I am restoring an oak veneered sideboard which was in a flood - I can't get the drawers to fit back in. HELP

Question

The piece of furniture was in water for a week about a year and a half ago. I have restored the whole piece but just tried the drawer and it wouldn't go in. I glued the drawer together and it is definitely square. I have also sanded one of the sides of the drawers that seems to be sticking and it still won't go in. I made sure the piece itself was not racked and it seems to be square. I am just not sure where to go with it from here. Any help would be great.

Answer 1

get a moisture meter and check the moisture content of the wood. If its over 15 percent you still have a lot of mousture in it. If you have restored the piece chances are you have used water to rinse the stripper off. You can put a dehumidifier close to the piece and that might pull some of the moisture out but if you wait time will take care of it. If you alter the piece any more you will ruin the value of it. Are you sure you glued the drawer back right. perhaps you should try and drop the front edge of the drawer down and see if it will go in. you can lube it with wax that may help, but it does sound like its still swollen

Answer 2

First off, Lego's answer is very good. If you suspect the wood has moisture in it, all you can do is wait.

But also, sometimes after wood has soaked up a lot of water, it never quite goes back to its former state. You may have to sand off a good bit of material to get the drawer to fit. Actually, a scraper might serve you better in this case. I mean this type of scraper: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=4586 . If you decide to sand, be sure to use a block so you get the wood nice and even. If there's veneer on the drawer edges, take it off, do your trimming, and then replace the veneer.

Oh, another way: You can bevel the drawer edge. That way the outer edge will always look like a tight fit, but behind that the angle will keep the wood from rubbing.