DIY Plywood Dresser

by bryans workshop in Workshop > Woodworking

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DIY Plywood Dresser

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This is an easy way to make an incredibly "HULK" strong and eye catching dresser.

The dresser was a gift to my daughter.

The Boxes

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First, I made four rectangle sized boxes.

I cut eight top and bottom pieces the same size and then eight side pieces the same size.

Plywood is pretty cheap and some places will even cut the wood into the shapes you need.

Glue the Boxes Together.

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When your boxes are finished, you're going to glue them together.

I lined the boxes up on top of each other and glued them together with wood glue. I used my clamps on the front and put some of my weight plates on the top.

The Sides, Back and Drawers.

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When the glue is good and dry, you'll cut two side pieces and a back piece. Do the side pieces first and then measure your back piece. Get nice and grainy looking plywood for the outside pieces if you're going to stain it.

For the side and back pieces I covered them in wood glue and screwed them on in every place the boxes meet. Screws easily countersink themselves on soft plywood like this, so after screwing all of the screws in, I filled in the screw holes with stainable wood putty.

You can see the drawers in there now too. I cut drawers that will go in flush with the front. I didn't make dove tails on these drawers. I just made topless boxes that fit into the drawer slots.

When all of this is finished, sand everything down.

Have a candle on hand to wax the drawers so they glide in smoothly. You can also add wood skids to the bottom of the drawers too, but figure in the size before you cut the drawer pieces.

The Drawer Fronts.

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I cut drawer fronts to match the exact opening of the rectangle sized boxes I made first. I laid the dresser on its back and secured these fronts onto the drawers with wood glue and the weight plates. After the glue dried, I pulled the drawers out and used screws from inside of the drawer going into the backs of the fronts.

Cover the screw holes you just made with stainable wood putty and sand....again. When thats all finished, drill holes where you're going to put the pulls or handles.

The Top and the Legs.

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My daughter picked out the pink!

The last part is the top piece of wood. Cut it, so the drawers are flush when they're pushed in.

You'll need legs on this to open the bottom drawer. I cut four equal sizes of fence posts and wood glued them on.

I used Jacobean Briwax for the outside and buffed it to a shine.