Building a dresser, how would you do this base assembly?

[Chris Merriam]

Hello, I'm duplicating a dresser the wife found in a furniture store. Not quite sure how to build the base assembly. It's not technically crazy or anything, I just haven't built many dressers and am not sure whether I should orient the base boards vertically or make two horizontal frames stacked together. Here is what I'm trying to build:

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See how there are two levels of moulding? That's what's tripping me up. To give a sense of scale, the vertical stile is 2 1/4 in, and the base rail is 1 in wide. I'm trying to make each of the mouldings 3/4 in tall.

At first I was going to build the base out of a single vertically oriented board (with the board on edge), then build up the mouldings on top of each other. But then I was afraid that the base moulding could get stepped on or something, and it's just sort of hanging out there waiting to get torqued.

So then I thought I would build two base subassemblies, horizontally, 3/4 in each, and attach one layer of moulding to each. But obviously this route is more work and more wood.The bottom assembly would be 3/4 longer and wider than the one above it, and it would support the first moulding.

Any thoughts on the best way to do this?

[Jeff Monson]

I would build a 3/4" plywood base and edge it with the 1st molding, then attach the base to the dresser bottom, add the second molding glued to both the base and the dresser case. This will also give you a place to secure the feet.

[Chris Merriam]

Thanks Jeff, to clarify, I think the combined height of the two mouldings (or maybe it's just one big one in the picture) is about 1.5 inches. So that would be either two 3/4 flat bases or one 1.5in base on edge.

Were you assuming the carcass would extend down another 3/4 below what you see in the picture? If so it's too late for that, I've already put that part together. Maybe that way would have been easier.

[Jeff Monson]

No Chris, I'd just use 2 different 3/4" moldings, each stacked to get your 1.5". One 3/4" molding edge glued to the plywood base, the other molding will be applied after the base and case are attached. It will be glued on top of the original molding and to the case. Basically you will be loosing 3/4" of visible dresser case when the 2nd molding is applied

[Tom McMahon]

It's not too late you can add blocking to the bottom.
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[Chris Merriam]

Thanks Tom, that's what I was planning on doing, but with the addition of attaching moulding strips to the outside of the blocking, and since I need 1.5 in of moulding, I need two levels of blocking I think. Hadn't thought about not running a strip underneath the back, that would certainly save some wood. Do you worry about too much lateral force being applied to the bun feet, or is the blocking securely glued down to the point where you don't think the 3-part blocking frame would ever try to twist if the piece were slide around the room?