Finding the Right Dresser for Your Nursery

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Hi, I am Jim. We are talking about how to build the perfect nursery. We are now going to talk about dresser construction and what to look for when buying a dresser for your child. When consumers come in to Great Beginnings they mostly look for how drawers are made. There is three different ways to build a drawer. The most know what they want and they want that you can always see is what is called an English dovetail. It's definitely most desirable and symbolically the best dovetail joinery of the three different choices. In the base it looks like joints like this and it's how they hold the sideboards to the front of the dresser.

The second type of dovetailing is called the French dovetail. So, if a dovetail you can see only from underneath, notice the triangular shape cut out, the side of the drawer fits into the front of the drawer that allows the sideboards to move independently at the front. It's very similar, probably done on the same router as this one, it is just a little more disguised. Consumers note this one more and assume this is a better quality but in reality, they are both very comparable. The last type would be a butt joint and it is just attached nailed or glued there, usually stapled or nailed in the back.

One of the best types of drawer guides in the market is a general touch drawer guide. You can't see it from the side because it's an undermount steel roller guide. When you close it, it stops then slowly draws in. What's really nice about this system is a small child can get his fingers caught in the drawer because it stops and then draws in slowly. Also, if the jester (ph) does tip over all the drawers will roll out at the same time. It keeps them in. The most common roller guide system you will find is a side mounted steel roller guide. You can see it mounted on the side of the dresser and it usually has a nail and wheel on the back side. The right side is a grabber track. It's a U-shaped track and the left side is a floater track. This is a steel roller guide. The problem with a steel roller guide is that if you push it in the left side because of the floater track smooth it has a tendency to bind. You have to push in the center or from the side. It's a most common roller guide used in most kitchens and on most furniture with roller guides.

The next aspect of drawer construction you almost have to take the drawer out to check it out. Flip it over, see how it's build. The things to look for are corner blocks which add strength and rigidity to the drawer bottom and the center strengthener. That way, if weight is put in the center it will add to the strength of the dress drawer. Now, let's talk a little bit about other types of woods. Generally, hardwoods are desirable. Maples, birches, oaks, mahoganies are all considered some of the best quality of hardwoods for making furniture. Pine that comes from southern U.

S. and even from South America is a lot softer, it has a tendency to have a lot more graining in it and have knots. Well, definitely, they are easier than a hardwood and have the tendency to crack easier. Generally, it's put on cheaper dresser whereas the hardwoods tend to be more of an upper end product. If you noticed a graining on this Birch dresser it's usually smooth whereas you look at this Pine dresser you can see knots and a change up of coloring and textures. A lot of customers don't like this. It looks a little more incomplete. The next step of building your perfect nursery is glider rockers.

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