Web Frames w/Dust Panel's

[Canuck]

Over the course of the last twelve years I have built nine dressers of different styles and sizes. With each build, I have followed guidance from the book "Illustrated Cabinetmaking" by Bill Hylton. In the book, most all cabinets with drawers, he uses web frames during the illustrations as drawer separation (sometimes with a wooden or plywood dust panel). Hence I followed his lead.

While working on my tenth dresser (for another grandchild), it finally dawned on me as to why the kids always say that almost everything I build is so heavy! I believe that in the "olden days" the dust panel concept was prevent dust and dirt from getting into the whole cabinet when just one drawer was opened/closed. I actually ran out of plywood and had to make a run for more 1/4" plywood to complete the dust panels which will actually never been seen, adding more weight, questionable purpose, as well as the extra work!

So. The question to the group is, do you see purpose in adding dust panels in web frames when building cabinets with drawers for clothing storage? Or, Have I been overdoing my builds all these years?

TIA for your valued input.

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

Wayne, the short answer is in a modern house hold there is not any requirement to have dust panels. The dust panels purpose was to keep contaminants from moving from drawer to drawer. Having said all this, when I build 18th century reproductions of case furniture, I include solid wood dust panels .

Hope this helps

 

[FredP]

I've built several dressers and have never did dust panels. I see no need. Back in the day all roads were dirt and houses were cleaned with brooms and dust mops. Now we have modern stuff like vacuum cleaners and such. They made sense then. Now not so much.

 

[bob vaughan]

Like others, I gave up on dust panels a decade or so ago. They do help contain an occasional errant sock, but its still not worth the hassle.

 

[junquecol]

MICE!

 

[Hmerkle]

MICE!

So they have a place to build their nests outside of the drawer?!

 

[Canuck]

Keeping the web frames but eliminating the plywood panels on future builds it is!

Many thanks for your input.

 

[junquecol]

So they have a place to build their nests outside of the drawer?!

Without web frames with panels, mice had access from floor to top drawer. As a child, we lived in some old houses that when the weather cooled, all the mice decided to move in where it was warmer. Notice I didn't say warm as these houses weren't very warm, and we only had heat in living room and kitchen. I have seen a glass of water freeze on my dresser overnight. Baths were in a wash tub by the kitchen stove. We thought we had died and gone to heaven when we moved into the first house with indoor plumbing.

 

[Rwe2156]

The 1/4" ply doesn't that much weight.

Its a judgment call. If you want to be historically correct, you do them.

The other thing about panels is they keep stuff from sticking up and blocking a drawer, so if you're building a case for tools or other items, the panels can be useful.