Give the drawers and slides a sanding with 120 to get rid of rough spots, then add wax. Rubbing a regular candle over it will be enough. Don't put wax an surfaces you want to paint later. Answer from SauBaer42 on reddit.com
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Woodgears
woodgears.ca › drawers › index.html
Wooden drawer slides
I was able to make the drawers slide more easily though by putting some fairly slippery floor varnish on the cabinet where the drawers slide on, and on the bottom of the drawers. Varnish on the rails doesn't always help make them slide better - it very much depends on what kind of varnish you use.
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Family Handyman
familyhandyman.com › home › house & components › fixtures › cabinets
How to Build Your Own Drawer Slides
October 1, 2024 - With these instructions, you'll have smoothly gliding drawers in no time. ... Select straight-grained, clear lumber and mill your parts to size. You’ll need to mill two sets of slides for each drawer box in your project.
Discussions

How do I make a drawer slide more smoothly
Soap or wax candle More on reddit.com
🌐 r/DIY
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February 12, 2019
DIY folks? what have you used for drawer sliders!? | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY
Hello! I am in need of advice about drawer sliders. I plan on putting a slider in the back of my LJ with possibly another mounted above. I tend to have a roof basket mounted in the back and the cooler gets strapped to that with a CO2 tank and some clothes, underneath is usually spare parts... More on overlandbound.com
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August 24, 2021
Is there a way to make old wooden drawers slide easier, they don't have metal rail track things
Rub the friction surfaces with bees wax. More on reddit.com
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May 31, 2021
Sanding thoughts: I don’t think drawer slides are worth it.
Ever had any really old furniture that was made before slides were commonly available? Most of those drawers don’t work because the tolerances were tight to begin with and the slightest bit of wood movement will bind it up. I’ve had to take the back panel off of pieces to hammer the drawers out from behind. Add to that the way that slideless drawers just aren’t as smooth, and are also much noisier, and you lose a lot of the quality of life aspects from the piece. As for the space, you!re also losing functional space when you can extend a drawer beyond 75% or else risk it falling on the floor. In short, pros and cons to each. If it’s a small build, like a jewelry box or machinist tool box slides don’t make any sense. If it’s a big desk or dresser, they make more sense. More on reddit.com
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September 1, 2023
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Sawmill Creek
sawmillcreek.org › forums › woodworking topics › general woodworking and power tools
Making drawer slides | Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community
August 12, 2003 - Ball bearing slides have there place, but for some pieces, they just aren't the solution. Here is what I would do. For smaller drawers, I would simply have the solid wood drawer box ride on the bottom of their sides on "L" shaped cleats mounted in the case The bottom of the "L" is where the drawer rides and the side of the "L" is what keeps the drawer in place side-to-side.
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WOOD Magazine
woodmagazine.com › woodworking-how-to › doors-drawers › install-drawers-without-metal-slides
Install Drawers Without Metal Slides
February 14, 2025 - Instead of trapping the entire drawer side between guides, this method traps only a cleat mounted to the drawer side [ Drawing, below]. The guides may be separate pieces, or a single grooved piece that the cleat slides in. Because the guides prevent the drawer from tipping while also eliminating side-to-side movement, no side guides are needed.
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Woodworking Talk
woodworkingtalk.com › home › forums › woodworking forum › general woodworking discussions
Wood on wood "drawer slides" question | Woodworking Talk
February 2, 2024 - Everything can be done with a table saw, maybe even a circ saw. Some more advanced involve routing a groove into the drawer sides for wood runners to slide in. These types of course require a router, and probably a router table.
Find elsewhere
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Instructables
instructables.com › workshop › woodworking
The Coolest Two-way Drawer Slides : 7 Steps - Instructables
October 11, 2017 - In order to make this reasonably easy to build, I chose to make these slides from wood. But the design is so simple, if they wear out, I can replace them easily. If you look at the CAD image, you can see how this works. Note one side of the cabinet is invisible to reveal the interior. Both the drawer and the cabinet have cleats attached to them to act as slides.
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Router Forums
routerforums.com › home › general woodworking › project plans and how to
Homemade Drawer Slides, Heavy Duty and Light | Router Forums
For single sliding dovetails, you end up like option one, but you control the side to side movement for a solid feel. You can also use them as center drawer slides from underneath. For full-slide sliding dovetails, I make the slides like like a small version of a table slide, with wooden dowels holding them together:
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WoodNet
forums.woodnet.net › showthread.php
making wooden, center mount drawer guides
April 25, 2021 - « Previous 1 … 51 52 53 54 55 … 274 Next » making wooden, center mount drawer guides · Pages (2): 1 2 Next » · Pages (2): 1 2 Next » · View a Printable Version · Subscribe to this thread · Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s) Contact Us · Woodnet Forums ·
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The Grit and Polish
thegritandpolish.com › blog › diy-how-to-make-old-wood-drawers-slide-easier
DIY // How To Make Old Wood Drawers Slide Easier — The Grit and Polish
December 3, 2020 - Rub a bar of soap (we used a basic Dove bar here) along the tracks on the bottom of the drawer and in the cabinet/dresser. Make sure to get anywhere wood rubs against wood and give it plenty of soap.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/diy › how do i make a drawer slide more smoothly
r/DIY on Reddit: How do I make a drawer slide more smoothly
February 12, 2019 -

I have a closet where it's drawers have no wheels or a sliding mechanism (wood on wood).

Is there a way to make them slide more smoothly other that installing wheels?

Like putting oil or butter, and how long would it last until I have to put more

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The Spruce
thespruce.com › how-to-make-wood-drawers-slide-easier-6944387
How to Fix Stuck Wood Drawers So They Slide More Easily
February 14, 2024 - Stuck wood drawers are annoying and potentially damaging to the drawer or cabinet. Learn how to fix stuck wood drawers so that they slide more easily.
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Pinterest
pinterest.com › handywoman47 › drawer-runners
Discover 23 Drawer Runners and woodworking plans ideas
Workshop Drawers Diy · Woodshop Drawers · Woodworking Drawer Construction · Woodworking Drawer Assembly · Shop Storage Drawers · Wooden Drawer Boxes In Workshop · Woodworking Drawers · Measuring Cup Storage Ideas · Measuring Cup And Spoon Organization · Hooks For Measuring Cups · Top Mount Drawer Slides ...
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Instructables
instructables.com › workshop › woodworking
Beginners Guide to Drawers. Measure, Cut, Assemble, Mount, Finish. No Jig Method : 10 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
February 19, 2021 - Once you learn how to do this and have the lightbulb go off, it will open so many new things you may have been avoiding building or fixing because of drawers. Especially paying somebody to build one to replace one that may be broken in a existing piece. I love doing it, and every time I open one up I'm proud of it. So lets get into it! Some of these are affiliate links to products I use and if you purchase them I make a small commission, and that helps support me and my channel to make future content, so thanks! 3/4 Opening Euro Slides (if you want these, least expensive and easiest)
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Wood Talk Online
woodtalkonline.com › topic › 29259-full-extension-wood-drawer-slides
full extension wood drawer slides - Advanced Woodworking - Wood Talk Online
December 8, 2018 - I'm just curious if anyone has attempted to make full extension wood drawer slides, i have a project coming up that will require a couple of drawers, i've used metal, wood, sliding dovetail and they all have their place but i saw a article in FWW (i think) that showed how to make these. at first ...
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Pinterest
pinterest.com › explore › diy and crafts › diy tools › diy drawer slides
Diy Drawer Slides
Diy Furniture Sliders For Hardwood · Building Drawers In Cabinet · How to Build Your Own Drawer Slides · How To Install Wooden Drawer Slides · Diy Drawer Runners · Diy Wood Drawer Slides · Homemade Heavy Duty Drawer Slides · Make Wood Drawer Slides · Diy Wooden Drawer Installation ·
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LumberJocks
lumberjocks.com › home › forums › woodworking › joinery
Looking For Some Wooden Drawer Slides/Runner Ideas | LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
January 2, 2025 - Have you already assembled the case? What stock will you use to divide the drawers horizontally? I've used wood runners with some vertical stock to keep the drawers from going sideways. The drawers just slides on the runners.
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FineWoodworking
finewoodworking.com › home › all-wood extension drawer slides
How to Make All Wood Drawer Slides - FineWoodworking
September 14, 2018 - After one too many drawer spills, ... furniture. She ended up with a telescoping dovetail mechanism that uses an intermediate slider with a dovetail on one face that fits a groove in the drawer side....
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Overland Bound
overlandbound.com › forums › overland rigs › overland trailers › diy only
DIY folks? what have you used for drawer sliders!? | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY
August 24, 2021 - i built a platform in the back ... system by using rollerblade wheel bearings and 5/16" bolts as an axle. i made two rows of the bearings on each side of the box with a piece of uni-strut mounted to the drawer and slide in between the two rows of bearings. it worked ok, ...