Drawer Spacing

[Robert Engel]

Guys,

I'm trying to figure out best spacing for a dresser the total height for drawers and dividers is 36-38". Width 52.

I'm starting out with the two bottom drawer fronts about 8". The way its designed that will give me a drawer with almost 8" high sides.

I've looked at a drawer formula and the 1.6 rule but they aren't helping me much!

So far I've got 8, 8, 7, 5, 4.

Top row of drawers fixed at 4".

Thx.

Forgot to mention: 3 drawers in top row, rest of drawers 2 per row.
Knobs need to line up. I have a longer middle drawer and 2 narrower "his and hers" drawers.

[Prashun Patel]

I can't provide references, but the relative drawer heights can really make an impact on the total aesthetic.

Other strategies are making them multiples of a common factor (4,4,6,6,8,8)

or following Fibonnacci. This is tricky here: 3,5,5,8,8,8 Or 5,5,5,8,8,8,

You are close to an inch sequence. Can you do: 4,5,6,7,8,9? Or 3,4,5,6,7,8?

[Martin C Wells]

Try this site WWW.woodbin.com, click on utilities then click on drawer sizer. It takes a few minutes to learn but it does the math and prints it.

[Yonak Hawkins]

My own aesthetic is usually to graduate the depth of the drawers evenly top to bottom. At least I start that way and see how it looks. It's rare that I'll decide to vary it.

The requirement that the top drawer be fixed at 4" complicates it a bit (and makes the bottom drawer a bit deeper than you had in mind), so I would start at : 4", 5.2", 6.4", 7.6", 8.8" and see how that looks.

[Mel Fulks]

I would make the top 4 inch drawers proportionally a "frize drawer" ,that gives it a different proportion to the others making them 6.472, 8.238, 10.486, 13.348. Don't know how practical you find that. But it is a treatment with a long tradition. Frequently,but not necessarily, the frize is a little different to make it look kinda like part of a thick top by cross banded veneer.

[Brian Tymchak]

Whatever strategy you choose to size drawers, I would mock it up in cardboard before cutting the first board. That's probably the only way you will really be comfortable with the sizing before cutting wood.

As far as figuring out drawer sizes, I might google up images of federal style dressers, find something I like, print the image, and then measure the drawer widths to get the ratio, then apply the ratios to the desired dresser size.

[Gene Davis]

Quick Sketchup model gave me these numbers. 4" legs, 1.25 bottom rail, 0.75" separations, including under 7/8" top

[Prashun Patel]

Gene-
Seriously,
I would PAY you to draw up Sketchup components for designs. Are you willing to do that? ???

[Gene Davis]

I just edited my post above with a better version of the model, this one with the vertical drawer divisions.

Prashun, I do this stuff pro bono. Just post your needs, I'll do it. Sketchup is the best tool I have for woodworking. You should learn it if you have not already.

[Gene Davis]

Notice in this one (see pic) from Henkel-Harris, that at 37" high, there are four rows of drawers, the top shallow, the lowers beginning with largest at bottom, and very slight reductions in height as they progress up. The pic shows a dresser at 72 inch width.

I suggest you rethink yours and do the top row as a two-wide array, and the large drawers below as all single-width.

[Brian W Smith]

Robert,understand that by studying Gene's HH example(great choice BTW,we have an 1810 period BR that has more HH in it than their own showrooms,haha),that you are studying generally modern adaptations of what we now consider,museum pcs.Certainly nothing glaringly wrong with this approach,as long as it's a co. such as HH.

Interestingly,seeing Gene's example,I walked into our LR,and the book on the reading table has the cover pce that is a "sibling" to Gene's,albeit an original.Baltimore museum of art.The point being,you can study originals through text,and even better visiting them.Ive never met a curator yet that with permission,they're more than happy to show you a specific pce.

[Mel Fulks]

Good point ,Brian. The 1.273 times the above drawer is the only way to get a "double " result. That is drawer graduation of first,to third third , third to fifth....that is 1.168. Even as a child I noticed ,marveled is probably more accurate , chests with that graduation . And it is far and away the most used on antiques that would not be described as provential.

[Robert Engel]

Notice in this one (see pic) from Henkel-Harris, that at 37" high, there are four rows of drawers, the top shallow, the lowers beginning with largest at bottom, and very slight reductions in height as they progress up. The pic shows a dresser at 72 inch width.

I suggest you rethink yours and do the top row as a two-wide array, and the large drawers below as all single-width.

Thanks all this has helped me a lot, especially Gene's posts.

This is almost exactly the design I came up with on my own:

IMG_1723.JPG

As you can see the drawers are 4, 6, 7, 8, 8.

I deliberately have not looked at books just wanted to see what I could do myself, so this has given me good feedback.

The dresser is 42H X 52L (can't go any longer to fit on the wall) although I like a wider proportion am an constrained.

I definitely don't want single drawer units. Plus this is a his & hers dresser.

[Yonak Hawkins]

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If I were making this dresser I'd position the handles of the bottom drawers directly beneath the handles of the top drawers

[Sam Murdoch]

Proportions are certainly important BUT (and you may already have considered this) how you will use these drawers is equally important.
Maybe 3 deeper drawer in the main portion will be more functional than the graduated height of 4 drawers. The top drawers at 4" are really small for a dresser drawer except as a place to keep very light folded items and/or stuff like wallets and pocket knives, pocket watches and your favorite beret.

I say this because I built 2 really nice (slightly taller but 20" less wide) dressers that my wife has frequently said out loud that they are lovely but impractical . We use them nonetheless but overtime I have come to see it her way. The proportions though are excellent .