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These towers stand at the head of the Hailey storage bed to make a built-in bedroom wall: open shelves up high, a closed door cabinet down low, a face frame for a furniture-grade front, and a bit of crown to tie it to the bed. Build one or a pair. On its own it's a handsome, sturdy bookcase-cabinet.
It starts, like most storage, as a plain 1x12 box — and because it's fully face-framed with a plywood back, you can build the box with just a nailer. The face frame is the piece that makes it look bought: add the long 1x2 side trim first, nailing into the fixed shelves for support, then the shelf trim. The 1/4" plywood back glues to all the fixed shelves and squares the tower.
The base uses 2x4 legs ripped to 3" wide to match the bed system; if you don't rip them, the 2x2 spacers need to be 1" shorter — the plan flags this, and it's the kind of detail that throws a base off if missed. Build doors to fit your actual openings with a 1/8" gap around them; overlay doors are more forgiving than inset if you're not confident. Because it's tall, anchor it to the wall to prevent tipping.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x12 board, 8 ftSides and shelves. | 3 each |
| 1x2 board, 8 ftFace frame, shelf trim, doors. | 4 each |
| 1/4" plywood, 4x8 sheetBack and door panels. | 1 each |
| 2x4 scrapsBase legs, ripped to 3". | 1 each |
| 2x2 scrapBase spacers. | 1 each |
| 1x3 scrapCrown. | 1 each |
| Cabinet hinges | 1 pair |
| Screws and finish nails, 1-1/4" and 2" | 60 each |
| Wood glue and finish | 16 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tower sides1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 69 1/2" |
| Shelves1x12 | 7 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 16 1/2" |
| Face frame sides1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 69 1/2" |
| Shelf trim1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 18" × 69 1/2" |
| Base spacers2x21" shorter if the legs aren't ripped to 3". | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 12" |
| Base legs2x4Ripped to 3" wide. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3" × 4 1/2" |
| Base supports2x4Measure to fit. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3" × 9" |
| Crown1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 18" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
3 boards
1 board
3 boards
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 →
Start by building a box out of the 1x12 sides and shelves. Because it's fully face-framed with a plywood back, you can build it with a nailer — just keep it square.
Add the face frame, starting with the longer 1x2 side trim, using 1-1/4" finish nails and glue and nailing into the fixed shelves for support. Then add the shelf trim.
Attach the 1/4" plywood to the back with glue, fastening to all the fixed shelves. The back squares and stiffens the tall tower.
Build the base from the ripped 2x4 legs, 2x2 spacers, and supports — if you didn't rip the legs to 3", make the 2x2 spacers 1" shorter. Add a bit of 1x3 crown up top to match the bed.
Build the door to fit its actual opening with a 1/8" gap all around — overlay doors are more forgiving than inset if you're unsure. Hang it, sand, and finish. Because it's tall, anchor the tower to the wall to prevent tipping.
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