Old timer in Denver told me to stop using sandpaper on my drawer slides

I spent years sanding down drawer slides that were too tight. Figured I was just being careful. Guy I sub for watched me do it once and just shook his head. Told me to use a block plane instead. One pass. Fits perfect. Felt stupid but it saved me hours. Anyone else get told they were overcomplicating something simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_kim4d ago

My grandpa's old shop had this little brass block plane he swore by, and I always thought he was just being old-fashioned. I mean, sandpaper is cheap and you can get it anywhere, right? But after a job where I sanded a dovetail joint way too thin (totally ruined it, man), I finally gave his method a try. Took a single light shaving off each side and the drawer slid like it was on ice. Felt like an idiot for wasting all those years and all that paper. Now I keep a sharp block plane in my apron, right next to my square. It's one of those things where the right tool really does the thinking for you.

terrybennett4d ago

You ever have one of those moments where you realize your grandpa was right all along? Same thing happened to me with my old man's wooden jack plane. I used to fight with a belt sander for hours trying to get a tabletop flat, ended up with dips everywhere. Finally pulled that plane out of the garage, sharpened it on a wet stone, and took a few passes. That thing cut like it was warm butter. I haven't touched a power sander for joinery since. It's weird how a thin shaving off an edge can fix what a pile of sandpaper just ruins.