How to Build Drawers for a Bedroom
Bedroom drawers can be freestanding dressers, built-in wall units or fit under a bed. Under-bed and built-in drawers are safer for children, as they cannot be tipped over to injure your child. If you do make a dresser for your child, anchor it to the wall in at least two places. Deep, wide drawers are best for storing off-season blankets, coats and other bedding, while shallow drawers work better for personal items, such as socks, underwear and hose. Match your drawers to your storage needs for best results.This article will focus on creating under-bed drawers. The techniques used can easily be adapted to make built-in drawers or free-standing dressers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Carpenter's tape measure Power drill with bits Countersink bit 1/4-inch thick plywood or Masonite 1-inch by 4-inch, 6-inch and 12-inch stock lumber 1-inch by 1-inch stock lumber Back saw Chisel Carpenters' pencil Coarse, medium, fine and extra fine sanding belts Belt sander Carpenters' glue Drawer pulls of your choice Clear acrylic wood treatment 1 1/2-inch long and 2-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter brass wood screws
Instructions
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Underbed Drawers
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1
Measure the length, width and height of the space under your bed between your bed's legs. Decide whether you want one long, deep drawer, or multiple drawers of varying depth and length. Smaller drawers are easier to keep organized than one deep, long drawer. If you are making one drawer, cut stock lumber the length of the space under your bed. If the under-bed depth is not more than 15 inches, you can use 12-inch wide stock lumber to build your drawers. If it is deeper, you will either have to use headers and footers to reduce the space to 12 inches or use Masonite or plywood to make your drawers.
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2
Use 1 inch by 2 inch stock wood to make a header and 1 inch by 1 inch stock to make a footer for your drawer. If your bed has squared wooden posts for feet, fit the header between the two feet along the length of your bed. If it does not, you will have to drill into the metal legs with a carbide steel drill bit to attach the header and footer. Repeat for both sides of the bed if you intend to keep it in the middle of the room. Toenail the header in place by drilling two 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes at each end. Countersink the holes. Secure with 1 1/2-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter brass wood screws. Repeat for the other side of the bed, even if you do not intend to have drawers on both sides. Your drawer supports will need something to brace against.
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3
Use 1-inch by 1-inch stock lumber to make at least three cross-brace supports for your drawer, if it is the length of your entire bed. If it is only half the length, one or two supports per drawer will be enough. Fit the supports between the footers you made in Step Two. Drill 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes through the footer and into the support. Secure with 2-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter brass wood screws.
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4
Build your drawer from 1-inch by 12-inch stock lumber. Cut two pieces to the length of your bed, and two pieces that are half the width or the full width of your bed, depending how deep you want your drawers to be. Half-width drawers will last longer than full-width ones, because they will not need to be opened as often.
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5
Cut a bottom for your drawer from stock plywood or Masonite. The bottom piece will be the length of your bed by the half the width or the full width. For example, if you have a queen-size bed frame, your bed will measure close to 60 inches wide by 80 inches long from outside edge to outside edge. If your bed has 4-inch by 4-inch posts for legs, the available space for your drawer will be 72 inches long by 52 inches wide. If you are making half-width drawers, they will be 26 inches wide by 72 inches long.
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6
Use dovetail joinery on the short ends of each of your side pieces to assemble your drawers. Make a dado in each side piece, about 1/2-inch from the bottom edge, to allow your bottom piece to slide into place after the drawer sides are assembled. According to Franz Klausz, author of "Dovetail a Drawer: Techniques for Drawers That Fit," it is not necessary to use a special jig to cut dovetail joints. Mark your stock to fit the drawer opening. Cut two pieces at the same time so that parts will fit together properly. Clamp the two pieces to be dovetailed together. Use a carpenters' pencil to make a line across the end of each piece. If you stock wood is 1 inch by 12 inches, your mark will be 1 inch from each end.
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7
Saw the pins for the dovetail using a back saw. Saw at approximately a 45 degree angle up to the line you made across each end. The angle does not have to be exact, because you are going to use the first dovetail edge as a template for the second piece. Use a wood chisel to remove the waste material between each pin. Remove only a little material at a time. It is easy to remove more material, but it is nearly impossible to put it back.
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8
Use the pins you cut in Step Seven as a template to mark the tails on the ends of your drawer sides with a carpenters' pencil. Remove the waste wood with a wood chisel. Sand the inside and outside of the drawers smooth with a belt sander and coarse through extra fine sanding belts, to make sure they will fit properly.
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9
Apply carpenters' glue to the pins and tails. Fit the pins into the tails. Place a wood block on the edge of your dovetail joints as a hammering surface, to prevent marring the wood when you knock the pins into the tails and square up the drawer. After the glue dries overnight, insert the drawer bottom. Fit the drawer into the frame under the bed. Frank Klausz recommends fitting the drawer snug in summer and loose in winter to prevent sticking "...when the seasons change."
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10
Attach your choice of drawer pulls. Seal drawer with several coats of clear acrylic wood treatment or apply veneer, if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
Butt joints are not strong enough to stand up to daily use. Rabbet and dado joints, while stronger than butt joints, will not prevent your drawer from being pulled apart from front to back, although they will provide enough stability from side to side. You do not need to make headers, footers or drawer supports for built-in drawers. They will be supported by the shelves.
Secure large, tall dressers to the wall using a wall anchor and L-shaped wall mount every 2 feet if they will be in a child's bedroom. Children have been injured and killed by dressers tipping over on them.
