How to Fix Sticking and Hanging Drawers, old carpenter tricks

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Күн бұрын

If you have drawers that are hard to open and close, or drawers that hang up with neighboring drawers, these quick easy solutions might be just what you need. Tried and true carpenter tricks passed down over time that resolve most of the common issues! Your personal furniture issue might be an issue beyond the scope of these common issues, but it never hurts to take a look at these ideas.

Пікірлер: 81

@VianicaOfOTG 7 жыл бұрын

Carpenter grandpas are the best.

@patsmith5947 2 жыл бұрын

Don’t you miss them, my dad died 3 1/2 years ago. He knew everything, he was 93 and he died on his birthday. I miss him terribly. It’s funny I was the first child, born after he came home from the Navy after WWII, I was a girl who followed him around always, learned about his tools, learned about cars I knew all of the makes and models, he made me change a tire when I was 16, I couldn’t wait to learn to drive. I had a brother 7 years younger, he didn’t want to learn anything from dad and didn’t want to drive. He was a big disappointment and the only thing he wanted to do was drink.

@Innerstrength111 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the soap info. And I love the way you drew your straight line- brilliant!

@TheTylieanichole 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for putting this is "normal" people terms! So helpful!

@jeseyedesigns1519 9 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I have a 100yo house and an old kitchen with lots of wood drawers that I've been yanking to open for years. You have helped! I'll pass this trick on to my kids.

@shizzledesign 3 жыл бұрын

omg, they make electric planers???? I can't wait to get one!! You have helped me so much; you have no idea!!! Thanks for sharing!!

@dbrown7241 9 жыл бұрын

I should add that the second part with the planer should be your last resort. Check your drawer glides to ensure they aren't damaged or worn. In this case, my wife had picked up this old piece from a local antique store and the dresser had been slightly modified/repaired. The drawer was hitting from the beginning and it had nothing to do with the glides. You notice after planning it barely fits top and bottom, so the planning was justified in this case.

@redstripe5423 7 жыл бұрын

Dooooooood! Every. Single. Day. for over 10 years I've put up with the annoying drawers. It's not a cure for cancer, yet it's a life changer! THANKS!

@ProfessorFether 9 жыл бұрын

Works perfectly on my 75 year old credenza. You know, I now remember my dad, who was a pretty good carpenter (taught by his master carpenter father), telling me about this. I had forgotten this trick. Thanks for the tip and also for the memory it brought up. My dad has been gone quite a number of years, but I think he'd be glad to see I'm carrying on the tradition of woodworking, even though I am just a hobbyist at this.

@edgardvega7296 9 жыл бұрын

I love the soap trick!! Thanks for sharing.

@meganholly3648 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Your video answered my questions so now I'm ready to make my nana's dresser functional again!

@amandamadden4182 5 жыл бұрын

The soap trick worked amazingly!!!

@elizabethdanishanko4704 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!! The soap worked wonders on our antique dresser :)

@RoseCappadona-dp8tp Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing. I had the same problem I used to soap and then had to sand slightly the bottoms and the tops of the drawer works wonders👒🥂👒

@tpbarrett1 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, simple and to the point.

@zendoralerue630 7 жыл бұрын

My 1980 Lane dresser drawer hung down when opened. The metal track looked fine and very stable, but there was a 2 inch metal slider "lock? thing " inside the track. I used your soap method and it must have unstuck the lock INSIDE the slider. It opens properly now. Thanks for the great video!

@newharmony85 8 жыл бұрын

love the soap trick thank you!

@littlepocketstudios8569 4 жыл бұрын

I guess that's why my great-grandma had hoards of soap in the draws. I had to move into her home 3 months ago and the drawers to the dresser stick so bad. I'll give this a shot! thanks!

@lindaleidy4973 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, just what I needed to know

@patsmith5947 2 жыл бұрын

Good job!

@madamhummingbird 5 жыл бұрын

Hi. Excellent tutorial. Thx for sharing :D

@cherista 8 жыл бұрын

thank u for the helpful tip

@ArtfulLivingNHVT Жыл бұрын

This is great info. But the two drawers I'm working with each slide in great, by themselves... and when together they overlap. But I can't plane down the top drawer's bottom, as it has a design ridge on it. So I know for sure these two drawers fit together once upon a time. I think there's a problem in the grooves, so I'm gonna soap or beeswax them down first and see if the top one is just hanging up on something. Thanks!

@janetang8684 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you !!!

@thomashill5768 7 жыл бұрын

so helpful!

@yolivillalobos5575 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@mikeking7470 Жыл бұрын

I use a belt sander instead of a planer (since I don't have a planer). With a coarse belt it can take off a lot of wood in a hurry.

@christinabrown2456 8 жыл бұрын

Whenever I've had a gap like that the drawers were switched. Usually the bottom drawer bad more of a lip on the bottom

@NSueP 4 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. Much easier fix.

@Lia2222 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome thank you and your daddy

@jessicaramseywwe 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks in going to go try the soap trick hopefully it helps 😁

@jessicaramseywwe 6 жыл бұрын

Wow that works !!! Yea no more sticking drawers

@Jonaontheradio 3 жыл бұрын

Instead of planing off the bottom of the drawer, why not increase the height of the drawer slide? It probably wore down over the years.

@anwarali7796 5 жыл бұрын

v helpful..

@angelfoodcake1979 8 жыл бұрын

I stopped the video after the sticky drawer and immediately went to test it on those I have. It works brilliantly. Thanks a lot! How often do you have to repeat this typically?

@dbrown7241 8 жыл бұрын

Not that often, maybe once every 3 or 4 years. I suppose if it has heavy use, it might need it a little more often.

@krissymichele 5 жыл бұрын

What about a drawer that’s stuck due to the wood swelling? Is there a fix for that? I’m in the beginning stages of restoring an old dresser that’s pretty warped and idk if I should quit while I’m ahead or keep going.

@chodeshadar18 8 жыл бұрын

is there any way to unstick a drawer that HAS been exposed to water(basement flooded with a foot of water!)? It's a bottom drawer, and I can access the contents by removing the drawers above it. I tried tapping it with a hammer from the inside, and running a paint scraper into the cracks, with no success.

@periux100 Жыл бұрын

What did you do on hanging drawers

@pechigoobooi-cheerupfam1164 Жыл бұрын

But what made the drawer overlapped

@lynnhoffman247 8 ай бұрын

What if the drawer is stuck so you can’t get it open more than 2”?

@VONALEXANDRIA 2 жыл бұрын

I have a problem, how do you change the depth of a drawer from thin to deeper? It's only about 2 inches high, not high enough to put books in. How can you reconstruct it?

@sislertx Жыл бұрын

I use my sewing bees wax

@sleeksalmon 6 жыл бұрын

Im going to try min wax.... Ive done the soap trick and truthfully it doesnt last very long at all.. you have to keep applying. Enough so, that Im here looking for another solution....

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 6 жыл бұрын

sleeksalmon I agree...

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 6 жыл бұрын

I was thinking if you smooth it out real well and re-varnish it...that might help.

@marshwetland3808 5 жыл бұрын

I always use a piece of candle wax. The result lasts for years. I mean they put wax on traditional XC skis, right, not soap!

@jdhitc 7 жыл бұрын

so how long does this trick last? would there be a longer lasting effect with a wood oil?

@dbrown7241 7 жыл бұрын

Oil would absorb into the wood and it also attracts dust, so the soap will last much longer.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 6 жыл бұрын

dbrown7241 but still not real long, as was pointed out here :)

@nancymcshane3501 2 жыл бұрын

What about wax?

@ArtfulLivingNHVT Жыл бұрын

I've often used a bar of beeswax instead of soap, but I think both work well

@jessicaeubanks1400 4 жыл бұрын

Does painting the drawer / vanity make the wood swell? For some reason my drawers are not coming out and going in like they were before

@amandawalsh3908 4 жыл бұрын

Jessica Eubanks I’m having this same problem. R u painting outside in the heat like I am.? I always seem to have this problem if I’m working out in the heat.

@ArtfulLivingNHVT Жыл бұрын

I find that a layer of paint on the edges can make a difference in the actual size. I know it seems so thin, but it's times 2 if on both sides. If you mean, just paint the fronts, I've never seen that happen, personally, because of the paint. Is it very wet paint? Very humid weather?

@ThetaLavWaves 3 жыл бұрын

Problem is, it doesn't wanna take it out

@YuriyKhovansky 7 жыл бұрын

You can learn more about it on woodprix website I think.

@a99999z 6 жыл бұрын

My drawers won’t pull out, they are fixed. One sounds like wood scraping wood help

@dbrown7241 6 жыл бұрын

Sounds like they have been exposed to moisture which causes wood to swell. On close tolerances, just a little moisture can be very bad. This soap trick is for functional drawers that drag due to friction. Without looking at your furniture, it would be hard to say what exactly is needed. IF you can somehow get the drawer out, I would suggest looking at the internal friction points where I suggest applying the soap - THESE points will need to be sanded slightly as soap will not be enough. Also, depending on the furniture, you might have to remove the backing of the chest of drawers in order to tap the drawers with a rubber mallet. Finally, if you know any woodworking friends, you could also ask for their advice. Good luck.