Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/6/2010

Question
QUESTION: I would like to piggyback onto "Vicki's" question about converting an armoire drawer for a dvd player.  I have a very attractive chest of drawers that holds our TV very nicely.  I would like to rig one of the drawers to drop down so it can hold the dvd player. My problem is the drawer face is dovetail jointed and I don't know how to open it so that I can install the slide you suggested.  Is there anything I can do short of sawing the face off?  Thank you.

ANSWER: Elisabeth,

Actually, you're going to pretty much need to saw off the face, as dovetail joints are pretty strong, due to all the gluing surface of the pins and tails. But there is another way.

You can cut the drawer down so it is very shallow, and it wills serve much as a "tray" for your DVD player. If you cut it down, you can keep the integrity of the drawer, so that all four corners can remain glued together to form the drawer box. It will just be shorter.

Another way is to leave the the drawer the same (original) height, but cut out an area on the front of the drawer, so that the DVD "drawer" can slide, out, enabling you to load DVDs in it. Something to think about when scalloping out the front of this drawer is to look for the remote sensor. You don't want any wood in front of that, or the remote might not work. So cut out a large enough area, so that the drawer is basically a sliding tray, only with a custom front that fits you DVD player layout.

Did that make any sense? :)

Write back if you don't understand what I've described, and I'll try to find a picture of something to show you.

Good luck!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, Jamie.  I think I get it.  But which of these suggestions, including sawing off the face, would be the simplest - for someone who is not a woodworker, myself for example :) And which idea would least damage the dresser?  Thank you again, Elisabeth

Answer
Elisabeth,

I forgot to ask you in the last answer if your drawer box has an applied drawer face on the front of the drawer. That means - if you remove the drawer front, do you still have a complete four sided drawer box left? Or does your front of your drawer act as the front of the drawer box? Drawers can be constructed either way, so it's a little difficult to answer this question without knowing.

If you can remove the drawer front and still have a four sided drawer box left, then I would do that. Remove the drawer front, and cut the front panel of the drawer box, so that your DVD works while it's sitting in the drawer. Then - re-attach the drawer front back in place, using drop down hinges.

This method would damage the dresser the least, and if you ever want to used it as a dresser again, you could just remove the hinges and permanently reattach the drawer face again.

Simple!

Hope this helps,

Jamie in Vegas