NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
This console's drawer box is one long open compartment, divided visually into four openings by trim pieces and internally by wood drawer guides rather than four separate boxed-in cubbies — that's what keeps the carcass simple even though the finished piece looks like four independent drawer bays. Getting the drawer guides spaced exactly 12" apart, measured off the back rather than eyeballed off the front trim, is the one measurement in this whole build that isn't forgiving: get it wrong and the drawers won't run straight.
Size every drawer opening 1/4" larger than its drawer box before you build the drawer faces, and fit each drawer without its face attached first. Only once you're happy with how it slides do you set the face on and nail through from behind — building the face on before confirming the fit is how you end up planing down a drawer front to make it move.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x3 board, 8 ft | 1 each |
| 1x2 board, 8 ft | 12 each |
| 1x12 board, 8 ft | 5 each |
| 1/4" plywood scraps, for the back | 16 sq ft |
| Knobs or hinges | 4 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" and 2" | 150 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Leg fronts and backs (A)1x3 | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 29 1/4" |
| Leg sides (B)1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 29 1/4" |
| Drawer box sides (C)1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 14 3/4" |
| Drawer box bottom (D)1x12Sits up 3/4" from the bottom edge of the drawer box sides. | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 54 1/2" |
| Top inner trim (E)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 54 1/2" |
| Bottom front/back trim (F)1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 52 1/2" |
| Back panel (G)1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 14 5/8" × 57 1/2" |
| Center drawer guides (H)1x2Space exactly 12" apart, measured off the back. | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 12 1/4" |
| Outer drawer guides (I)1x12, ripped narrow | 2 | 3/4" × 1" × 11 1/4" |
| Vertical trim between drawers (J)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11 3/4" |
| Top (K)1x12 | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 61 1/2" |
| Top side trim (L)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 61 1/2" |
| Side stretchers (M)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11 1/2" |
| Back stretcher (N)1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 54 1/2" |
| Drawer bottoms (O)1x12 | 4 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 10 1/4" |
| Drawer backs (P)1x12 | 4 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 11 3/4" |
| Drawer sides (Q)1x12 | 8 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 11 1/2" |
| Drawer fronts (R)1x12 | 4 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 11 3/4" |
Buy 18 boards at 8 ft.
5 boards
Build the four legs from boards A and B, keeping the assemblies identical.
Build the drawer box from boards C and D, leaving a 3/4" lip on the bottom edge of the C sides — board D sits up 3/4" from the bottom of C, not flush with it.
Fasten the drawer box to the legs, nailing through the fronts and sides of the legs into the drawer box. Keep the top edges flush.
Fasten board E, keeping top edges flush, using 1-1/4" nails into the front and back leg pieces.
Fasten boards F, keeping all top edges flush. On the top apron, nail through the back apron into the front apron with 1-1/4" nails; use 2" nails to fasten the lower trim piece to the drawer box.
Add the plywood back with 1-1/4" nails and glue, nailing all the way around. Check the whole assembly for square with a diagonal tape measurement before nailing — this back panel is what locks the case square permanently.
Add the center drawer guides (H) with 1-1/4" nails, measuring off the back to keep them in square — don't guess, or the drawers won't run true. Space the guides exactly 12" apart. The guides should sit flush with the back but stop short of the front trim pieces.
Add the outer drawer guides (I) flush with the legs on the front of the table.
Fasten the vertical trim (J), nailing into the drawer guides from under the console, and into the top outer trim above. Measure carefully — J needs to land exactly 12" apart top and bottom, lined up with the drawer guides underneath.
Fasten the top center piece (K) so its edges line up with the inner top trim (E), leaving a 2" overhang on the ends. Fasten boards L to the outsides of K, nailing through the edges of L into the edges of K.
Fasten the side stretchers M with 1-1/4" nails through the legs into the end edges. Fasten the back stretcher N with 1-1/4" nails through N into the legs, and 2" nails through the legs into N's end edges.
Measure your actual drawer openings and size each drawer 1/4" larger overall (about an 1/8" gap per side). Nail the back (P) to the bottom (O), inset as shown, then nail the sides (Q) into the end edges of the bottom and back. Fit each drawer box in its opening without a face attached, adjusting as needed, then set the face (R) on with an even gap around it (about 1/8") and nail through the face into the sides and bottom.
Sand every surface, then add knobs or hinges to the drawer fronts.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.
2 boards
9 boards
1 board
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →