# A Secret Drawer



## corban.skillander (Jan 19, 2015)

A friend of mine recently posted this on another website, and I am trying to help him get an answer. Any information and/or suggestions are welcomed.

"So one of my family friends died recently (She was 92). Now, being that age, you tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. And in her case, I mean a LOT. She moved from a huge manor house with about 10 bedrooms, to a 2 bedroom house, and took a lot of her stuff with her. So, sorting through all of her stuff, I came upon a desk known as a "Davenport". Those of you who know what that is, probably know what's coming.
So sorting through the drawers, I came upon one that wouldn't open. I just assumed it was a false drawer, until my mum told me she'd seen it opened before, it had a secret catch or something somewhere.
So, naturally, I went about trying to open it. I spent 3 hours opening drawers partially in different combinations, moving drawers to different positions, checking for buttons, levers... You get the idea.
I eventually gave up, and decided to Google it. You know what I found?
Absolutely nothing. Not a single person has a video on youtube, not one guy has written a blog or post about a way to find out. I get that people want to keep it a secret, but this is seriously some Area 51 stuff here. For all I know there are diamonds or piles of gold in it or something, and I can't open this stupid flipping drawer."

Here are some images (Please excuse the language):


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Could you rewrite that post so that only the necessary information is presented? I find it much more information than is needed and that is distracting.

George


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

the top slides? that means the catch cannot be ANYTHING below that slide. 

My guess is that it is the distance that the top is slid. You would see if there were any links passing through from the lid.

Does the draw jiggle at all to suggest it opens?


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## corban.skillander (Jan 19, 2015)

GeorgeC said:


> Could you rewrite that post so that only the necessary information is presented? I find it much more information than is needed and that is distracting.
> 
> George


Absolutely 

Essentially, there is a drawer that seems unopenable on the side of the Davenport desk (Circled in red in the provided photos). Davenport desks, as I'm sue you are aware, have a history of having secret drawers. My friend has tried various ways of trying to open the drawer (by means of opening other drawers on the desk, and taking them out completely, etc.) however so far he is unable to open it. His mother says she has SEEN the drawer open herself, and in fact tried to open it with him for about an hour. I am looking for suggestions on how one might open the drawer, either from experience or just plain intuition.


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## corban.skillander (Jan 19, 2015)

bauerbach said:


> the top slides? that means the catch cannot be ANYTHING below that slide.
> 
> My guess is that it is the distance that the top is slid. You would see if there were any links passing through from the lid.
> 
> Does the draw jiggle at all to suggest it opens?


Yes, the top slides. I thought that too, unless it's a very clever mechanism. Yes, the drawer does jiggle slightly.

I was thinking that maybe the latch/button/lever could potentially be INSIDE the drawer. In that you would have to gain a limited access inside it in order to open it fully. Does this sound feasible?


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

corban.skillander said:


> Yes, the top slides. I thought that too, unless it's a very clever mechanism. Yes, the drawer does jiggle slightly.
> 
> I was thinking that maybe the latch/button/lever could potentially be INSIDE the drawer. In that you would have to gain a limited access inside it in order to open it fully. Does this sound feasible?


Unlikely.

There are a number of places they hide latches, I would pull all of the drawers completely out and look for any evidence of the latching mechanism. If the drawer runs the full length it could be on the other side, behind the drawers there. I've seen some where there is a fake drawer, pulling the drawer pull releases the secret drawer. You know it's there, and based on the technology of the day, it can't be that complex, you just have to dig into it a bit.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

I would think pulling on the draw would give some feel/sound of where the catch is. 

I dont know, Im pretty sure 5 minutes with a flashlight and I would have it open, the only advice is still that the mechanism CANNOT be below the sliding point. The top must be standalone. That greatly limits the area to search.

Im also assuming that a cursory check of the cabinet suggests the space for the drawer is not being occupied by the post slots in the top. I know your mom says she saw it open, but my mom is shocked by the ending to movies that shes seen 10 times before. It COULD be a false front.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Your photos....*

It's hard to tell anything from those photos, too small, too dark. There are many methods that may have been used as a latch, you just have to think like a thief. Use a very thin stainless strip to probe around the 4 surfaces of the drawer opening to find any obstruction. It may be a bottom latch or on the back. 

The main thing is that it won't require any complicated maneuvers, since that would defeat it's purpose to access the compartment easily. It may be a combination of two operations. It's probably a one-off build so that's why there are no references for this design.

You Tube has lots of secret drawer and compartment vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mlz5nc7BkE


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