How to Design and Build a Chest of Drawers

Building a chest of drawers is not difficult, but designing a set can be a hard task. You will need your design to meet certain requirements, but most importantly, the measurements should be precise. Any amount of error in the measuring can cause an uneven chest of drawers.

Items Needed:

• Paper


• Pencil


• Ruler


• Tape measure


• Wood


• Saw


• Nails


• Hammer


• Nail gun


• Handles


• Drawer guides


• Sand paper


• Wood stain or paint


• Paint brush and supplies

1. Draw your design. Make the design with specific measurements, so that you will know how big or small to cut your wood pieces. A scale system such as one tenth of an inch on paper would equal one inch to the wood. Use a pencil so that you can erase for any corrections you may need to make.


2. Cut your wood. The wood should be cut to the precise measurement decided upon in the design process.


3. Sand the wood. All the cut pieces should be sanded so that all the edges are smooth.


4. Construct the chest base. Assemble the base according to the design.


5. Build the drawers. Each drawer should be made separately. Use the correct cut wood pieces.


6. Install the drawer guides. There will be a metal slide that attaches to the base, and one that attaches to the drawer. There is a wheel or roller on each side that will guide the drawer to open and close.


7. Stain or paint the outside of the base and the drawers. The inside can be stained, but it is not necessary.


8. Attach handles to the drawers. These typically come with the needed hardware to attach them.