Comments

How Gustav Stickley Made Drawers — 5 Comments

  1. I am just in the process of building some drawers for a desk. This article had several nice features that I am going to try to incorporate in my design. It looks like the rails have slightly more reveal than the drawers. Is this correct? Anyway thanks for a nice article.

    • In most cases, nothing is in the same plane. The rails are slightly behind (about 1/16″) the vertical parts and the drawer fronts (or doors) are about the same distance back from the rails. This creates shadow lines and makes things more interesting visually than if everything were at the same level.

  2. Great article. I am looking for one additional detail related to materials. Is there any information about the drawer bottoms/drawer shelf on Stickley pieces? I am beginning a restoration where a previous owner replaced the drawer bottom with a piece of luan and I wish to be as close to the original as possible. I have read cedar but that is not confirmed. Again, great article.

    • I don’t think cedar was used in the originals, but it’s a nice touch. Most panels that aren’t visible, backs, dividers and drawer bottoms were most likely plywood.

  3. Me again. What aAbout Wider drawers on library tables. I am working with a early Stickley brothers table that is 30 inches wide but has no center rail because there’s nothing underneath it I’m feeling like a quarter inch stock is going to be too flimsy so I’m going up to a half inch. And I’m going to put a rabbit all the way around to fit it in except on the back that should provide enough stiffness this time I’m not using cedar just because of the expense but I am going to try to stain the birch to look older in a little more aged. I guess I’m wondering did the inside of drawers even matter to collectors?