How to fix sticking drawers

[Pete Kurki]

An old house that I recently bought for my family has two sets built in drawers (2 x 4 drawers) that are just basic plywood boxes that are supposed to slide on wood bars. The drawers are hard to open and very difficult to close. The biggest problem is that as soon as the drawer goes into even slightest angle, it just jams. I don't have time to start rebuilding every drawer narrower so that I could fit in metal drawer slides. What kind of other options do I have, if any?

[Mel Fulks]

It's possible it had drawer guides ( pieces attached to sides of case) that have fallen off.

[Lee Schierer]

Wax the sides with paste wax and rub a candle on the runners on the bottom rails and the rails in the cabinet.

[Bill Dufour]

If it is flush on the front run one side over the jointer avoiding any nails. Belt sander + paste wax. The rails may be worn below flush and cause binding.
Bill D

[Clint Baxter]

If there is sufficient room, this tape works well. https://www.amazon.com/UHMW-TAPE-19-20A-5-18-Adhesive-020-Transparent/dp/B01N5G0Z8Y/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Uhmw+tape&qid=1596965845&sr=8-5

Could be used on both the sides and underneath the drawers.
Clint

[Donald G. Burns]

Wax the sides with paste wax and rub a candle on the runners on the bottom rails and the rails in the cabinet.


This is a great first step for any sticking drawer where it is a wood on wood slide.

[Carroll Courtney]

We have an old chest of drawers I guess from the 40 or 50's that was also getting hard to open. I pulled the drawers out someone had installed old steel thumb tacks so that the bottom drawer could ride on. I replace those and rub down the areas that would rub with Minwax polish, its so smooth now.

[Ellen Benkin]

I also live in a very old house with wooden drawers on wooden runners. I used wax (canning wax found in the supermarket) and rubbed a lot on and they all run smoothly. Some have light loads and some have heavy loads. It is a simple and very cheap solution.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I have a 100 year old crudy made cabin that had the exact same issue. Before you take any path, measure the openings at the rear of the drawer housing and front, side to side and up and down. Use two small story sticks which slide against eachother. Woodcraft and Rockler have commercially made products or you can make your own.

Then put a tape measure on the drawer and compare the measurements. You might have drawers which are out of whack, would be my guess, and a small bench plane or belt sander + wax could do the trick.

[Pete Kurki]

OP here. Lots of good advice. I will first take Thomas's idea about measuring and based on the result choose the follow up actions. Thank you all!

[Mark Rainey]

We have an old chest of drawers I guess from the 40 or 50's that was also getting hard to open. I pulled the drawers out someone had installed old steel thumb tacks so that the bottom drawer could ride on. I replace those and rub down the areas that would rub with Minwax polish, its so smooth now.
Interesting Carroll, I also have a "rock maple" chest of drawers from about 80 years ago. Drawers work fine, but noticed what looked like thumb tacks on the rails. This is the same chest that has pocket hole joinery. Perhaps this was a common construction technique in the past. 438769

[Jim Matthews]

Measure the diagonal (left front to right rear and right front to left rear).

Even money says the drawers (or casework) are out of square.

https://quikdrawers.com/how-to-re-square-a-drawer-box