The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING

Bedroom furniture

Increasingly, clothes storage is being catered for either by permanent built-in units installed by the builder, or by KD linking wall units that arrive in flat boxes ready for DIY assembly. These often replace not only the traditional wardrobe but also the chest of drawers and dressing table as well. For this reason, and because the general public is less willing to spend the equivalent amount of money on bedroom furniture as they do on their sitting room, dining or kitchen requirements, bed­room furniture is an area less frequently undertaken by the craftsman. The exception to this is the chest of drawers, which can have a more general application than strictly bedroom use. However, the following information may still be useful and relevant as small workshops do get involved from time to time in the construction of built-in units, and free-standing bedroom furniture is still a requirement in many older houses.

WARDROBES

Even when these are designed as free-standing items of furniture, they are increasingly being produced in KD form to facilitate transportation and access to bedrooms, often up many flights of stairs. So, whatever the design, it is obviously desirable that it should dismantle easily.

Sizes

Wardrobe sizes are determined by fashions in clothes, and modern designs are usually 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) overall height, 20 in (51 cm) to 22 in (56 cm) deep for clothes hung sideways, and with widths of 5 ft (152 cm), 4 ft (122 cm) or 3 ft (91 cm) according to the type. Hanging ward­robes are shown in 445:1, 2, 3, while 445:4 is a fitted wardrobe with shelves or trays, and 445:5 a combination robe. Figure 445:6 gives a larger view of the latter, with half the width allocated to full-length hanging space, and the other half divided into short-length hanging space or shelving and four drawers under. Figure 445:9 is a different arrangement with full-length doors, hat shelf and interior trays. Large wardrobes are often known as 'double', and provide a full - length mirror either on the centre pilaster between the doors, or fixed to the interior of one door.

Construction of all types of wardrobe is as for typical box structures already described under Carcass construction, Chapter 21, but in planning such large carcasses without fixed centre divisions or cross shelves due regard must be paid to the overall rigidity, and some method of stiffening must be incorporated with either reinforced head, plinth or central pilaster, and sturdy well-fitted back. Such reinforcements to prevent 'diamonding' have already been discussed (p. 187), but even with these there is always a tendency for large carcasses to rick slightly on uneven flooring, therefore they should be shimmed up level or flush doors will bind. Partially for this reason manufacturers favour overlaid doors closing over the carcass sides, as any slight rick to the carcass does not upset the hanging to the same degree. If flush doors are fitted (445:7), then false sides (7A) will be necessary to prevent the trays fouling the doors in the open position, but with overlaid doors (445:8) there is no difficulty, as the drawing shows. Trays (445:9,

10) are usually cut away boldly at the front so that the contents, shirts, underclothing, etc. can be plainly seen. They can be grooved for side runners or with bottom runners (445:10), and this latter method is preferable as it gives about 3/4 in (19 mm) clearance between the trays which is usually necessary for soft, fluffy articles. Hanging rods for coat-hangers are 5/8 in (16 mm) or 3/4 in (19 mm) brass-cased steel tube mounted in screw sockets fixed to the sides for clothes hung sideways (445:9, 11). For shallow wardrobes which will not accept the full width of the coat-hanger, short rods from front to back

445 Wardrobe details

are held by socket hangers screwed to the underside of the shelf or top, or pull-out rods or sliders (445:12) can be attached which enable the hanger to be pulled forward clear of the carcass.