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Thread: How to do these drawers?

  1. #16
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    Like many others my first thought was to have a way to reach underneath to open the drawer. A music rack made about a decade ago used this method:

    Brian's Music Rack.jpg

    There is a rail under the drawer bottom to allow a finger hold for moving the drawer.

    My other thoughts were of either reaching over the top to push the drawer out from the back or using rods and/or levers to start the drawer out.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Here's an unusual approach.... The drawer box is recessed about 1" from the back of the visible drawer front. The drawer front is pivoted on a vertical axis at the middle of the front. If you push in on one side, the other side moves forward. You can get your finger around that to pull out the drawer. The drawer front has a spring -- perhaps wood -- so that if you're not pushing on it, it sits in the position you'd expect, parallel to the front of the casework.

    I like this approach. It is a little bit of a puzzle, for the family to know, and nobody else. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind piece.
    I like this idea, but what about pivoting the drawer front on a horizontal axis - push in the top of the drawer and the bottom comes out far enough to open the drawer.

    Or go high tech: a bluetooth lock you need to open from your smart phone. https://www.ebay.com/itm/293143100080

    2019-10-20_11h32_00.jpg
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  3. #18
    Use a hidden magnet:

    Drill a 1” hole in the center of the drawer front from the inside. Leave about 1/8” thickness. Glue a rare earth magnet in the hole.

    Provide a a piece of metal, possibly attached underneath somewhere with Velcro or another magnet. When the metal is held in contact with the drawer front it can be pulled out. If that’s not strong enough, attach another rare earth magnet to the metal or glue it to a piece of wood with the opposite pole facing outward. The attraction of both magnets to each other will add more pulling power.

    You might need more magnets or bigger, differently shaped magnets to make it work.

    If you haven’t used them before, these rare earth magnets have incredible pull.

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I am planning another build as a wedding gift, this time a niece. She picked out this entry hall table, which she wants in Jarrah.





    Straightforward enough build, with the case in mitred through dovetails the only tricky bit. I've done a few of these now, so know what lies in store.


    There appear to be two drawers. The question is, how does one build drawers without handles?


    I am not in favour (and will not do) drawers on runners. Or use those Push-it mechanisms, which are made of plastic and will last about 5 years, if lucky. I build traditional dovetailed drawers.


    One idea I had was to incorporate the lower bevelled case edge/rail into the drawers, and use this as a handle. However, I foresee the difficulty in getting everything to line up perfectly. I like the concept, but not sure about the practicality.


    Any other ideas for handless or, if nothing else, complementary handles?
    Those aren't drawers. If you look closely, the legs appear to end in male wooden threads that screw into another piece fastened to the interior of the carcase, which doesn't leave room for what some might perceive as a drawer. This is quite a strong construction, actually.

    If you still insisted on having a drawer in this thing, you could attach a hinge along the bottom of the front and have the front swing down (separate to the side and top front moldings) from whatever holding mechanism of your choice, to expose an interior face and drawers set into _that_. You could preserve the strength and still be building something with drawers. A bit more complex than the original, it appears.

  5. #20
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    If Doug is right and these are not drawers this idea doesn’t work but if they are could they be drawers that open from both sides? To open reach to the back side and push open toward the front.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    Here's something nobody's pointed out. What makes you think those are even drawers?
    I say they’re drawers because they look like drawers. There’s little reason for th maker to build them to look like drawers, but not be drawers. I bet they are drawers with some sort of push-to-open device.

    However, I agree with OP: the typical push-to-open hardware is cheap junk that fails quickly.

  7. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    I say they’re drawers because they look like drawers. There’s little reason for the maker to build them to look like drawers, but not be drawers.
    Well, for one thing, because it looks good? Nobody has disputed that it's a handsome piece of work.

  8. #23
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    Push on center, open like butterfly. Pivoting.
    Jim

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Here's an unusual approach.... The drawer box is recessed about 1" from the back of the visible drawer front. The drawer front is pivoted on a vertical axis at the middle of the front. If you push in on one side, the other side moves forward. You can get your finger around that to pull out the drawer. The drawer front has a spring -- perhaps wood -- so that if you're not pushing on it, it sits in the position you'd expect, parallel to the front of the casework.

    I like this approach. It is a little bit of a puzzle, for the family to know, and nobody else. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind piece.
    ^This. Curved backs cut way down on storage space, but I'm thinking this is not really intended as a stand-in for the attic.

    Or, split Jamie's single drawer into 2. Each swings out on a vertical hinge at the respective sides. The 2 pulls become a vertical design element at the 'center post' of the front. Sort of this:

    berenson_cabinet_hardware.jpgormiseno.jpg only vertical...and better??
    Last edited by Malcolm McLeod; 10-20-2019 at 7:43 PM.

  10. #25
    Hi Derek,

    A little Google sleuthing revealed answers to some of your questions at the retailer's site here: https://www.coxandcox.co.uk/chevron-oak-console-table

    Among the photos is one showing the drawers. Simple overlay fronts. The specs provide the drawer sizes but no details about operation. My theory is that they open using a pair of something like the Blum Tip-on push opener, probably mounted on the center drawer partition: https://www.blum.com/us/en/products/...p-on/overview/.

    Others like Amazon sell similar mechanisms, and Ikea uses them in a lot of their furniture. You will undoubtedly find many sources in Australia, but by way of example here is one from the US Amazon site: https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Touc...75520691&psc=1

    Since this item ships knockdown, I am thinking the legs have something like a hanger bolt installed in the ends which screw into some type of receiving surface mounted hardware (which you can kind of see in the photo and someone else was referencing). If I were building this, I might just glue and wedge the legs into angled mortise holes. You know what to do.

    The example is a fairly inexpensive piece of furniture from the retailer so I just don't think anything more elaborate than above is going on. Building it with mitered dovetails will be a massive upgrade. It might look nice to have the dovetails be half blind mitered so the dovetail joint is visible from the side but the end grain of the tails does not interrupt the top or the waterfall effect. Just my opinion.

    I hope this additional info helps.

    Edwin,
    Last edited by Edwin Santos; 10-20-2019 at 9:31 PM.

  11. #26
    How about if each drawer was a 1/4 circle mounted to some kind of spindle. Push on one side of either drawer and it opens..

    Built in stop so it stops at 90% and fully open.

  12. #27
    Join Date
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    Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
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    Those are drawers with a false front. Hinge them 1/3 from the top, you push the top with your thumb then the bottom sticks out and you can use the bottom to pull open with your fingers. Gravity lets it sit vertical.

  13. #28
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  14. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I am planning another build as a wedding gift, this time a niece. She picked out this entry hall table, which she wants in Jarrah.





    Straightforward enough build, with the case in mitred through dovetails the only tricky bit. I've done a few of these now, so know what lies in store.


    There appear to be two drawers. The question is, how does one build drawers without handles?


    I am not in favour (and will not do) drawers on runners. Or use those Push-it mechanisms, which are made of plastic and will last about 5 years, if lucky. I build traditional dovetailed drawers.


    One idea I had was to incorporate the lower bevelled case edge/rail into the drawers, and use this as a handle. However, I foresee the difficulty in getting everything to line up perfectly. I like the concept, but not sure about the practicality.


    Any other ideas for handless or, if nothing else, complementary handles?


    Regards from Perth


    Derek
    There is a touch release drawer slide that you just push in on the drawer and it pops out enough you can get hold of it. If you wish to make wooden slides you could put a touch catch behind the drawer which would work much the same.

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    Hi Derek,

    A little Google sleuthing revealed answers to some of your questions at the retailer's site here: https://www.coxandcox.co.uk/chevron-oak-console-table

    Among the photos is one showing the drawers. Simple overlay fronts. The specs provide the drawer sizes but no details about operation. My theory is that they open using a pair of something like the Blum Tip-on push opener, probably mounted on the center drawer partition: https://www.blum.com/us/en/products/...p-on/overview/.

    Others like Amazon sell similar mechanisms, and Ikea uses them in a lot of their furniture. You will undoubtedly find many sources in Australia, but by way of example here is one from the US Amazon site: https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Touc...75520691&psc=1

    Since this item ships knockdown, I am thinking the legs have something like a hanger bolt installed in the ends which screw into some type of receiving surface mounted hardware (which you can kind of see in the photo and someone else was referencing). If I were building this, I might just glue and wedge the legs into angled mortise holes. You know what to do.

    The example is a fairly inexpensive piece of furniture from the retailer so I just don't think anything more elaborate than above is going on. Building it with mitered dovetails will be a massive upgrade. It might look nice to have the dovetails be half blind mitered so the dovetail joint is visible from the side but the end grain of the tails does not interrupt the top or the waterfall effect. Just my opinion.
    Thanks for those more illuminating pictures. It looks like the original was not as well-built as I thought it might be, but more along the lines of disposable mass-market stuff, in which case it's going to have to be re-engineered to meet Derek's standards. I still prefer my idea about the false front.

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