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This is as small and as cheap as a real, useful piece of furniture gets: a five-and-a-half-inch cube with two small drawers, built entirely from a single cedar fence picket. Because the stock is so thin (a fence picket is about 1/2" thick) and the parts so small, this build lives and dies on fitting each piece to the actual box as you go rather than trusting a fixed cut list — the plan gives you starting lengths, but you measure and trim the top, bottom, shelf, and drawer parts against the box you've actually built at each stage, the same discipline a much bigger cabinet project uses at full scale.
Build the outer box first, complete with its internal shelf, then size the two drawers to the openings you actually ended up with. If you're using store-bought knobs instead of the scrap-wood pulls this plan uses, remember the drawer fronts are only 1/2" thick — standard knob screws are sized for 3/4" doors, so you'll need shorter screws or a spacer behind the front.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 1/2" x 5-1/2" x 6 ftThe entire box and both drawers come from this one board. | 1 each |
| Wood glue | 2 oz |
| Finish nails, 1" | 40 each |
| Finish of choice (paint or stain) | 4 oz |
| Knobs or pulls (optional)Plan default is wood pulls cut and glued from scrap — skip this line if using those instead. | 2 each |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Box sides and backCedar | 3 | 1/2" × 4 1/2" × 4 1/2" |
| Box top and bottomCedarTrim to your actual box width once the sides and back are assembled — should end up close to 5-1/2". | 2 | 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Interior shelfCedarTrim to fit once the box is assembled; this length also sets the drawer length. | 1 | 1/2" × 4 1/2" × 5" |
| Drawer fronts and backsCedar | 4 | 1/2" × 1 7/8" × 4 1/4" |
| Drawer sidesCedarTrim length to fit once the drawer front and back are joined. | 4 | 1/2" × 1 7/8" × 4" |
| Drawer bottomsCedarTrace and trim to the assembled drawer box. | 2 | 1/2" × 3 1/4" × 4" |
| Wood pullsCedarCut from scrap offcuts. | 2 | 1/2" × 3/4" × 1 1/2" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
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 →
Mark a line 2" down from the inside top-back corner — this locates the shelf later. Attach the two side pieces to the back piece with glue and 1" finish nails, keeping the back edges and top edges flush. Measure the actual back-to-back width at this point and trim your top and bottom pieces to match (should land close to 5-1/2") before attaching the bottom flush to the outside edges.
Attach the top flush to the outside edges the same way you attached the bottom. Measure the box front-to-back at the bottom (should be about 5") and trim the shelf to that length — write this number down, it's also your drawer length. Attach the shelf inside the box with its top edge flush to the line you marked in step 1.
For each drawer, figure the side length as your drawer length minus the thickness of the front and back, and trim both side pieces to that length (about 4"). Attach the front and back to one side, keeping outside and bottom edges flush, then attach the second side the same way. Set the assembled drawer box on top of a bottom blank, trace the opening, and cut the bottom to that traced line — dry-fit and check for square before gluing and nailing it on flush.
Sand every piece before final assembly if you haven't already, fill any visible nail holes, and sand again once assembled. Apply your chosen finish. For wood pulls, glue the small scrap blocks to the drawer fronts. For store-bought hardware, remember the fronts are only 1/2" thick — you'll likely need shorter screws or a washer/spacer behind the front to get a tight fit.
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