On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 5:24:13 PM UTC-4, dpb wrote:
On 06/04/2017 3:42 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
...

I lived with wooden rails for 50+ years until I decided to build new
kitchen drawers and use side mount rails. One way works, the other is
a pleasure to use.
...

It's _possible_ to build a carcase housing for drawers that also are a
pleasure to use, but it's fine furniture work, not cabinetry, to do so
and the type of use a kitchen cabinet drawer gets makes the mechanicals
much more the attractive option, agreed.

--

....and even more so on a older piece that never had the tight fitting drawers
or (insert lubricating method here) that would have prevented the wear and
tear over the years. Properly maintained, wooden rails can last for centuries,
but even a few years of neglect can render them "mechanical ready".

If this was something other than a garage sale piece (and it's definitely
not a diamond-in-the-rough find) I might consider maintaining it's original
features. As it is, I just want to make it easier for my daughter to use
and to get a few more years out of the drawers.