2x4 Frame-and-Panel Chest of Drawers — board plan

What to buy, and which parts come off which board.

Buy 12 boards at 8 ft.

1 1/2" × 5 1/2" — 2x6, 8 ft

1 board · 5.9 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 95% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 4 1/2" left over
22 1/2"22 1/2"22 1/2"22 1/2"
1. Top boards — 22 1/2"
2. Top boards — 22 1/2"
3. Top boards — 22 1/2"
4. Top boards — 22 1/2"

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4, 8 ft

5 boards · 18.1 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 92% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 6 1/8" left over
29 1/2"29 1/2"29 1/2"
1. Legs — 29 1/2"
2. Legs — 29 1/2"
3. Legs — 29 1/2"
Board 2 · 1/2" left over
29 1/2"22 1/2"22 1/2"19 1/2"
1. Legs — 29 1/2"
2. Side frame inserts — 22 1/2"
3. Side frame inserts — 22 1/2"
4. Back rails — 19 1/2"
Board 3 · 4 1/2" left over
22 1/2"

3/4" × 7 1/4" — 1x8, 8 ft

1 board · 1.5 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 38% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 59 1/4" left over
17 3/4"17 3/4"
1. Large drawer face boards — 17 3/4"
2. Large drawer face boards — 17 3/4"

3/4" × 5 1/2" — 1x6, 8 ft

3 boards · 6.8 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 73% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 12 5/8" left over
17 3/4"16"16"16"16"
1. Small drawer face board — 17 3/4"
2. Large drawer front/back — 16"
3. Large drawer front/back — 16"
4. Large drawer front/back — 16"
5. Large drawer front/back — 16"
Board 2 · 1/4" left over
16"16"15 1/2"15 1/2"

1/4" × 15 1/2" — 1/4" plywood, half sheet

1 board · 1.5 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 51% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 46 5/8" left over
16"16"16"
1. Drawer bottoms — 16"
2. Drawer bottoms — 16"
3. Drawer bottoms — 16"

1/4" × 12" — 1/4" plywood, half sheet

1 board · 0.4 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 19% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 77 3/8" left over
17 1/2"
1. Back panel — 17 1/2"

Cuts are listed longest-first, which is how they should be made: the awkward pieces get placed while there is still board to place them on. The layout assumes one end of each board is squared off (1") and that every cut costs 1/8" of kerf — the reason six 16″ parts do not fit on a 96″ board.

2x4 Frame-and-Panel Chest of Drawers — board plan

1 1/2" × 5 1/2" — 2x6, 8 ft

Board 1 · 4 1/2" left over

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4, 8 ft

Board 1 · 6 1/8" left over

Board 2 · 1/2" left over

Board 3 · 4 1/2" left over

3/4" × 7 1/4" — 1x8, 8 ft

Board 1 · 59 1/4" left over

3/4" × 5 1/2" — 1x6, 8 ft

Board 1 · 12 5/8" left over

Board 2 · 1/4" left over

1/4" × 15 1/2" — 1/4" plywood, half sheet

Board 1 · 46 5/8" left over

1/4" × 12" — 1/4" plywood, half sheet

Board 1 · 77 3/8" left over

Board 4 · 10 1/2" left over

Board 5 · 18 7/8" left over

Board 3 · 63 3/4" left over