Can you dismantle these to move them?

No, a Regency chest of drawers is built as a single solid carcase. The joints are glued and nailed together. You can take the drawers out to reduce the carrying weight. The main body has to stay whole.

Do the brass handles unscrew easily?

Most ring handles and knobs are secured with a threaded post and a small square nut inside the drawer front. You can usually undo them with a pair of pliers when they need cleaning. Older iron nuts sometimes rust onto the brass threads over the decades. Forcing them will snap the soft metal post, so apply penetrating oil first.

I live in an old cottage with very uneven floors, so is there a way to level one of these without cutting the wooden feet?

Never alter the original feet. Cutting them ruins the proportions of the piece and removes historic material. Push wooden shims or folded card under the lowest feet until the carcase sits flush. Doing this stops the frame from twisting out of shape over time. Keeping the frame square also ensures the drawers run smoothly. A twisted carcase will pinch the drawer sides and jam them.

When a drawer sticks badly on one side and won't close flush with the frame, what is the best way to fix the runners?

A sticking drawer usually means the wooden runner inside the carcase is worn away. The drawer drops down and jams against the tight framework. A restorer can glue a new strip of hardwood onto the worn runner to raise the height. Rubbing a little candle wax along the drawer bottom also helps it glide.

Home > Chest of Drawers > Regency Chest of Drawers > Page 2

Regency Chest of Drawers from the 19th Century

← Page 2 of 10 →

A Regency chest of drawers is a wooden storage piece, usually bow-fronted and veneered in mahogany, built to hold folded clothing in early nineteenth-century bedchambers and dressing rooms.