Inside a Chester Co. Chest
Warren in Lancaster, PA
>Last week Bill Tindall asked what the construction was like inside a Chester County chest of drawers with paneled sides. After speculating along with others I became more curious myself and today I looked inside one. This walnut chest had a 3 over 2 over 3 drawer configuration as did Bill's example, and bracket feet, made in the early 18th century.
The drawer dividers were dovetailed into the corner posts. The drawer runners were mortised into the posts behind the dividers and also mortised into the back posts. The runners had a half inch high ridge for the side guide and just over a half inch wide platform for the drawer side to ride on. Overall perhaps a 1X1 1/4 stick with a hefty rabbet for the drawer to ride in. The runners between the upper drawers were mortised into the drawer dividers at the front. At the back there was a cleat 1 1/2 X 8 nailed to the horizontal back board with two nails. There was a shallow recess in the top of the cleat which housed the end of the runner.
Adam, you would have enjoyed the drawer sides. It looked like the guy went to a pile of white oak shingles, picked out the two dozen nicest ones and trued them up just enough to dovetail them for the sides. They were "quartersawn", but not really sawn. The dovetails were large and a little clumsey; refinement would come a generation or so later. But for going on 300 years these drawers were in good shape and the chest itself still handsome.
There was slop in the drawer fit. The drwers had a thumbnail molding (lip), which makes it difficult to do any adjusting with a plane after assembly, but it hides the gaps at the top and sides.