Chest of Drawers from 2x4s

Make each side infill from four 2x4s laid face to face, with pocket holes drilled on the inside so they disappear once assembled. Drill a pocket hole into the top and bottom of each infill panel too — that's how the panel ties into the top and bottom rails.

If you'd rather have a smooth, flat side, drop in a plywood panel here instead. Build both sides identical before you go further.

Attach a 29.5" leg to each end of a side panel, then cap the panel with the 14" top and bottom rails.

Here's the gotcha: a 2x4 is rarely exactly 3.5" wide, and four of them glued up rarely add to exactly what the drawing says. Measure the panel you actually built and trim the 14" rails to suit. Force the drawing onto reality and the case ends up out of square.

Join the two side assemblies with the back rails, pocket holes facing in so they're hidden from behind. Drill the pockets on the narrow (1.5") face of each rail.

Check the case for square across both diagonals before you move to the front — everything downstream depends on this box being true.

Install the front rails to define the drawer openings. Put the top rail's pocket holes on top (hidden by the top) and the bottom rail's underneath. Drill the pockets on the narrow end of each piece.

The openings these rails create are what the drawers fit into, so keep them even side to side.

Drill pocket holes in both ends of the 15-1/2" drawer front/back pieces, then join them to the 16" sides to form each box. Either rout a groove for a 1/4" plywood bottom or simply fasten the bottom to the underside of the box.

Build the boxes to the width your slides need, not to a nominal number — most side-mount slides want exactly 1" total clearance (1/2" per side).

Follow the instructions that came with your slides to mount them to the drawer boxes and the case. As a rule you'll want about a 1/2" gap between the bottom of a drawer and the rail beneath it, but the slide instructions are the authority here.

Test each drawer for smooth travel before adding fronts.

Fit the false fronts to the openings with an even reveal at the top and outer edges — the small front is the 1x6 at ~17-3/4", the large fronts are the 1x8s. Measure your real openings and cut to fit; don't trust the nominal number.

Drill two holes through the drawer box from inside, position the false front exactly where you want it, and screw out through the box into the front with 1-1/4" screws. Floating the fronts this way is what gives you dead-even gaps even if a box is slightly off.

Edge-glue the four 2x6s into a top ~22.5" long, so it overhangs about 3/4" on each side.

Drill pocket holes on the side and back rails facing up, and drill down through the front rail. Lay the finished top face-down, set the upturned case on it with an even overhang all around, then fix the sides and back with 1-1/4" pocket screws and the front edge with 2-1/2" screws up through the front rail.

Drop the 1/4" back panels in from inside, leaving at least a 1/2" gap around the edge, and pin them with 3/4" finishing nails. The panels are sized to overlap the frame about 1" all around.

Sand everything well to knock down the joints and clean off glue squeeze-out — construction lumber needs this more than nice hardwood does. Apply a pre-stain conditioner (pine blotches badly without it), then your stain or paint and a protective topcoat.

Temporarily pull the drawer fronts, drill for your pulls, and reinstall. Done.