Secret Drawer from "Black Doves"

[smorgasbord]

Just started watching "Black Doves" on Netflix. There's a secret drawer in it that looks straightforward to build. Basically, it's a drawer on top of a shallow drawer, with the front of the top drawer extending down in front of the bottom, shallow drawer. The top drawer hinges in the back, so it acts as a lid for the shallow drawer. I would assume to do this for real would mean using some magnets to keep the two drawers together for "normal" use. Here's some photos:
[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

And this one shows it best:
[attachimg=3]

I'm thinking this would be possible with undermount slides on the bottom/shallow drawer as well. And with the bottom slides, the sides of the top "non-secret" drawer could extend over the sides of the secret/shallow drawer to make the secret even better, although one would have to design the sides so they're not too thick for the bottom mount slides. Maybe a big rabbet in the bottom inside of the top drawer sides, so that it's only say ¼" thick at that point. Then the sides act like the front, covering the secret drawer.

Anyway, kind of fun I thought.

 

[Packard]

A false bottom in a conventional drawer accomplished almost all of what this drawer does and does so much more simply.

Make a “shelf-edge” inside the drawer with 1/2” x X stock, and rest a plywood panel on top.  To make it “more hidden”, attach a couple of rare earth magnets underneath so you can lift the panel out without any visible hardware.

 

[Sparktrician]

You might want to look at door latches with magnetic release.  You can stash the release magnet somewhere nearby for when you want to get into the hidden drawer.  [smile]

 

[smorgasbord]

A false bottom in a conventional drawer accomplished almost all of what this drawer does and does so much more simply.

Make a “shelf-edge” inside the drawer with 1/2” x X stock, and rest a plywood panel on top.  To make it “more hidden”, attach a couple of rare earth magnets underneath so you can lift the panel out without any visible hardware.

True, but the advantage of this construction is that you don't have to remove everything from top drawer to get to the hidden drawer's contents. You are tilting it, so there's a potential for spilling, but with the sides coming up with the bottom you can keep a partially filled drawer partially filled and still get to the hidden drawer (as she does in the video).

 

[MikeGE]

I don't have any needs for secret drawers yet, but I would put a little more design effort into hiding the seam between the two sections.  For example, I would mount the drawer slide higher on the bottom section so the seam is mostly hidden behind the slide.  As it is now, the seam is clearly visible and would attract my attention immediately if I opened the drawer.  I would also notice the huge difference in internal drawer depth, but maybe that's a result of my background.

 

[smorgasbord]

I don't have any needs for secret drawers yet, but I would put a little more design effort into hiding the seam between the two sections.  For example, I would mount the drawer slide higher on the bottom section so the seam is mostly hidden behind the slide.  As it is now, the seam is clearly visible and would attract my attention immediately if I opened the drawer.

Yeah, that's why I thought about having the hidden drawers sides fit inside extended sides of the main drawer. Just as the main drawer's front extends down to cover the hidden drawer, you might be able to do the same for the sides. Might have to size the hidden drawer slightly back to allow for the extended sides and front to clear on the arc.

I would also notice the huge difference in internal drawer depth, but maybe that's a result of my background.

Depending on the depth of the hidden drawer, sure, but today the undermount slides themselves already require depth loss so they're hidden, and people used to use dust panels between drawers that took up space, so I think for many people it's kind of expected to not use every inch of space. Use of thin drawer bottoms and rabbeting the bottom in place instead of grooving it can also save precious ¼" here and ¼" there.

 

[mino]

For a start. Think
- what you are trying to hide
- from whom you are trying to hide
- how often do you expect to access the stash /critical, an oft-accessed stash better avoid the "path" to access it being easy to damage and thus uncover/

Once that is clear, move on from there. In the case of the pictured "secret" drawer, one can see the props crew did not give it all that much thought .. it is basically useless for anything but as a prop to a story.

---
I can absolutely imagine something as simple as a double-bottom drawer to hide some documents. In the absolute form, for stuff that is not to be accessed, one would make a double bottom that requires the drawer front to be removed to access a pretty flat slot.

The "problem" comes with today's prevalence of portable LIDAR kit that can "see through" stuff. Trying to hide pretty much anything from a pro in 2025 means placing it things/structures that are inconspicuous yet are not penetrated by the casual /weaker/ LIDAR scanners. Think a hidden "pouch" in between two steel beams and the like. Anything less elaborate is trivial to identify with the right kit.

Now, hiding from family members, casual thiefs, or - most common - kids, all kinds of simpler solutions offer themselves.

 

[Packard]

Because this thread suggested it, I started another thread called “Hiding places in your home or car”.  In the General Friendly Chat forum.  I might get some interesting ideas.

 

[smorgasbord]

FWIW, I posted because of the construction details, not because we all want/need secret drawers. Might be good, however, for storing jewlery or cash on the assumption that once thieves have broken in, they're in a rush to get out. I think it was Dashiell Hammet who said that pros start at the bottom and work up since they save time by not having to close one drawer to open the next. But, the new rules on dresser construction mean that on some dressers you have to close one to open another!

 

[mino]

...
I think it was Dashiell Hammet who said that pros start at the bottom and work up since they save time by not having to close one drawer to open the next. But, the new rules on dresser construction mean that on some dressers you have to close one to open another!

Can you elaborate no those "new rules"? Is there some legal regulation on this somewhere? For real?

With the banning plastic straws stuff going mainstream, I believe almost anything is possible .. so really interested.

 

[smorgasbord]

...
I think it was Dashiell Hammet who said that pros start at the bottom and work up since they save time by not having to close one drawer to open the next. But, the new rules on dresser construction mean that on some dressers you have to close one to open another!

Can you elaborate no those "new rules"? Is there some legal regulation on this somewhere? For real?

With the banning plastic straws stuff going mainstream, I believe almost anything is possible .. so really interested.

see previous thread:https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/general-friendly-chat/wut!-'the-sturdy-act'/msg726559/

 

[Svar]

portable LIDAR kit that can "see through" stuff.

Did you mean radar? If Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) could see through non porous stuff it would make my life easier.

 

[mino]

Did you mean radar? If Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) could see through non porous stuff it would make my life easier.

Yeah, being pedantic, LIDAR is a form of a RADAR and vice versa, depending how one defines "light" ..

But this one I got it mixed up indeed. Actual LIDAR used for this too as it is cheap and works. The laser beams are so accurate it shows so minute surface deformations that a hidden structure behind an otherwise normal-looking wall or surface is easy to spot on its output.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Unless it's just for a very few personal papers, and very shallow, false bottom drawers are always easy to spot. You are usually better off by utilizing odd/unusual spaces. Many of them are not so easily accessed though.
I have found the best to be toe-kicks. It doesn't have to be full fancy, having drawer guides, but it can. However, a simple shallow flat-bottomed tray works just fine. You just need to adapt the base molding to be removable. Magnets work great for this and are essentially undetectable.
It also works best on smooth floors. Disturbed carpet is a clue.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I periodically get paid in cash - usually by older customers who can't use internet banking. Since it's often several thousand ££ and I can't get to the bank to deposit very often - I bought a few fake food cans which have screw-off bottoms. They get stacked in my cupboards mixed in with real ones. The look identical, and have a ring-pull on the top. The same company also makes perfect replica soda cans which sit in the refrigerator, along with hollow books, fake hollow candles, and even fake rocks.
https://sterlinglocks.com/news/hide-your-valuables-in-sterlings-safecan-food-cans/

 

[Packard]

A friend of mine owned a custom gift shop that would make custom imprinted tee-shirts and other under $20.00 gifts.

He had a manual machine that allowed him to seal a tin top on new-but-blank tin cans.  He charged a fee for that as a form of gift wrapping.  He would also make up custom labels for the tins.

The gadget was fairly cheap.  I looked online (Amazon) and there are an amazing variety of can sealers. 

My friend bought his from the can manufacture where he ordered the empty cans.  I’m sure it was under $100.00, but more deluxe than the versions I am seeing on Amazon for under $20.00.  In any case, the sealed can would sell” the idea that it did not contain valuables (or cash) even better.