Abstract: A wear plate for reciprocating machine members is disclosed. It comprises a rectangular metal body with a composite wear surface including plural strip-shaped metal lands with a groove between adjacent lands. The lands and grooves have parallel edges and extend across the surfaces at an angle of about forty-five degrees to one one edge of the body. Each groove is filled with a strip of solid lubricant and the exposed surface of the lands and strips are co-planar. The wear plate provides equal lubricity for sliding friction across the wear plate surface in either of two directions which are mutually perpendicular.