Old Highboy!!!!

take out the drawers and put shelves in.

Maybe the drawers just got some water damage, try sanding the rails on top, and the runner underneath, and rub a bar of soap or a wax candle over both and see if they close more smoothly. I have done this successfully on quite a few dressers, just did my new clients dresser and doors, and all work like a dream now.

How to add shelves.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1r0yza1x4I

For doors.... I would first remove all the drawer fronts off the drawers, then line them up on the floor. Are you just going to have one large door on each half?

Then I would cut each drawer in half to form 2 doors, I would add some wood rails and styles ( verticles and horizontal pieces to form a box) on the back of the drawers in say a 1/2" by 2" keeping in mind this has to fit under the top and the left edge and right edge has to be flush with outside of cabinet. Glue, clamp and screw the box onto back of the door pieces. I would add 2 hinges on each side, and chisel it into the back of the door and the inside of the cabinet to get the door as flush to the frame as possible with just the hinge showing when closed. I would say a 1 1/2" hinge would do. Make sure you precisely measure both hinge placements. Then I would add a door pull to each side where they meet in the middle using a drill bit and a couple nice pulls.

Then I would make a veneer shelf for each drawer bottom area, and glue, clamp and use a screw or brad nailer to secure in place.

Sounds like you are considering doors for the high boy, can you use the unusable drawer wood for the doors or for shelving in the highboy? You need a knowledgable carpenter to help you with this project as you will need the right tools and the know-how to measure/cut/saw/mount/hammer/nail/screw/paint/stain. If you wish to take the time to train yourself, there are videos for learning, if not hire someone. Enjoy that nice piece of furniture!

You could be right; swapping out drawers isn't uncommon. What you do with the highboy's going to depend on your tools, and skill. First, are you certain you can't use the drawers? there are usually ways to get around these impossible to you problems, but they take ingenuity, patience, and some level of skill. And the right tools help, a great deal.

it's not hard to put doors on a piece, assuming there's leeway for them. You'd probably need/want simple flat hinges to set in doors, and you'd most likely need to make the recesses (a.k.a. graves) for the hinges entirely in the doors, since it'd be hard to get into the cabinet carcass, unless you have a rotary tool, and very good accuracy with it. Remember, wood moves, and hinges can't be set in plywood. You'd need frame and panel construction to prevent sticking. (probably why the original drawers got lost, or don't fit). Rabbetted doors, with some means of securing them, aren't that hard. There are many, many sources of inspiration on line, if you google wood joints. A trim router or preferably a regular router, with or without a router table, are excellent for these, and many other simple cuts. There are even specific router bits for frame and panel cabinet door construction. I saw them at Sears just last month.

The panels can be 1/4" plywood, but the frames must be solid wood. They aren't that difficult, in tongue and groove assembly, using a bandsaw and a router, or using a biscuit jointer/plate joiner (one of the best portable tools going, in my opinion).

That said, it wouldn't be that hard to make new drawers... but it depends on how comfortable you are with tools, and what your access to them is. Woodtalk is a good site to learn more. And I'm sure there are other woodworking forums. Before you venture completely away from fixing the drawers available, I'd suggest googling some of them, assuming you haven't done that yet.

Off topic, a bit, but a real chestnut of a book about fixing furniture is The Furniture Doctor, by George Grotz. Printed in 1962 & 1983, it's full of great information, and funny, too. That Yankee had a sense of humor, and was a 'wrecked furniture whisperer', singing it back into life, with little cash outlay, turning junked furniture into saleable pieces again.

Good luck. I'd be happy to answer more of your questions. I've made my share of drawers, doors, and mistakes. Meg

You're welcome. Like an old sailor never forgets the sea, an old woodworking teacher never forgets wood, even if my access to a great shop's as much history as the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I hope your project goes forward well. And If I can answer any specific questions, feel free to ask.