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This nightstand is a plywood box — top, bottom, sides, and a center shelf — set on four legs splayed outward at 10°, which is what gives it the mid-century lean rather than reading as a plain rectangular cabinet on straight legs. The angle is small enough that it doesn't need a jig: cut it on a miter saw or with a circular saw and a guide, same as any other angled cut.
Drawer boxes are simple butt-jointed 1x4 frames with a 1/4" plywood bottom, riding on bottom-mount euro slides rather than traditional wood runners — cheap, self-closing, and forgiving of small dimensional errors in the drawer box itself, which matters because there's no adjustment built into a butt-jointed drawer the way there is with dovetails. Drawer fronts are separate pieces attached after the drawer boxes are built and hung, which is what lets you get consistent, even reveals around each drawer instead of trying to hit an exact opening size on the first try.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood, half sheet (4x4)Rip into 15-3/4"-wide pieces for the box top, bottom, and shelf. | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywood, half sheetDrawer bottoms and the cabinet back. | 1 each |
| 1x2 board, 8 ftThe four angled legs and base rails. | 2 each |
| 1x4 board, 6 ftDrawer box sides, fronts, and backs. | 2 each |
| 1x6 board, 3 ftThe two drawer faces — plan assumes a true 5-1/2" wide board. | 1 each |
| Bottom-mount euro drawer slides, 14" | 2 pair |
| Drawer pulls | 2 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 60 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 60 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Legs1x2Both ends cut at 10° off square, ends parallel to each other. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 4" |
| Base side rails1x2Both ends cut at 10° off square, ends NOT parallel to each other. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15" |
| Base front/back rails1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 13 3/4" |
| Box top/bottom3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 21" |
| Box side3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 19 1/2" |
| Center shelf/divider3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 18" |
| Box front/back aprons1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 18" |
| Back panel1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 19 1/2" × 21 3/4" |
| Drawer sides1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 14 3/4" |
| Drawer fronts/backs (box)1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywood | 2 | 1/4" × 14 3/4" × 17" |
| Drawer faces1x6 | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 17 3/4" |
Buy 9 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
1 board
2 boards
Rip the 3/4" plywood into 15-3/4"-wide strips and cross-cut the top, bottom, side, and shelf/divider pieces to length. Drill 3/4" pocket holes facing upward in the top edges of the front and back aprons now, while they're loose and easy to clamp — you'll use these to attach the box to the base later.
Pocket-screw and glue the top, bottom, side, and center shelf/divider together into a simple box, open on the drawer side. Attach the front and back aprons, then nail the plywood back panel on square — it's what keeps the whole cabinet from racking.
Join the four 10°-angled legs with the side and front/back rails into a base frame. Because the legs splay outward, dry-fit the base and check it sits flat and stable on the floor before you commit any glue — an angled-leg base amplifies small cutting errors more than a square one would.
Set the box on top of the leg base and drive screws up through the pocket holes in the aprons into the base rails.
Build two drawer boxes from the 1x4 sides and fronts/backs, glue and nail on the plywood bottoms square. Install the euro slides on both the drawer boxes and inside the cabinet per the hardware's instructions, and hang the drawers — check they roll smoothly before moving on.
With the drawers hung, attach the drawer faces to the fronts of the drawer boxes with screws from inside, using spacers to get an even reveal around each face before driving anything permanent. Add pulls, sand every surface, and finish.
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2 boards
1 board
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 →