On Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 5:22:54 PM UTC-5, dpb wrote:
On 2/28/2019 3:54 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 9:46:29 AM UTC-5, dpb wrote:
On 2/25/2019 5:14 PM, dpb wrote:
...

The bottom you can see I replaced entirely because the soft pine had
worn down so badly over the years the drawers would barely function at
all...

Actually, the recollection now arises (it's been 10+ yr now) that the
sides had worn to the point the groove for bottom panels had morphed
into a rabbet as there was so little material left the bottom edge had
broken off, dropping the bottoms out of the drawers...hence my using the
oak for the new pieces.

--

There is virtually no wear on the drawers. Here's the drawer itself...

https://i.imgur.com/QuxSAmL.jpg

...and here's the desk:

https://i.imgur.com/ee2rtX0.jpg

Note the thumbtacks(?) that were used as glides. Original? Don't know, but
I'll bet they helped keep the bottom of the drawer sides from wearing.

I also found that all of the center rails were screwed in at the front but
floating at the rear - although they all had nail holes at the rear. Just as
a test, I tried putting a tack at the rear of a couple of the rails, making
sure I hit the original hole in the carcass of the desk, but all that did
was make the drawers bind. They are back to floating and the drawers work as
smooth as can be. At least they do while empty, I haven't tried them loaded.

Back to the drawers: If you look closely you'll see that the bottom of the
back panel is beveled to allow for easier insertion into the carcass. That's
a nice touch.

Those "buttons" were fairly common but I've not seen a source for them
in years...I'd be pretty certain they are original. They're heavier
than just a thumbtack head but very similar and your presumption on
purpose and effect is spot on...

The angled rear reduces drag quite a bit and ensures don't hit any
catches at the rear cross rail joints if the move just a little. Indeed
a nice touch but not totally unique ime; I've seen similar before.

All it takes is the tiniest of movement to throw the carcase or drawer
out of square or not get them _quite_ aligned and pinning the slide can
easily cause the binding symptom. Need to be able to have the drawer in
place and locate the neutral position for the slide and then pin it
there to avoid. Leaving free if the slide fits the matching groove
reasonably well and the drawer pockets are snug enough the drawer
doesn't get off-kilter is the simple expedient...looks like started out
pinned and somebody took them out at some point...


While I had the back open, I played with the slides a bit and have
decided to agree with whoever decided to take the pins out.

Speaking of having the back off, take a look at this thread when you have
a chance. That thread is about the back panels of this piece. Another
curiosity on my part.

Back Panels On Desk - Cutting Error, Modification or Design Feature?