My first thought was pretty much the same as yours but I think this job would be a great choice for epoxy. Just fill in the whole worn area with epoxy and let it set up back to where it should be and that should last another 50 years.

 

I think your repair idea is a good one and probably what i would do if i had this to repair. To level the groove in the carcass I would glue some aggressive sand paper to a piece of wood and grind it. I make grinding sticks often i use them like a file. I use 3m 77 spray adhesive it’s fast and holds good.

 

.... My first thought was to try to square up the groove and glue in a new piece of oak for the draw to run on, maybe even face it in HDPE or similar. Do same on drawer side. Problem is what tool to use that can get into this tight space and cut a wide rebate to clean up the worn groove ....

A variable speed Multi-tool may work, to clean the worn groove for wood replacement. There's several blades available for wood & metal, and most are universal fits. They also have sanding pad attachments available for the tool. I've got a multi-tool that I use quite often for close-quarters/intricate cuts. Works great!

Last year, I paid about $90 (USD) for my Craftsman W401 model, with a set of 10 assorted blades. The tools are sold at most box stores, Harbor Freight and also at Amazon.

Also, maybe consider using silicone tape on the the sides of wood contact areas for each drawer. Doing so would reduce friction-wear. The tape is adhesive-backed, sold in rolls at Amazon, Rockler and most box stores.

 

I repaired an antique piece recently, & faired the worn drawer sides and planed new wood to match the curve. Replaced the worn runners and a missing upper guide.

But also in a pinch at a client's house, I put thumbtacks in the front of the worn runners. It is reversible if a real repair happens in the future.

 

First thing to do is measure how deep the wear is in the carcass frame. It doesn't look that deep and it's risky to try to do much in there. I would probably leave it alone other than a coat of paste wax. Waxing old drawer contact points is always a good idea. I sure wouldn't fill it with anything like epoxy. Too tacky, and if it doesn't work well you now have the bigger problem of correcting that mistake. Maybe if it was the harder 2 hour stuff, but even then I don't much like the idea.

For the drawer itself, jwoodcraft has the right idea. Add some material to the bottom, straighten the edge with a plane and wax it.

 

And the easy fix, which I use myself, is to get rolls of slick tape from woodcraft or other suppliers. Clean the worn runner of dust, peel and stick the plastic to the runners. I covered the runners in built in cabinets and dressers. Now the drawers move in and out easily, even when loaded. The most labor is pulling the drawers out and setting them out of the way. No glue, no new tools. Just be careful not to pull the drawers too hard after taping, they may end up on the floor, or your feet.

 

I agree. There doesn't seem to be too much damage, so my thoughts are less is more. The slick tape may be enough to raise the drawer higher to prevent the bottom from rubbing on the stop as well. If you need a bit more depth, a piece of slick tape on the drawer bottom will give you a bit more lift. It depends on how much clearance you have at the top.

 

Once had an antique store and had to deal with a lot of these. Fill the groove with epoxy, then fit a strip of Formica or similar material. plane the drawer edge to both straighten it and remove enough material to acommodate the addition of a matching strip on the drawer and the one on the runner. Result should be no change in the overall height do the drawer doesn't rise enough to catch on the top. Works well, lasts well and easy to replace if ever needed.

I used to have lots of Formica scraps around, harder to find now. Other plastics would work I'm sure, just hard to glue some of them in place.

 

Sorry for not replying…didn’t want to interrupt the flow of suggestions! I hadn’t heard of the low friction tape before. Can’t get the Rockler stuff where I am in the United Kingdom, but there are both PTFE and UHMW PE alternatives. I am leaning towards the latter…don’t like PTFE.

I have some West System epoxy and colloidal silica which sets hard as a rock, but which would be horrible to work around if the need arose.
Levelling the drawer sides is simple enough. I was thinking about it so the confirmation is nice! It was the inside carcass and the rubbing of the stop blocks that had me scratching my head.

Formica is an interesting thought. I don’t have any, but I might have something similar. I am back at my folks place and will have another look and measure the wear.

thanks!!

Chris

ps. Still interested in hearing any other suggestions!

 

I would think adding Formica to an antique would be frowned upon...

 

Inspect the bottom of the drawer carefully. I have encountered brads, nails, etc., in the bottom of the drawer side that was responsible for cutting the groove. I think they end up there when people try to repair a loose drawer. I may see a shiny spot in your photo, actually. If something is in the bottom of the drawer, you need to remove it before you apply a tool or you may chip a blade. Also, when that fastener is pulled, you may discover that you have drawer repairs to do (properly this time).

 

I don't know what the slick tape is made of, but I got it from woodcraft. It spans the groove that the drawer side wore in the runner

 

If you decide to fill the worn grooves in the drawer runners (the worn pieces in the carcass) with epoxy, you need to think about the way the carcass is constructed. It looks like the sides of the case are solid panels with the grain running vertically. The grain of the drawer runners runs 90º to the grain of the side panels, I.E., a cross grain construction. If this is the case, the drawer runners are not attached to the side panels, or if they are, they "float," giving the side panels freedom to expand and contract freely. If you just pour epoxy onto the drawer runners to fill the worn grooves you'll almost certainly glue them to the side panels. This is a big No No. It will cause the side panels to split to relieve the tension the horizontal rails impose when they are solidly attached to the vertical grained sides. I just spent a week trying to repair a beautiful 18th Century mahogany 5 drawer chest that someone had "repaired" by screwing and gluing the drawer runners to the side panels. Both panels were split top to bottom with a 3/8' gap. It was so badly damaged that I was unable to affect a satisfactory repair.