DIY wooden chest of drawers - detailed instructions for a beginner!

A chest of drawers is a small closet with drawers in which you can store various things and objects. For its manufacture, different materials can be used, for example, plywood, chipboard, plastic or metal, but more often in homes there are chests of drawers made of wood . This is a high-quality and environmentally friendly material that is easy to work with. But how to make a chest of drawers out of wood with your own hands, without experience and special skills? This will be discussed in more detail in this article.

DIY wooden chest of drawers

Advantages of wooden structures

When choosing products made of wood, the owner has several advantages at once. These include:

the harmlessness of the wooden structure for others, since it is made of environmentally friendly material;

Dressers with legs made of wood

unique appearance. The relief and texture of each tree is different, so it is impossible to find two absolutely identical chests of drawers;
wood is much more elegant and beautiful than other, cheaper materials (chipboard or MDF);
the finished product has a long service life if the material was properly processed during manufacturing.

A metal chest of drawers is somewhat inferior to a wooden one

Note! Despite the large number of advantages, chests of drawers made of wood have one drawback - the cost of the finished product. Wood prices are much higher than chipboard or plywood. But if you make such a chest of drawers with your own hands, then the difference in the cost of materials is not that big.

Advantages of wooden furniture

Preparation of materials, accessories and tools

The optimal raw materials for a chest of drawers are considered to be dense sheet surfaces: wooden furniture board, laminated chipboard or LMDF with a thickness of 16 mm or more. The area of the slabs is calculated based on the nuances of detailing; the material is purchased with a small margin. The same rule applies to fasteners and fittings. When choosing the latter, preference is given to reliable guides (purchased immediately in a paired set), confirmed screws (European screws) with a length of at least 50 mm, and self-tapping screws from 16 mm. The parts used must not show any signs of corrosion.

The standard set of tools required when making a chest of drawers from chipboard includes:

jigsaw;
drill;
screwdriver;
square;
roulette;
stationery knife.

Trimming parts with a special edge is done using an iron or a hair dryer. Drills and bits for confirmations, jigsaw blades, materials and tools for decorating a chest of drawers, legs or wheels are purchased separately.

Furniture board

laminated chipboard

MDF

Accessories

Tools

Material selection

Experts recommend using hard wood, although other, softer ones can be used. Let's look at the most popular species used in carpentry.

Pine

A relatively soft wood that is easy to work with. But pine has several disadvantages, for example, the surface of pine products is easily scratched and quickly loses its appearance, and the structure itself is unable to withstand heavy loads. As a rule, pine is used to make decorative elements or small pieces of furniture (stools, sideboards, bedside tables and chests of drawers).

Processing pine is easy

Birch

A harder type of wood with a beautiful texture. Birch is not able to withstand high humidity and sudden temperature changes, so it is not used to create outdoor furniture. Birch makes good bedside tables, tables and other oversized furniture not intended for heavy loads.

Birch is not used to create outdoor furniture

Beech

An excellent, high-strength material that is equally suitable for both outdoor furniture and structures intended for indoor use. Among all the disadvantages of beech, it is worth highlighting the most important one - the tree quickly absorbs moisture. Therefore, to prevent finished furniture from quickly deteriorating, at the stage of its manufacture, all material must be treated with special solutions. It is not recommended to make garden furniture from beech . The same can be said about products installed in places with high humidity.

Beech joinery board

Oak

One of the most popular wood species in the furniture industry. Oak is highly durable, so products made from it can last for several decades. The wood does not deform when there is high humidity in the room, does not rot and is not attacked by insects. In addition, the appearance of oak products does not deteriorate over the years, which cannot be said about other types of wood.

Oak planks

Oak is actively used to create kitchen units, cabinets or beds. The wood is also suitable for making a chest of drawers. The disadvantages include the large weight of finished products and the high cost of the material.

Wicker chests of drawers

Post-painting treatment of a wooden chest of drawers

After the painting is done and the parts have dried, we glue the side walls. I decided to paint first because it allows me to paint the future inner corners well. I glue only the frame with wood glue. The panel is inserted; it should not be glued. For such large parts, it is very convenient to use pipe clamps, since they have a very high compression force and solid dimensions.

After all the parts are ready, I pack them in stretch film. It will protect the parts from dirt and prevent them from sliding over each other during transportation. Of course, you need to take with you the tools necessary for assembly. For this chest of drawers there was the following set:

screwdriver with a set of bits and drills (just in case)
Kreg softwood screws with large pitch threads
screws for drawers
square
level
roulette
necessary and spare accessories

You may notice that the saw tool is not listed. I consider it unacceptable to modify furniture parts at the customer's site during assembly.

Types of chests of drawers

After choosing the material for work, you also need to decide on the type of chest of drawers, because there are many different models, and they all differ from each other in design features, functional purpose and appearance. Below are the main models of chests of drawers that you can make yourself.

Table. Popular models of chests of drawers.

Model name, photo	Description
Changing chest	A unique product that combines the functions of a chest of drawers and a changing table for babies. For convenience, such designs are equipped with small wheels to make them easier to move around the house.
Children's chest of drawers	These chests of drawers are designed for use in a children's room. The upper part of the structure is a pull-out shelf on which you can store items or carry out various activities.
Chest of drawers	Another type of chest of drawers that looks more like a wardrobe. These models are tall and have many drawers for storage. As a rule, a chest of drawers is made for a hallway where usable space is limited.
Chest of drawers	The design consists of fittings, legs or wheels, drawers and a small table top. This product simultaneously serves as a table and functions as a small cabinet in which you can store your things.
Classic version	A popular type of chest of drawers, it looks like a small cabinet with drawers that slide out. A classic chest of drawers can be used to store bed linen, clothing or small items.

Regardless of the chosen model, the manufacturing technology of the product is practically no different. Therefore, if you are finished with the choice of material and type of product, all that remains is to choose the method of fastening the wooden elements. Only after this can you start working.

The result of cutting furniture panels onto a wooden chest of drawers

As a result, a set of blanks is obtained. The photo below shows mostly the details of the drawers. These are the most labor intensive pieces of my dresser. Five boxes are: five fronts, fifteen walls and five bottoms. And besides, there are many holes!

While cutting, a full 10 liter bucket filled up. The cyclone separator greatly saves vacuum cleaner bags. It can be seen in the rear view in the photo.

Also using a plunge-cut saw, but with a larger guide bar, I reduce the width of the panel for the table top and the bottom of the drawer.

Types of fastenings

If you decide to create a wooden chest of drawers with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic methods of fastening wooden elements used in assembling various pieces of furniture. We are talking about rafix, minifix, confirmat and corner fastening. Let's consider each of the listed methods separately.

Furniture fastenings

Rafix

Used when assembling shelves or built-in furniture. Rafix differs in that all fastenings from the outside of the product are not visible. This mount makes it possible to repeatedly disassemble and reassemble furniture. The connection is reliable and quite strong, but has one drawback - high cost.

Rafix usage scheme

Minifix

Used for quick installation of furniture structures. This type of fastening is popular due to the possibility of repeated assembly and disassembly of elements. The surface of the furniture remains unharmed. Minifix is not suitable for making furniture yourself.

Minifix

Confirmat

This type of fastening is used in the manufacture of metal products, so confirmat is not suitable for furniture made of wood or plywood. Otherwise, the surface of the part at the fastening points may deteriorate.

Screw confirmat

Corner

One of the simplest and most popular ways to fasten wooden products is using a corner made of plastic or metal. Such products are attached to the joints of parts using ordinary self-tapping screws. If desired, you can choose a plastic corner painted in the same color as the structure itself.

You can use furniture corners

On a note! When making furniture at home, it is recommended to use metal corners or special tenon fasteners. Installation of such elements is very simple and does not require much effort.

Cutting lumber for a chest of drawers in the bedroom

I unravel and trim the panels on a tabletop sawing machine. Since the wood is soft and quite resinous, I use a disc with not a very large number of teeth. This disc went to the saw, although it was for construction purposes, the quality of the cut was good! The disadvantage will be the large width of the tooth.

The main problem with conifers is that they leave resin and carbon deposits on the teeth. If they are not washed, the sharpness and quality of the cut will seriously suffer.

To create supports for the chest of drawers, I beveled (sawed at 45 degrees) a furniture panel, 28 mm thick, and cut off the corners using a miter gauge:

Very wide workpieces cannot be trimmed on a table saw without extensions and without a large pendulum saw with a broach. I'll use a plunge-cut saw with a guide bar. I put a mark on one side and align the tire using this mark and a square. The tire must be secured, because the contact area between the tire and the board is small. It is very likely that there will be displacement without fixation.

To minimize chipping, the saw tooth should not protrude too much under the workpiece. An excellent option if the saw protrudes the length of a tooth.

Thanks to this setting, the tooth will work along the entire length and cut the fibers instead of tearing them.

It would be great to use an MDF or plywood backing. This will allow dust removal to work as efficiently as possible.

What do you need for work?

Before any type of carpentry work, you must first prepare all the tools and materials. These include:

nails;

Preparing tools

double-sided tape;
handles for dresser drawers;
set of self-tapping screws;
boards or sheets of plywood;
screwdriver and set of drills;
construction hair dryer;
a simple pencil;
meter, ruler, tape measure or other measuring instrument;
mounting brackets made of metal or plastic;
stationery knife;
electric drill.

You should also take care of safety glasses and gloves. Once everything you need is at hand, you can get to work.

Purchasing lumber for a chest of drawers in a wooden bedroom

Furniture panels, timber and boards were purchased from lumber. I took shields of the best quality - “A”. I let them rest before cutting. After unpacking they turned out to be even, which is a good indicator of quality.

For the bottom of the drawers, inserts into the side walls and back wall, plywood was purchased from a supermarket and sawed there on a sawing machine.

Making a chest of drawers

Step 1 . Prepare boards for work. They don't have to be new. For example, this project uses boards from an old dismantled structure.

Preparing the boards

Step 2 . Using a jigsaw or a regular hacksaw, cut the boards into the required pieces, the number and dimensions of which must correspond to the project drawing.

The details of the future chest of drawers have been cut

Step 3 . Sand the surface of the boards to eliminate even the most minor defects and irregularities. As a result, the boards should be as even and smooth as possible.

Sanding boards

Step 4 . Assemble two side frames from the cut boards.

Assembled side frames

Step 5 . Start assembling the panels. To do this, install planks in previously made frames. It is advisable to use self-tapping screws as fasteners.

Boards are installed in the frames

Step 6 . Select the boards in width so that they can completely cover the wall without forming any gaps.

Scheme and drawing

Before you start making a chest of drawers, you need to make a drawing of it. The drawing must indicate:

height;
width;
depth;
number of boxes.

Attention: calculating the size of the chest of drawers depends on what things will be in it.

How to make a drawing is a personal matter for each individual master. For some, it is enough to sketch sketches on a piece of paper to understand how to quickly and efficiently manufacture and assemble parts, others use special computer programs with accurate calculations, and there are also craftsmen who find ready-made versions of circuits on the Internet.

Important : in the drawing, in addition to the type of construction and dimensions of individual elements, the mechanism for opening the drawers must also be indicated.

Decor

It is not enough to make a wooden chest of drawers; you also need to decorate it so that the finished product is immediately noticed by guests. This can be done using some painting techniques. First of all, for decoration you need to prepare brushes and acrylic paints, the color of which everyone can choose to their taste. The product can be completely repainted in one color or decorated with several patterns that add charm.

Retro chest of drawers, stylized at the beginning of the twentieth century

The process of decorating a chest of drawers is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. First you need to apply a base layer of acrylic paint, and after it dries, decorate the surface of the product with special patterns. It is not necessary to draw the patterns yourself, because for this you can use ready-made stencils that are sold in stores . As soon as the patterns are dry, the entire chest of drawers needs to be varnished. That's it, the wooden chest of drawers is ready!

Decoupage of a chest of drawers with fabric with delicate pastoral motifs

Preparing for painting

Before painting, sanding must be done. The better it is done, the less likely it is that the tinted coating will be applied well. Since oils and glazes are transparent, putty cannot be used. The surface should already be of high quality and without unacceptable flaws.

The flat surfaces were sanded using an orbital sander, while the pilasters and milled ends were sanded by hand. For soft breeds, 180 grit is sufficient, but it is better to go up to 250.

Results

The cost of a handmade chest of drawers is much lower than the cost of a finished product from a furniture store. But this requires some skills. In addition, if you compare handmade furniture and purchased products, the first one is much superior in quality. Thus, if you buy a chest of drawers in a store, there is a risk of not only overpaying, but also getting a low-quality product.

Original solid wood chests of drawers will look luxurious in a bedroom with a suitable interior

A durable chest of drawers made of oak or other types of wood can last for many years without losing its attractiveness. Therefore, all the money spent and efforts made will not be in vain. You just need to follow the instructions exactly and anyone can do the job.

Wooden chest of drawers

Peculiarities

The features of this piece of furniture include:

Reliability. Products made from natural solid wood last for many years and do not require special care. They do not lose their technical characteristics, functionality and original color.
Comfort. The presence of numerous drawers allows people to intelligently organize personal items so that they are always at hand.
Wide range of models, sizes and configurations. Depending on the needs, people can make a chest of drawers of any height, width and length. For owners of small-sized housing, it is worth choosing compact and ergonomic models . And owners of spacious mansions can build a spacious and large chest of drawers with a huge number of drawers.
Eco-friendly and natural. Wooden items do not emit toxins and do not harm consumers. They emit a pleasant woody aroma and fit harmoniously into various stylistic trends.

Pros and cons of drawers

Furniture parts that can be rolled out are one of the most functional and convenient parts of different types of furniture. With their help, you can store various things anywhere, be it a kitchen cabinet, dressing room, desk or cabinet.

A drawer has many advantages.

The advantages of such boxes are obvious:

To get something you need to put in a minimum of effort.
You can install partitions in the boxes to allow you to conveniently sort the contents.
This is an ideal device in which you can organize vertical storage.
You can make drawers with your own hands; it will not take a lot of resources or time, which is a big advantage of this piece of furniture.

A drawer is a fairly convenient device for storing various things.
The disadvantages of the design include the possibility of rapid clutter, which makes it difficult to find things. But this is not a question of design features, but of user habits.

If you carefully approach all stages of product manufacturing (fastening the bottom, durable fittings, installation of guides), then it will definitely please the owner with its quality, appearance and durability.

If you approach the work responsibly, the box will please the owners for a long time.

Types of drawer guides

Assembly and installation of components will not be difficult even for a beginner, if you select the right guides at the planning stage. There are several types of products on the modern market: roller, ball, telescopic. Each type has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

There are different types of drawer slides.

Roller system

The roller mechanism is the simplest and cheapest option for guides. However, such a system has a significant drawback: the box will not come out completely. Also, a structure equipped in this way cannot withstand too much load.

Roller guides are the simplest and most cost-effective option.

Roller systems consist of two parts, one of which is mounted on the workpiece, the other on the frame of the main furniture. Plastic rollers are placed in the grooves of the component, which are responsible for the soft, unhindered movement of the element.

Note! In order to fully reach the drawer on rollers, you need to pull it out as far as possible and lift it slightly by pulling it towards you. Installing the element back occurs in the same way, in reverse order.

It will take some effort to pull the drawer out completely.

Ball

Parts of this type are a more reliable, but also expensive option. Their movement is ensured by balls connected in a cage. The components are fixed movably, allowing the drawer to be completely rolled out.

The ball system is a more complex and expensive option.

The ball mechanism is designed to withstand heavy loads and provides maximum access to the internal space. This type of fittings has several advantages over others:

high strength, functionality and durability;
movement does not require effort and does not create noise;
unpretentiousness in maintenance;
the ability to store heavy items without harming the furniture.

The ball mechanism compares favorably with the roller mechanism.
Ball products are more expensive, unlike roller products. But experience shows that its performance characteristics are an order of magnitude higher.

Telescopic

Fittings that can provide both full and partial rollout of the element. This is a durable piece of equipment that can withstand heavy weight. Telescopic elements allow you to create multi-level retractable systems. Their use makes it possible to avoid distortions, jamming and other troubles that reduce the functionality of furniture.

Telescopic guides are the most convenient and reliable.