Web Surfer's Review

Chest and Drawers

First, Do No Harm: from WoodCentral “A guy at work bought an 18th century chest of drawers, and when he got it home, he noticed a dent in the side. The dent is approximately eight inches long and the width of the tip of a ballpoint pen. I was thinking that putting a damp cloth on the scratch and then a hot iron over the cloth might force the wood to absorb moisture and recover. Anyone have ideas on this, please?” – John The first comments addressed the efficacy of steaming dents, both with and without finish. – Editor “I've used this method on raw wood with a steam iron, and it works well. I think I read someplace that it will also work when there is a finish on the wood, but it takes more time. You might want to try this on a section of the piece that is hidden from direct view to see if any damage is caused by the steam. For example, if the finish is oil-based, the steam might raise the grain if the piece was not planed or not sanded fine enough.” – Al “I have done this in the past and with pretty good success. Be careful when you do this, especially if the wood has finish on it. If the steam does not work, I have also had to put tiny pinprick holes into the finish to allow the steam to enter. Like I said, be very careful doing this, it takes a bit of patience. Also, be careful not to damage the finish with the steam.” – Allen Though they skirted the issue of just how likely steaming was to damage finish, the thread then took another turn that may have rendered that discussion moot. – Editor “Whoa, hold the steam. It's an 18th century piece. Dents happen over the centuries. Why fix it? I suggest that your friend consult with a local reputable restorer. It would not surprise me if the answer was to do nothing to maintain the piece's value. Tampering with the finish might be a mistake.” – Tom Tom was not the only one of that mindset. – Editor “I agree with Tom. Your friend may be well counseled to consult with a conservator before doing anything. The piece's value as an antique could be compromised. Why rush into something bad right away? Think first.” – George Finally, another reader added yet another reason to leave well enough alone. – Editor “First of all, if it's not yours, don't touch it. I know your intentions may be good, but it's not worth it. Also, something that old isn't going to be perfect. There are times when things do need to be fixed, I doubt this is one of them.” – Chuck Drawers: from WoodCentral “I’m building drawers out of five-eighth-inch thick poplar with half-inch finger joints. The drawers will be six and a half, seven and eight inches deep respectively, mounted on side-mounted ball bearing slides. The drawers are approximately 18 inches front to back and 28 inches wide, and the drawer bottoms will be rabbeted into the poplar. What thickness ply would you use for the drawer bottoms?” – Bob That sounds like a very easy question that might generate a simple, common answer, and at first, it did. – Editor “Nominal three-eighths of an inch. Since they will be captured on three sides, the slides will give before they will.” – Clint But things are never that simple at online bulletin boards. – Editor “For smaller drawers, you can use quarter-inch plywood without a problem. For large dresser drawers or drawers that will see a lot of weight in them, I have often used half-inch thick ply. Of course you could always use solid wood, glued to get the required size, and bevel the edges like the cabinetmakers of old once did.” – Michael “Your question begs another brief design digression. The usual parameters are at work here, primarily function, aesthetics and cost. In each of these measures, there is no absolute answer; you need to decide what is acceptable vis a vis the customer's expectations. The cost and aesthetics aren't likely to be an issue here, but functionality is. A drawer bottom has to support, with acceptable deflection, some multiple of the amount of weight you expect to put into it. A drawer bottom for your collection of sash weights will need to be a lot heftier than one for your wife's lingerie. So let the projected end use be your guide. Kitchen drawers that will hold heavy stuff like cast-iron frying pans will need to be thicker and stronger than those where you stow your tinfoil and garbage bags. Personally, I would not use quarter inch bottoms, for two reasons: first, they will likely sag over the span that size, even if glued into grooves in the drawer sides; second, and this is just my personal gripe, they just feel flimsy, and they sound flimsy when you tap them. -Three-eighth-inch ply, as Clint suggested, may be perfectly adequate, and it is my choice for most drawer bottoms, but for drawers this size, which may have to handle heavier loads in time, I'd probably go half-inch. If you use any other kind of manmade board, like MCP or MDF, I wouldn't go any less than half-inch.” – Ellis Of course, what goes into drawers is not always what was meant to go into drawers. – Editor “If there are grandchildren involved, use half-inch cabinet ply. At least with my grandchildren, there is a good chance that at least one of them will be standing in the drawer at some time before they're eight years old. Not everyone wants to over-engineer. I need to.” – Glen Still too simple? Don’t worry. A more complex, and possibly better, solution is always at hand. – Editor “For light stuff like clothes, quarter inch should be fine. If you are worried about what might go into the drawers in the future weight-wise, you could always put a center divider in the drawer bottom with grooves along the long edges to capture the plywood and maybe a stub tenon on each end to fit into the drawer front and back. Just a thought.” – Jim