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This bench is a gateway build: it looks like cabinetry, but underneath it's two 2x4 ladder frames stood on edge, skinned in plywood, with drawer boxes riding full-extension slides between them. If you've been screwing 2x4 furniture together and want to graduate toward cabinets, this is the project that teaches drawers without asking you to build a carcass.
The plan's own emphasis is the right one: the two frames must match EXACTLY, because the drawer slides bridge between them — a quarter inch of mismatch and the drawers rack and bind forever. Build the second frame on top of the first. Equally load-bearing advice: the drawer cut list says CUT TO FIT in capital letters. Read your specific slides' instructions, measure your actual openings, and build the boxes to those numbers; the listed dimensions assume standard 1/2"-clearance side-mount slides and true 3/4" stock.
The finishing move — 1x2/1x4 face frame on the cabinet, 1x3 frames on the drawer fronts with an even 1/8" reveal — is what turns shop-grade materials into a piece that lives in the front hall. Take time on those reveals; they're the whole first impression.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4" cabinet grade, 4x8 sheetRipped into two 96" x 23-7/8" strips — sides and top. | 1 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftThe two frames and the slide spacers. | 5 each |
| 1x10, 8 ftDrawer boxes. | 3 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 48" x 48"Drawer bottoms. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftFace frame — 12 ft needed. | 2 each |
| 1x4, 6 ftFace frame bottom rail. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftDrawer face frames. | 2 each |
| Full-extension side-mount drawer slidesBuy FIRST and read their instructions — the drawer boxes are built to the slides, not to the plan. | 3 each |
| Knobs or handles | 3 each |
| Screws, #10 x 3", self-tapping | 40 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 3/4", 18 ga | 150 each |
| Wood glue | 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Frame rails | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 70 1/2" |
| Frame uprights | 8 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 14 1/4" |
| Side panelsPlywood | 2 | 3/4" × 17 1/4" × 23 7/8" |
| TopPlywood | 1 | 3/4" × 23 7/8" × 72" |
| Drawer fronts/backs1x10CUT TO FIT your slides and openings — listed sizes assume 1/2"-clearance slides. | 6 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 19" |
| Drawer sides1x10Cut to fit — match your slide length. | 6 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 23 7/8" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywoodCut to fit. | 3 | 1/4" × 20 1/2" × 23 7/8" |
| Face frame top rail1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 72" |
| Face frame bottom rail1x4 | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 72" |
| Face frame stiles1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 13" |
| Drawer face frame rails1x3Approximate — sized to an even 1/8" reveal. | 6 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 12 3/4" |
| Drawer face frame stiles, end drawers1x3Approximate. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 17" |
| Drawer face frame stiles, middle drawer1x3Approximate. | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 16 1/4" |
Buy 16 boards at 8 ft.
5 boards
Cut the frame parts and assemble two ladder frames — 3" self-tapping screws, or 1-1/2"-setting pocket holes with 2-1/2" pocket screws.
Build the second frame stacked on top of the first, corner to corner. The drawer slides span between these frames; 'identical' isn't a virtue here, it's a functional requirement.
Attach the plywood side panels to the frame ends — 2" screws, or nails and glue. The bench silhouette appears.
Read the slide instructions first, then build three boxes to fit your openings: for standard 1/2"-clearance side-mounts, the box is the opening width minus 1", sides as long as the slides.
Pocket-holing the boxes? Put the front pocket holes INSIDE the box (the drawer face frame hides interior faces later is not true — the outside face shows through the opening). Bottoms go on with glue and 3/4" brads or narrow-crown staples.
Set 2x4 scraps inside the bench as spacers, rest each cabinet-side slide member on its spacer, and screw to the frame. The spacer trick guarantees left and right slides sit at identical heights — which is the entire game with drawers.
Attach the drawer-side slide members to the boxes per the slide instructions, and set each box into its cabinet slides.
Cycle every drawer fully. Binding or rubbing gets fixed NOW — slide screws loosened, shimmed, re-driven — because after the face frames go on, access gets worse and motivation gets weaker.
Fasten the plywood top with 1-1/4" brads and glue (screws hold better but show — your call on a piece this visible). Ease the front edge well; the backs of knees meet it every shoe-tying.
Pocket-hole the 1x2/1x4 face frame together flat on the bench (3/4" setting, 1-1/4" screws), then attach the completed frame to the front with brads and glue. Building it as a unit first is why the reveals come out even.
Build the three 1x3 drawer face frames and attach each to its box with brads and glue, holding an even 1/8" gap on all sides — playing-card stacks make good shims. Add the knobs, finish the whole piece, and reclaim the front hall.
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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 →