Face Frame for Tall Dresser?

[Dan Gill]

Forgive me for not posting pictures. I haven't had time to drive around Sketchup's learning curve.

I am planning a tall dresser for my daughter's room. I am looking at a design with 8 drawers (4 full width, 4 half width) graduated in depth with two doors at the top and shelves inside the doors (since my daughter isn't tall enough to look inside the top drawers. The drawer fronts will be overlayed, as will the raised panel doors.

I have already built a secretary/bookcase that has a 1 1/2 inch wide face frame on it. This dresser would complement that piece.

My question has to do with whether the dresser should have a similar face frame. I initially looked at a modification of a design for a lingerie chest in the 12/2006 Popular Woodworking. This design had 3/4 inch high drawer dividers that were dovetailed into the sides. But I began to wonder if adding the face frame wouldn't make the piece match the secretary better. That would involve making different drawer slides, of course. I don't plan to dovetail the dividers into the sides if I use the face frame, but will use a mortise and tenon, I think.

Thoughts? Would the dresser look okay with the secretary if the dresser didn't have the face frame?

[Carl Eyman]

The two pieces are enough different so that a difference in construction detail would not be jarring, I think. In fact, I think you'd have to do more than just use a face frame to get the pieces to look like they are members of the same family - for instance, make the dimensions proportional, use the same kind of legs, mouldings, etc.

My $0.02 and I'll sit back and see what the experts have to say.

[Dan Gill]

Thanks, Carl. It appears the experts don't have anything to add.

[Jim Becker]

Dan, I personally find that face frames generally are most comfortable for furniture projects unless you're going for a very strong contemporary (Euro) look. Therefore, I'd use them on the dresser without question.