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This bed isn't built like a bed at all — it's three separate plywood cabinet carcasses, built identically, arranged in a row on the floor. There's no headboard, no siderail, no frame in the usual sense; the cabinets ARE the frame, and the mattress simply sits on top of all three. That's what makes the storage genuinely generous compared to a bed with under-bed drawers bolted to a frame: every cubic inch inside all three benches is usable, because the benches were designed as storage first and a bed base second.
Build all three benches identically through the carcass and shelf steps — the only bench that's actually different is the one at either end of the row, which gets an extra face frame on its exposed outer side (the two side-by-side benches only show their fronts; the end bench shows a front AND a side). Keep track of which bench is your end bench before you get to that step, or you'll trim out the wrong one.
A center support of scrap plywood strips bridges the gap in the middle of the bed where the three benches meet, since that's the one place a mattress spans open air instead of solid cabinet top — screw it down rather than glue it, since the whole point of building a bed from separable units is being able to break it back down later.
Drawers are entirely optional and can be added now or built later without touching anything already finished — each bench's cubby stands on its own as open storage if you'd rather skip the drawer boxes and slides. If you do build them: measure YOUR actual openings and drawer slides before cutting box parts, since a plywood carcass built by hand rarely lands on the exact plan dimension, and a drawer box needs to match the real opening and the real slide hardware, not the number on this page.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" cabinet-grade plywood, MDF, or AC plywood, 4x8 sheetCabinet-grade plywood for a stained finish; MDF or AC plywood work for paint, at lower cost and more sanding. | 3 each |
| 1/4" plywood, 4x8 sheetThe three bench backs. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ft | 4 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftFace frames. | 3 each |
| 1x4, 8 ft (optional drawers)Drawer slide cleats. | 3 each |
| 1x6, 8 ft (optional drawers)Drawer box sides, fronts, and backs. | 6 each |
| 1/4" plywood, 4x8 sheet (optional drawers)Drawer bottoms. | 1 each |
| 1x12, 8 ft (optional drawers)Drawer faces. | 2 each |
| Drawer slides, 18"Optional — six drawers total across the three benches. | 6 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 150 each |
| Self-tapping screws, 1-1/2"Assembling the center support and joining the benches, if desired. | 40 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 3/4" | 100 each |
| Wood glue | 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bench tops/bottoms3/4" plywoodOne per bench. | 3 | 3/4" × 19 3/4" × 60" |
| Bench ends and dividers3/4" plywoodThree per bench. | 9 | 3/4" × 19 3/4" × 14 3/4" |
| Bench shelves3/4" plywoodTwo per bench. | 6 | 3/4" × 19 3/4" × 28 7/8" |
| Bench backs1/4" plywood | 3 | 1/4" × 15 1/2" × 60" |
| Face frame stiles1x2 | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 60" |
| Face frame rails1x4 | 3 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 60" |
| Face frame dividers1x2 | 9 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| End bench side trim, rails1x4End bench only — the one bench whose side actually shows. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| End bench side trim, stiles1x2End bench only. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| End bench side trim, dividers1x2End bench only. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| Center support stripsScrap plywoodBridges the gap where the three benches meet in the middle of the bed. | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/2" × 60" |
| Center support cross piecesScrap plywood | 3 | 3/4" × 7 1/2" × 20" |
| Drawer slide cleats1x4Optional. | 12 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 18" |
| Drawer box sides1x6Optional — sides always match your drawer slide length. | 12 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 18" |
| Drawer box front/back1x6Optional — adjust to fit your actual openings and slides. | 12 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 24 7/8" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywoodOptional — cut to fit your assembled drawer box. | 6 | 1/4" × 18" × 26 3/8" |
| Drawer faces1x12Optional. | 6 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 27 1/2" |
Buy 32 boards at 8 ft.
6 boards
Attach the bench ends and one divider to the bench top with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws, three per joint, placed about an inch from each edge. Use one of the shelf boards from the next step as a spacer to center the divider perfectly.
Build all three benches this way before moving on to the next step.
Drill 3/4" pocket holes on each end of the shelf boards and attach them to the sides and divider of every bench. Scrap wood blocks cut to the shelf's height make handy spacers while you position and screw each one in.
Continue for all three benches.
Nail and glue the 1/4" plywood back to each of the three benches.
Continue for all three benches.
Cut the 1x2 and 1x4 face-frame pieces with a miter saw and build each face frame flat, on a bench, rather than in place. Nail the completed face frames to all three benches.
For whichever bench sits at the end of the row (the only one whose SIDE will actually show), build two additional face frames sized to trim out that exposed end, and nail and glue them on now — don't wait until the benches are arranged in the room to remember which one needs it.
On the two SIDE benches only (not the end bench), attach a 1x4 cleat to the back, held down 3/4" from the top of the bed, nailed into the divider and end backs with glue.
Arrange the three benches side by side in the room. Screw them together if you'd like the assembly to stay put, then lay scrap plywood (random sizes are fine) across the opening in the center of the bed where the three benches meet. Screw the scrap down rather than glue it — that keeps the whole bed easy to take apart later if it ever needs to move.
Mark a line on each 1x4 cleat 1" up from its bottom edge. Attach the drawer slide's cabinet member to the cleat, front edge flush, with the slide's mounting holes lined up on your pencil mark — that keeps every slide level. Remember the opposing slide in each pair installs as a mirror image.
Set the cleats inside the cubbies, front edges flush with the plywood carcass fronts, and nail to the sides with 1-1/4" brad nails.
Build the drawer boxes from 1x6, with the sides always matching your slide length exactly — adjust the front and back length to fit YOUR actual openings and slides rather than the plan number. Join with 3/4" pocket holes on the outsides (hidden later by the drawer face) and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws. Nail the 1/4" plywood bottom on with glue and 3/4" brad nails, then install the drawer-member slides and fit the drawers in place.
Measure and cut the drawer faces to fit, trimming down on a table saw if needed. Nail each face to the front of its drawer box in a few spots with an even gap on all four sides, avoiding anywhere hardware will be mounted.
Remove the drawer and further secure the face with 1-1/4" screws driven from inside the drawer box, again avoiding the hardware locations.
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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 →