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A storage bench with a planked top and two side-by-side drawers riding on bottom-mount euro slides — the kind of piece that sits by a door and swallows gloves, leashes, and mail. It's a step up in difficulty because it has real drawers, and drawers are unforgiving: they have to be built to the exact opening and the exact slides, and the faces have to hang with even gaps or the whole front looks off.
Build the carcass first — legs, sides, back, and the front trim that frames the two drawer openings. The critical measurement is the front trim spacing: the gap between the 1x2 front trim pieces should be about 1/4" wider than your actual drawer-face (1x8) width, to leave room for the slides and reveal. Measure your real 1x8s, because they're rarely exactly 7-1/4".
Drawers get built to the opening and the slides, not to nominal numbers — set them 3/4" back from the front to leave room for the applied drawer face. Hang the faces last with a 1/8" gap all around, and it's often easiest to attach the knob to the face before you mount the face to the drawer box. The top is planked from 1x6 with a breadboard-style end and back trim, attached from underneath through upward-facing pocket holes in the sides.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2, 6 ftLegs. | 1 each |
| 1x12, 6 ftSides and back. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 6 ftFront trim. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 10 ftBase trim, drawer cleats, top ends. | 2 each |
| 1x6, 8 ftDrawer boxes and planked top. | 3 each |
| 1x4, 6 ftTop back trim. | 1 each |
| 1x8, 4 ftDrawer faces. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 2x4 sheetDrawer bottoms. | 1 each |
| Drawer slides, 14"–15" euro bottom-mount (sets) | 2 each |
| Knobs or handles | 2 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 50 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Legs2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 16 1/2" |
| Sides1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 13 3/4" |
| Back1x12 | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 44" |
| Front trim1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 44" |
| Front center trim1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 7 1/2" |
| Front base trim1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 44" |
| Center drawer cleat1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 14 1/2" |
| Side drawer cleats1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 13 3/4" |
| Drawer box fronts/backs1x6 | 4 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 15" |
| Drawer box sides1x6Cut to fit your slides. | 4 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 19 1/8" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywoodCut to fit. | 2 | 1/4" × 15" × 20 5/8" |
| Drawer faces1x8Cut to fit the opening with a 1/8" reveal. | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 21 3/8" |
| Top planks1x6 | 3 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 47" |
| Top end trim1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 16 1/2" |
| Top back trim1x4 | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 48 1/2" |
Buy 13 boards at 8 ft.
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Build the two side panels — legs plus 1x12 sides. Measure your 1x12s first and confirm they're 11-1/4" wide; adjust if not. Drill 3/4" pocket holes facing upward on the tops of the sides now for attaching the bench top later — much easier on a loose part.
Attach the 1x12 back to the two sides the same way you built the side panels. Drill upward-facing 3/4" pocket holes along the top of the back too, for the top.
Attach the two 1x2 front trim pieces to the legs. The spacing between them should be about 1/4" wider than your actual 1x8 drawer-face width — measure the 1x8s, they're rarely exactly 7-1/4". This gap is what leaves room for the slides and the face reveal.
Add the center divider between the two drawers, then attach the bottom base trim with glue and nails.
These cleats carry the drawer slides. Use pocket holes to attach the center cleat and 1-1/4" finish nails for the side cleats. If the center feels flimsy, you can add a fifth leg centered under the center cleat for support.
Build each drawer to the dimensions of its opening and the specific slides you're using — not to nominal numbers. Set the box 3/4" back from the front to leave room for the applied drawer face, and mount them on the euro bottom-mount slides.
Attach each 1x8 drawer face — nailed from outside or screwed from inside with 1-1/4" fasteners. It's usually easier to mount the knob or handle to the face first. Shim for a 1/8" gap all around so both faces line up.
Join the three 1x6 top planks with 3/4" pocket holes, then add the end pieces and finally the back trim to frame it. Attach the top to the bench by driving through the upward-facing pocket holes in the sides and back. Sand and finish.
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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 →