I had been looking for an example and/or plans for a large low dresser to complement the rest of our bedroom furniture. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted but needed help. Michael Pekovich’s “Frame and Panel low dresser” (July/Aug 2015) was exactly what I had in mind.
After studying his plans carefully to fully understand them in detail (and work out a few issues), I modified the dimensions in terms of width and height to accommodate 10 drawers of equal height. I retained the same depth and all the structural components: double tenons, vertical dividers etc including the 7/8” thickness for most of the frame components. This latter requirement was somewhat challenging since I was working in walnut, I do not have a jointer and buy my lumber already finished which means 7/8” is not standard so I had to be creative. By respecting the 7/8” requirement for the rails and dividers, I was able to achieve the offsets between the legs, rails and dividers that add so much to the finished piece. I did however use 3/4” boards for the top. I added vertical stays between the lower, middle and upper back rails, to provide added support, given the back rails are only 3/4” thick and are only supported on the ends (and my back rails are over 6’ long…) I also added a thick central rail between the front and back bottom rails, again to add rigidity to this wide and heavy piece; a fifth foot is placed directly under it, in the center of the dresser for added support. 

Each row of bird’s eye maple drawer fronts was cut from a single board (3 boards in all) to provide consistency. Hand cutting the half-blind dovetails in 10 hard maple drawer fronts was fun! I actually had to re-lap my chisel after every drawer! To build and fit the drawers, I relied heavily on Gerald Curry’s article “Build Perfect Drawers” (Sept/Oct 2014) and several uTube how to videos on half-blind dovetails. 

I used “Tried and True” Original Wood Finish: I like it on walnut as well as on the bird’s eye – it makes the eyes pop nicely and does not yellow over time.  

This was a challenging and really fun project that allowed me to learn so much and for which I am extremely grateful to FWW and Mike Pekovich in particular for being such an excellent and useful resource. 

Walter Lyons
Gatineau Hills
Canada

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