How to Build a Side Table With Drawers

A side table with a drawer is a handy piece of furniture. This design allows for customization of dimensions and the number of drawers installed. Tweaking these options will produce a unique piece of furniture which will perfectly fit the space and its needs. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Building the Table

1

Stand up two 2 by 2 by 24 inch posts and have an assistant hold them parallel to each other, so that there is a space between them of 10 inches. Set a 1/2 by 3 by 16 inch board on top of them with its flat side on the posts. Center the board on the top of the posts in both the long and short dimensions.

2

Drill a hole through the top of this board and into each leg post. Attach the leg support board to the posts with 1 1/4-inch wood screws. Repeat for another set of two posts and a board.

3

Set an 1 by 18 by 18 inch tabletop board upside down on the working surface. Position the two leg setups on top of the tabletop, with exactly 10 inches of clearance between the two sets of posts. Center the long dimension of the leg support board between the edges of the tabletop. Drill four holes through each leg support board and into the tabletop. Attach the leg support boards to the tabletop with 1 1/4-inch wood screws tightened in each hole.

Building the Drawer

4

Arrange four 1/2 by 4 by 11 1/2-inch boards in a perfect square, with their ends touching in an end to side repeating pattern so the final dimension of the square is 12 by 12 inches. Drill two holes at each joint, through the outside surface of one board and into the end of the adjoining board. Attach the boards together with 1 1/4-inch wood screws.

5

Set a 1/2 by 12 by 12-inch board on top of the square frame. Drill holes through the board and into the frame evenly spaced every four inches. Attach the board to the frame with 1 1/4-inch wood screws. Stand the drawer upright on a small end. Position a 1/2 by 5 by 13-inch board evenly on top of the drawer. Screw four holes up through the inside of the drawer frame and into this top board, which is the drawer front. Attach the drawer front to the frame with 3/4-inch wood screws.

6

Position the drawer in the 12-inch gap between the table legs. Mark the location of the bottom board of the drawer on the inside of each table leg. Remove the drawer and hold a 1/2 by 1/2 by 12-inch board against each marking so the top of the board is even with the marking. Drill a hole through each board and into each leg it touches. Attach the boards to each leg with 3/4-inch wood screws. Slide the drawer in on top of these boards and repeat for additional drawers.