60″ × 34″ dresser plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
• Hammer
• Stud finder
• Level
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Edge-band the fronts

   Iron edge banding onto the front edge of each side (A) and all four edges of every drawer front. Trim flush and sand.

4. 4Mark the slide lines

   On the inside of each side and both faces of the divider (C), draw a line for each slide at 5 7/16″, 16 3/4″, 26 1/2″ from the bottom end.

   Rip a scrap of plywood to each height. Use it as a spacer when you screw the slides on.

5. 5Build the case

   Glue and screw the bottom between the sides with its underside at 3″, and the top flush with the top ends. 1 5/8″ screws, 3 per joint.

   Fit the divider (C) between them, 28 15/16″ from the left side inside.

   Screw the kick board (E) under the bottom, 1/2″ back from the front. Square the case and nail on the back (D).

   ✓ Diagonals match within 1/16″. A square case is what makes the drawers run.

6. 6Screw on the case half of each slide

   Separate each 16″ slide. Screw the case member on its line, front end 3/4″ back from the front edge (the front's thickness). 5/8″ screws in the round holes first.

7. 7Build the drawer boxes

   Glue and brad each box: the fronts and backs fit between the sides. Check the box is square.

   Glue and nail the bottom on underneath, flush on all sides. It squares the box.

   ✓ Each box is 27 15/16″ wide: 1/2″ narrower than the opening on each side.

8. 8Hang the drawers

   Screw the drawer member of each slide to its box, flush with the box front, 1/2″ up from the bottom edge.

   Click each box into its slides. It should run smoothly with no rubbing.

9. 9Attach the fronts

   Start at the bottom. Stick each front to its box with double-sided tape, using 1/8″ spacers between fronts and 1/16″ at the edges.

   Open the drawer and drive four 1″ screws through the box into the front. Do not use longer screws: they come through.

   Drill and fit the pulls, two per front.

   ✓ Gaps are an even 1/8″ everywhere.

10. 10Anchor to the wall

    Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.

    Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.

    Do not load the piece until it is anchored.

    STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.

11. 11Finish

    Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.

    Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.

    Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.

    Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.

    Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.

    • Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.