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A six-drawer modern dresser with beveled plank drawer faces — a 1x3 face frame carrying corner-mount slides, plywood sides, and drawer boxes cut to fit their real openings.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face frame stiles | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 31 1/4" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Face frame rails | 3 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 49" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Center divider, 1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 31 1/4" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Center blocking | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Center blocking, long | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 9 1/4" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Top frame long rails | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 52" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Back trim | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 29" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Front trim | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 29" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Top frame ends | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 16" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Side panels | 2 | 3/4" × 16" × 30 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Top panel | 1 | 3/4" × 16" × 50 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Back support | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 31 1/4" | 2x2 | ☐ |
| Drawer sides Matched 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" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Drawer faces Ripped 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" | 1x10 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1x3, 8 ft Face frame and side trim. | 4 each | ☐ |
| 1x2, 8 ft Top frame and trim. | 4 each | ☐ |
| 1x6, 8 ft Drawer boxes. | 5 each | ☐ |
| 1x10, 8 ft Drawer faces — ripped to 8-1/2" with the beveled top edge. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Plywood, 3/4", cut into two 16" x 8 ft strips Sides and top panel. Have the store rip the sheet. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Plywood, 1/4", 4x4 sheet Drawer bottoms. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 2x2, 4 ft Back center support. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Drawer slides, 16", bottom corner mount The 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 strap Into a wall stud. Six open drawers is a ladder to a toddler. | 1 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x3, 8 ft, 1x2, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Brad Nailer. Materials: 1x3, 8 ft, Plywood, 3/4", cut into two 16" x 8 ft strips, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Brad Nailer. Materials: 1x3, 8 ft, 1x2, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x2, 8 ft, Plywood, 3/4", cut into two 16" x 8 ft strips, 2x2, 4 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Miter Saw, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x6, 8 ft, Plywood, 1/4", 4x4 sheet, Drawer slides, 16", bottom corner mount, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x6, 8 ft, Plywood, 1/4", 4x4 sheet, Drawer slides, 16", bottom corner mount, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood glue
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.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander, Table Saw. Materials: 1x10, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 5/8", Wood filler, stain, and finish, Anti-tip strap
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.