Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 19

Thread: Drawer Friction

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758

    Drawer Friction

    What lube do you recommend for wood on wood drawer slides? I applied car wax which worked for a while but it dried up.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    New Westminster BC
    Posts
    2,981
    I have used vee shaped weather stripping on an old desk that has wood on wood drawer slides. In time (several years) the adhesive starts to fail and the weather stripping started to slide out the front but I just cut the protruding part off and it still works. You could staple it in place (the staple would be covered by one side of the vee) to avoid this . I think the stuff I used (decades ago) was vinyl but here's a link to some silicone weather stripping with the same profile that should work just as well.

    https://www.amazon.ca/Weather-Stripp...116289256&th=1

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,595
    Blog Entries
    1
    Rub the sliding parts with paraffin. it will last a long time.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    I repair hundred-year-old built-ins with slick tape. It is UHMW tape 1/32” thick with peel-and-stick adhesive on the back. It is very slippery, and the thickness sometimes compensates for wear. Works great.

    But maybe it won’t work in your situation. If you’ve already put wax on the runners, the tape’s adhesive may not stick well.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Northeastern OK
    Posts
    301
    Just hit them with another coat of paste wax (Johnson's or similar), not car wax. Ten years after the fact, I have a well used drawer that needs to be touched up with paste wax.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    West Tennessee
    Posts
    99
    I use paraffin exclusively.

  7. #7
    Paraffin. Also good on saws, hand planes, chisels, screws...

  8. #8
    Paraffin works good for me.

  9. #9
    Another vote for parafin.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  10. #10
    Paraffin, by way of candles or canning wax, is all I have ever used. I don't think I have ever had to re-wax a drawer. It also what I use on plane soles, machine tables, wood vise slides, etc.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    What lube do you recommend for wood on wood drawer slides? I applied car wax which worked for a while but it dried up.


    What wood on what wood?
    It may be too late to change but a close grain hardwood species works best. In my experience softwoods have more issues. Wax is traditional and does work well, there are also good products off the shelf like Slipit Sliding Compound

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Putney, Vermont
    Posts
    1,042
    I used a clear white candle on my kitchen drawers and that was 20 years ago. Still sliding smoothly. Must be paraffin wax.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    Here in Oz we have a spray made by Selleys called “Ezy Glide”. Nulon make a “Ezi-Glide”. These are silicone sprays. They work well.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  14. #14
    There is a wood on wood sliding lubricant called Slipit that was designed for your need.
    Lee Valley sells it and so do other sources. Also works well as a rust inhibitor on metal surfaces, hand planes and the like.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
    Posts
    3,047
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •