# Dresser build planing advice



## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

I am starting the planing for a dresser build for the kids room and need some advice on a few details from those of you with more experience than me(that doesn't take to much!). I found a couple plans, nothing that I really like so will be combining a few different ones to come up with my own plan. I would like it to be "double wide", something like this, picture is just to show the drawer layout-









I don't have a ton of money so would like to do this as inexpensive as possible but also don't want to cut corners and have it fall apart in a month. I was thinking of using oak since it's a nice hardwood and one of the most affordable hardwoods from what I see. To keep prices down would it be better to use faced ply for the sides and back or would it be better to do solid wood, or other options you might have? 

Should I use drawer slides or just wood on wood for the drawers? I will probably do rabbit joints for the drawers, haven't done dovetails and don't have a jig. 

Any other advice you might be able to share would be much appreciated. Woman wants to go to ashly furnature and get some cheap stuff for a couple hundred bucks and I told her I could make a dresser for the cost to buy one and it would last longer. I have most of the major tools, table saw, 15" planer, 6" jointer, miter saw, home made router table, etc.

Thank you for any advice you can throw this way!
Scott


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## woodmeistro (Jul 9, 2010)

try a book on building case pieces, it will give you more ideas about construction. have you thought about frame and panel design it would allow you to use solid wood for the frame and plywood for the panels


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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

I got a couple books from the library today to look at and get some ideas. I am open to any ideas about materials to use so a solid frame and plywood sides would be fine. Just most of the plans I saw are solid so not quit sure how to do that. 

Do you know of any plans online that I could use to show how to do a frame ply on the sides. I assume the ply would be set on the inside of the frame?


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## terrysumner (Oct 5, 2008)

*Try here...*

http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=102

Then look under Bedroom Dresser Cabinets


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I would use 3/4"plywood for the ends, floor, divider, and the top.

The ends would be rabbeted for the floor, and at the top to accept cross rails (front and back). These cross rails would be the same length as the floor. They could be 2" - 2 1/2" wide by 3/4" thick. To the rear rail, add a 2" - 2 1/2" x 3/4" piece that installs to the underside of the back side of the rail. This stiffens the rail, and will give a mounting rail if the cabinet ever gets screwed to the wall. It also serves as a brace to be able to handle the cabinet during fabrication.

The floor would be dadoed to accept the divider. The back edges of the ends, and the floor would be rabbeted to accept a 1/4" back, and the divider would be cut the width to the rabbet (so the back will attach).

The cabinet at this stage could be left frameless, or a face frame could be added.

The 3/4" plywood top can be edged with solid wood and a profile added to it of your choice.

The drawers could be 1/2" plywood with rabbeted sides to accept the front and back. The back can be cut short to slide in a 1/4" plywood bottom. If the bottom fit is snug, it will help square the drawer. I suggest doing any finishing of the drawer with the bottom out. When assembling the finished drawer parts, slide the bottom in and square the drawer, and then use brads, or screws to attach the bottom to the underside of the back.

Personally I like using full extension side mounted slides. This site has excellent pricing on slides.












 









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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for all the great advice everyone, and cabinetman for the detailed write up!

I think that will be my best bet. Just a face frame and drawer fronts out of solid wood and the rest ply. 

I still haven't found a plan that I like so looks like I am going to be winging this and coming up with my own plan. I am going to look at some of the plans and see how the drawer slides need to be mounted to the dresser, not quit sure if there are some tricks to planning slides or not?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

ponch37300 said:


> Thanks for all the great advice everyone, and cabinetman for the detailed write up!
> 
> I think that will be my best bet. Just a face frame and drawer fronts out of solid wood and the rest ply.
> 
> I still haven't found a plan that I like so looks like I am going to be winging this and coming up with my own plan. I am going to look at some of the plans and see how the drawer slides need to be mounted to the dresser, not quit sure if there are some tricks to planning slides or not?


If you use a face frame, you'll have to make (or just add) strips to the sides of the cabinet front to back, the thickness of how far the FF protrudes. This is done to allow the slides to be mounted so they are flush with the edge of the FF. 

You should check the clearance required for the hardware you buy, but the usual spacing for the drawer box is 1/2" minus 1/32" per side. So, that means, the actual outside dimension of the drawer box will be 17/16", or IOW an 1 1/16" narrower than the distance between where the slides attach.

The way I lay out drawer fronts/drawer boxes/slides, is to determine the size I want for the drawer fronts. Then on the front of the cabinet, lay out marks for those sizes and the spaces in between. Determine where on the drawer side the drawer member will be mounted, and make a mark for the centerline of that slide. Where the cabinet member mates with the drawer member, the bottom edge of that slide should be above the line of the drawer front below. 

Then, make a mark for where the centerline for the cabinet member slide should be on the FF. You could make a 1/4" ply template for the layout of all the slides from that. Laying out the cabinet member on the template you can punch pilot holes for the mounting screws. Clamping that template to the side you can use a small pilot drill and make all the holes at once, and then move the template to the other side and do the same thing.

When installing the slides, the setback and all the holes will take screws easily. For the drawers, you will know exactly how high up the side the slide gets mounted. The front of the slide will be at the front of the box (behind the false front). The cabinet member should have a slight setback, like 3/32".












 









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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

cabinetman, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to go that in depth on how to do this. I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start but so far everything seems pretty straight forward thanks to you!


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Magazines*



ponch37300 said:


> I got a couple books from the library today to look at and get some ideas. I am open to any ideas about materials to use so a solid frame and plywood sides would be fine. Just most of the plans I saw are solid so not quit sure how to do that.
> 
> Do you know of any plans online that I could use to show how to do a frame ply on the sides. I assume the ply would be set on the inside of the frame?


Try Woodsmith. They have several plans in print and on their web site.


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*More sites*

Try these out for size.

http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/

http://www.freeww.com/mission.html


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## wsommariva (Jan 3, 2010)

I like plansnow.com for plans. I built a workbench and router bench with their plans. I also buy plans just to learn from. You can pay $30 and get 20 plans or just buy what you want for $6 to $10.

You can also change their plans to make exactly what they want.


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## Burnt_Blade (Dec 26, 2009)

Ponch, there are some really informative videos on the Wood Magazine site. They are called 'Woodcuts'.


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