How to Build this Dresser

[Dustin Brown]

Hey Guys, my girlfriend is wanting me to build her this dresser she made in sketchup but I am a little unsure exactly how to go about it. The issue is the drawers will be flush full width. There are also no divider strips on the faceframe, just drawer to drawer. I have no idea how to build the interior to get it to work with the drawers properly.

The corners/legs will be made of 8/4 walnut, the top will be 4/4 walnut as well as the drawer faces, the sides and back will likely be 1/4" walnut ply dadoed in. Probably going to use mortise/tenon joinery for the frames. Also need to decide if I want to try halfblind dovetails or if I want a drawer box with a face panel. Also need to figure out what wood I want to use for the drawer boxes.

Any ideas, pictures, or plans would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little lost on this.
walnutdresser-render.jpg

[Tom Scott]

I would use 1/2" ply on the sides so that you can attach runners, internal frames or slides directly to it as needed. Then build drawer boxes, recess as necessary and install the drawer fronts to give the look.

[Dustin Brown]

Well the thing is that I can't get 1/2" walnut ply around here. My only options for ply would be to veneer some baltic birch or similar. I can get 3/4" ply though. By the time I buy a sheet of walnut ply I'm not too far off on pricing to use 4/4 walnut glued up for the sides.

[Jeff Monson]

You can still have divider strips with runners, just set them back behind the drawer front and have it overlap the runner.

[Mike OMelia]

Hey Guys, my girlfriend is wanting me to build her this dresser she made in sketchup but I am a little unsure exactly how to go about it. The issue is the drawers will be flush full width. There are also no divider strips on the faceframe, just drawer to drawer. I have no idea how to build the interior to get it to work with the drawers properly.

The corners/legs will be made of 8/4 walnut, the top will be 4/4 walnut as well as the drawer faces, the sides and back will likely be 1/4" walnut ply dadoed in. Probably going to use mortise/tenon joinery for the frames. Also need to decide if I want to try halfblind dovetails or if I want a drawer box with a face panel. Also need to figure out what wood I want to use for the drawer boxes.

Any ideas, pictures, or plans would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little lost on this.
walnutdresser-render.jpg

Why not build up a model in "component mode" in sketchup? It might take you a while to figure out, but you will love the way it all works out in the end.

[Brett Bobo]

Well the thing is that I can't get 1/2" walnut ply around here.

Where are you sourcing your plywood? Have you tried Mason's Mill, Houston Hardwoods, or Clark's? I'm almost certain all three of those have walnut plywood.

[Brian Kerley]

I would first make those drawers narrower (not quite as tall).

And if you are anywhere close to Houston, you absolutely will be able to get walnut ply somewhere around there. The city is too large not to have a supplier.

[Dustin Brown]

I built it in sketchup and exported to 3dsmax to get a decent rendering. I am going to build it completely out so I have a cut list. I was just wondering if anyone had any plans or photos of something similar so I had a better visual idea of what is normally done. I'm sure I can figure something out, just thought there might be a standard practice.

This is only my second piece of furniture, the first was a fish tank stand.

[Dustin Brown]

The drawers are tall because she wants to use it as a craft storage. I have called several places. They all carry 1/4" and 3/4", no 1/2" walnut that I've been able to find.

[Don Stephan]

If necessary, glue two pieces of 1/4" walnut plywood together. The side panels won't sound so tinny when thicker. If the legs are 8/4 there will be plenty of wood to dado in drawer webs.

[Peter Quinn]

Well the thing is that I can't get 1/2" walnut ply around here. My only options for ply would be to veneer some baltic birch or similar. I can get 3/4" ply though. By the time I buy a sheet of walnut ply I'm not too far off on pricing to use 4/4 walnut glued up for the sides.

The issue is not cost, its wood movement. If you use 1/4" for the sides, you have thin week sides. If you use solid stock it must float, so you cant attach anything to it. If you use 3/4" Plywood, you can rabbit it to create a tongue, treat the two ends as a frame and panel system, groove the inside edge of these frames to accept the panels and glue them in. This will give you a very secure way to secure an internal web frame that can hold the drawers or slides if you choose. The alternative with solid panels is to use dovetails or mortises to hold a web frame inside, the frame just connects the inside of the front and back legs, no connection to the side panels. For the drawer detail you simply need to leave the front of the web frames recessed by the thickness of the drawer fronts and make the drawer boxes smaller than the fronts by your chosen dimension, like a full overlay, but here it appears inset relative to the legs.

The biggest issue I see is the top. If your sides are a frame and panel as it appears drawn, the grain of the top if solid stock is perpendicular to the upper rails of the sides to which it will be attached. So either you need to float it in a groove like a panel, or make it from plywood. My preference would be a thick sawn veneer glued to BB. Doesn't look to me like you have enough top front rail to float a panel in a groove, so a plywood top might be the best option, or modify the top rail design. I'd draw that up carefully to elucidate the factors involved. You could also add a solid top with no over hang, perhaps create a micro rabbit along the bottom edge to hide any seasonal movement, just creates a pencil line break to trick the eye and hand. The lines wont be quite as clean, but the top wont crack.

[Sam Babbage]

You've got a bit of a problem design-wise. You've got a frame and panel side with a solid top that's flush. Personally I think this type of construction needs either a mitre or dovetail/box joint between the top and sides. You could use solid top and sides (and forgoe the recess in the side, or route it out as a faux panel) or lipped ply top and frame and panel sides. Or you could just use a solid top and frame and panel sides... I hate to say it, and will be undoubtedly flamed for it, but the internet makes a bigger issue of wood movement than it really is. But anyway, if it were me, I would use solid all tops and sides, forgetting the paneled side look. Solid sides are fine to attach either traditional or modern runners to, just use a tight screw clearance hole at the front of the carcass and elongated holes towards the back.

[Joe Scharle]

If you're still looking for ideas, these are pics of something similar. I use the standard Kreg web frame, top and bottom. The sides of the web frame that can be seen when the drawer is open, are primary wood and the other 3 sides could be poplar. The end panels are 1/4" ply and the drawer slides are screwed to the leg elements.
NOTE: The side width is calculated AFTER measuring the slide lengths.
The slots are for securing the top. BTW, I also, would go with a solid top.

[Dustin Brown]

Thanks a lot for the comments guys. I think I have a better idea of how to do it. Unfortunately the girlfriend is pretty insistent on the design, except for the top. She will allow an overhang.

Based on the comments I've got a better idea of what I may do. Thinking about gluing up 2 pieces of 1/4" walnut ply for the sides and keeping the panels centered in the thickness of the legs as shown, then planing down a pine strip to glue to the plywood panels on the inside. They will fill the space on the inside of the panels and give me something to screw to. Do I even need the horizontal strips between the drawers since they won't show anyway and the blum slides will mount on the sides?

As for the top, about the grooves being mentioned, not quite sure what you mean. Would it be feasible to screw on the front underside, then elongate the holes in the back and just snug those screws down with a washer? I have no plans to glue the top or have it flush to the sides as shown in the drawing, she'll just have to live with it.

I'm going to be going for quality on this one, so I am open to whatever the best option would be on anything even if its harder. One thing I am concerned about is the side panels and making them out of plywood. I'm worried about the sides not looking as good as the solid wood. I will be finishing it with danish oil or thinned wiping varnish to try and maintain a somewhat natural look, as in make the wood pop, but not have a noticeable film. This thing is going to cost me enough in materials, so I definitely want to do it right and come out with a top quality result.

[Peter Quinn]

With Blum slides you need no internal architecture, though it may strengthen the case and aid in vertical alignment. I would probably have some sort of horizontal support behind the drawers at an appropriate height near the mid point, the back should take care of the rear.

for the sides , IME it's better to make a groove in the legs and rails and hold the panel, 1/2" in your case, than to try to attach it with cleats from the back. It will look much cleaner that way, no need for the panel to exactly match your inside frame dimensions.

the top doesn't need to hang over the front and sides as long as you secure it at the front and use elongated screws to let the back float. You could even glue it to the front rail, make the end panel/ leg assemblies flush to the top, perhaps include a rabbit for the top to sit in with cleats to secure it with screws.