Why did they use "dust boards" in 18th century casework?

[Frederick Skelly]

I'm reading an old issue of FWW talking about the 18th century dressers. They seem to praise makers who used full dust boards. If I understand the term correctly from the pictures in the article, dustboards are basically horizontal shelves that separate each drawer from the one above and below it. (Its almost a case that holds the drawer, sort of sealing it off when closed.)

Why did they do this? To make the cabinet more rigid? It seems like dust wouldnt get into the dresser with the drawers closed.

Thanks guys,
Fred

[steven c newman]

They worked to keep the dust and dirt from dropping into the drawer below them. Besides, the drawers ran on wooden frames, not some metal slide. Wear and tear on the runners ( called dividers) would star dropping stuff into the clothes and such below, if it weren't for the dust boards. I seems to recall that the dividers were slid into the case as a unit.

[Robin Frierson]

We have some Stickley furniture that has them....and they arent that old.

[James Pallas]

I've heard and read that they were to help in controlling critters also. I'm not sure that that is absolutely correct as some only went 3/4 of the way to the back. They were pretty common in furniture even in the 1950s although made of stapled on cardboard.
Jim

[Frederick Skelly]

Ok. I see. Thank you guys!
Fred

[Mike Henderson]

If you put in dust shields between drawers, put them on the bottom of the blades, not on the top. The reason is that if you fill the drawer below too much, the clothes will slide along the dust shield. If the dust shield is on the top of the blade, there's a lip below where the clothes can jam up when you open the drawer.

Mike

[James Pallas]

If you put in dust shields between drawers, put them on the bottom of the blades, not on the top. The reason is that if you fill the drawer below too much, the clothes will slide along the dust shield. If the dust shield is on the top of the blade, there's a lip below where the clothes can jam up when you open the drawer.

Mike

Mike I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. The only way I've seen dust boards made is to set them in grooves in the blade the runners and the back blade. I've seen the cardboard ones just stapled on but that's no quality work. Are you saying to make the groove low on the blade?
Jim

[Mike Henderson]

Mike I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. The only way I've seen dust boards made is to set them in grooves in the blade the runners and the back blade. I've seen the cardboard ones just stapled on but that's no quality work. Are you saying to make the groove low on the blade?
Jim

Some people (at least around here) make the blade (which is the four boards: 2 sides, 1 front and 1 back) that goes between the drawers. Then they cut a rabbet either along the top of the blade or the bottom of the blade (along all four pieces) and set a piece of thin plywood in the rabbet (not a groove) so that the plywood is flush with the top (or bottom) of the blade. (They glue the plywood into the rabbet of the blade. No problems with wood movement because the plywood is along the long sides of the four boards - so essentially no movement.)

Many people will set the plywood into the top of the blade because it makes a nice smooth surface when you look into the chest of drawers - with the drawers removed. My suggestion is to put the rabbet into the bottom of the blade and make the bottom of the blade smooth so that any excess clothes in the drawer below doesn't catch on the lip of the blade as you open that drawer.

Mike

[If you make the blade first (glue it all together) you can cut the rabbet on your router table with a rabbeting bit. You'll just have to square the corners by hand with a chisel.]

[glenn bradley]

Some of us still use them ;-)

CoD Web Frame frt trim (5).jpg . CoD Finish (5).jpg

For folks who over-stuff drawers, they keep things from hanging up as well . . . (No Honey, I wasn't talking about you . . . )

[Robert Engel]

If you put in dust shields between drawers, put them on the bottom of the blades, not on the top. The reason is that if you fill the drawer below too much, the clothes will slide along the dust shield. If the dust shield is on the top of the blade, there's a lip below where the clothes can jam up when you open the drawer.

Mike

This would be an issue in something like a tool box, but not a dresser. I can't imagine cramming enough clothes in there to cause a 1/4" lip of wood to prevent a drawer from opening.

My understanding is they were for just what they are called - dust dividers. They kept dust from getting in there.

I think there was probably a lot more dust in houses back then - wood floors, farming based society, windows with no screens, etc.

[James Pallas]

Some people (at least around here) make the blade (which is the four boards: 2 sides, 1 front and 1 back) that goes between the drawers. Then they cut a rabbet either along the top of the blade or the bottom of the blade (along all four pieces) and set a piece of thin plywood in the rabbet (not a groove) so that the plywood is flush with the top (or bottom) of the blade. (They glue the plywood into the rabbet of the blade. No problems with wood movement because the plywood is along the long sides of the four boards - so essentially no movement.)

Many people will set the plywood into the top of the blade because it makes a nice smooth surface when you look into the chest of drawers - with the drawers removed. My suggestion is to put the rabbet into the bottom of the blade and make the bottom of the blade smooth so that any excess clothes in the drawer below doesn't catch on the lip of the blade as you open that drawer.

Mike

[If you make the blade first (glue it all together) you can cut the rabbet on your router table with a rabbeting bit. You'll just have to square the corners by hand with a chisel.]

Thanks for the reply Mike. I've never made them the way you describe. Even with plywood I always leave the MT on the rear blade and the runner unglued and with about an 1/8 gap so the rear bode can be glued to the side and the runner left unglued to allow for movement.
Jim

[James Waldron]

[snip]

. . . (No Honey, I wasn't talking about you . . . )

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” -- George Orwell

Now there's a bit of irony.

[Jim Koepke]

One explanation I saw was for security. In a case with each drawer locked it would prevent access to the next draw from above.

This seemed a bit of a stretch to me since not many of these have all drawers locked if any.

jtk

[Leo Passant]

Dustboards

[Ted Calver]

Dustboards

Very interesting. Thanks Leo.