes run a wide shoulder plane down the inside of the cabinet to ensure that there are no high spots.

Brian that brings up a good point I've often wondered about. We are taught to make the drawer sides with grown rings curving out so the top and bottom dovetails will always be tight. But this creates the situation you describe where the sides can cup outward, binding the drawer.

So I'm wondering how you orient grain on your drawers?

[Brian Holcombe]

I build cabinets that way as well, it's true most of the time...sometimes however it is not true.

I use quarter sawn material