NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
This is a knock-off of a catalog dresser at a fraction of the price, and its structure is unusual in a way worth understanding: the FRONT FACE FRAME is the drawer-slide foundation. Six bottom-corner-mount slides (the cheap white ones, chosen on purpose — they're forgiving and invisible here) register off the 1x3 frame, which is why step 1 hammers the squaring lesson so hard: measure both diagonals, and if they disagree, push the long corners together until they match. A parallelogram face frame means six drawers that all bind the same direction.
The drawer math in step 8 is the most transferable skill in the plan. Sides are cut to match the slide length (15-3/4" for 16" slides). Fronts and backs are the measured opening minus twice the slide clearance (23" opening, 1/2" per side → 20-1/2"). And the source's build-ONE-first rule is the difference between an evening of fitting and a weekend of re-cutting: slightly small adjusts out via the slides' slotted screw holes; slightly big meets the saw again.
The faces are the design statement: 1x10s ripped to 8-1/2" with a 45° bevel on the top edge of each. The bevels create shadow lines that read as drawer pulls — there is no hardware on this dresser, you grip the bevel. Install the bottom faces first, then use a ripped 1-1/8" spacer strip to set each next face's gap; a consistent reveal is the whole minimalist look.
One safety item the plan can't skip: a 50"-wide six-drawer dresser is a tip hazard with all drawers open. Add an anti-tip strap to the wall stud — furniture this size gets climbed by someone eventually.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x3, 8 ftFace frame and side trim. | 4 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftTop frame and trim. | 4 each |
| 1x6, 8 ftDrawer boxes. | 5 each |
| 1x10, 8 ftDrawer faces — ripped to 8-1/2" with the beveled top edge. | 2 each |
| Plywood, 3/4", cut into two 16" x 8 ft stripsSides and top panel. Have the store rip the sheet. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 4x4 sheetDrawer bottoms. | 1 each |
| 2x2, 4 ftBack center support. | 1 each |
| Drawer slides, 16", bottom corner mountThe usually-white ones. Cheap, adjustable, hidden — correct for this design. | 6 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8" | 300 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| Wood filler, stain, and finish | 1 qt |
| Anti-tip strapInto a wall stud. Six open drawers is a ladder to a toddler. | 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Face frame stiles1x3 | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 31 1/4" |
| Face frame rails1x3 | 3 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 49" |
| Center divider, 1x21x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 31 1/4" |
| Center blocking1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" |
| Center blocking, long1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 9 1/4" |
| Top frame long rails1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 52" |
| Back trim1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 29" |
| Front trim1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 29" |
| Top frame ends1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 16" |
| Side panels3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 16" × 30 1/2" |
| Top panel3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 16" × 50 1/2" |
| Back support2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 31 1/4" |
| Drawer sides1x6Matched to the 16" slides. Fronts/backs and bottoms are CUT TO FIT per step 5's math. | 12 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| Drawer faces1x10Ripped to 8-1/2", top edge at 45° bevel. Final length cut to your openings with 1/8" reveals. | 6 | 3/4" × 8 1/2" × 24 1/2" |
Buy 16 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
2 boards
Assemble the 1x3 face frame with glue and 1-1/4" brads, three per joint. Then measure BOTH diagonals. If they differ, push the two long-diagonal corners toward each other and re-measure until they match.
The drawer slides register off this frame. A frame that's 1/4" out of square isn't 1/4" of charm — it's six drawers that all rub. Add the 1x2 center divider dead-centered with its blocking pieces.
On each 16" plywood side, attach a 1x3 flush to the bottom and back edges (it will stand 3/4" proud at the top — that's planned). Then nail the sides to the face frame, front and bottom edges flush.
Set the dresser on a level surface and add the bottom trim across the front and back.
Add the 29" verticals: 1x3s on the BACK edges of the plywood, 1x2s on the FRONT. Glue and brads. These close the side silhouettes and give the top frame its landing.
Frame the top panel — 16" 1x2s on the ends first, then 52" 1x2s front and back — with glue and 1-1/4" brads. Set the completed top onto the dresser and nail in every direction you can reach.
The source is right to make this sound aggressive: the top is the squaring diaphragm for the whole carcass. Then center the 2x2 support vertically on the back and glue-and-nail it — it stops the long top from ever sagging.
Sides: 15-3/4", matching the slides. Fronts/backs: measure your actual opening (should be ~23"), confirm your slides want 1/2" per side, cut to opening minus 2-1/2" of total clearance and material (20-1/2" here). Bottoms: cut 1/4" ply to the assembled box.
Build ONE drawer — glue and 1-1/4" brads, bottom on with 5/8" brads — mount its hardware, and test it in the cabinet before building five more. Err small: the slides' oval adjustment holes forgive small, not large.
Slide members mount to the drawer bottoms — wheels to the back, flush to the front — screwed through the widthwise oval holes so side-to-side adjustment stays live. Cabinet members mount with their front edges matched to the face frame's 1x3 side returns and the 1x2 center blocking.
Test, adjust, then production-line the remaining five drawers.
Rip the 1x10s to 8-1/2" with the top edge beveled at 45° — the bevel IS the drawer pull; there's no hardware to buy or align. Cut faces to your openings allowing ~1/8" between.
Install the bottom row first: brads from the front to position, screws from inside the drawer to hold. Then rip a 1-1/8" spacer strip, rest each next face on it, and attach — the spacer makes every reveal identical, and identical reveals are the entire minimalist effect.
Fill, sand, stain, finish — and strap the dresser to a wall stud. Six drawers open is a staircase to anyone under four.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.
3 boards
4 boards
4 boards
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 →