# DIY: End-of-Bed Chests
Things You'll Need
- 2 sheets ¾-inch plywood, 15-by-50 inches
- 2 sheets ¾-inch plywood, 15-by-15 inches
- Wood glue
- Corner clamps
- Corner brackets
- Drill
- ½-inch screws
- 1 sheet ¾-inch plywood, 15-by-48½ inches
- 4 premade cabinet legs, 3 to 4 inches high
- 2-inch screws
- 1 sheet ¾-inch plywood, 16½-by-50 inches
- Wood finish
- Paintbrush
- 2 large decorative chest hinges
- Decorative brass corners (optional)
Instructions
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1
Make a rectangle box shape from two sheets of 15-by-50 inch, ¾-inch plywood and two pieces of 15-by-15-inch plywood, ¾-inch thick. The 15-by-15-inch pieces should be on the inside of the 15-by-50-inch pieces, making 90-degree corners. Glue the box together, and allow to dry with corner clamps to keep the shape. This size will suit a double bed.
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2
Insert two corner brackets approximately 2 inches down from the top of the box and 2 inches up from the bottom of the box in each corner -- eight corner brackets altogether.
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3
Secure the corner brackets in place, and thus the box of the chest together, with ½-inch screws driven through the screw holes in the brackets.
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4
Apply wood glue to the edge of a sheet of 15-by-48½-inch plywood, ¾-inch thick, which is the chest base, and fit the box over the top. The bottom edge of the box should be flush with the bottom of the base piece, which will fit snugly into the bottom of the box. Secure the base in place using two corner brackets fitted into the joint between the box and base on each side of the box.
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5
Turn the box over, base-side up. Position a premade cabinet leg on each corner. If the cabinet legs have square tops, then they should be flush with the corners of the box, if they have round tops, then the tops should just touch the edge of the base either side of the corner. Glue the legs in position, and let dry before turning the chest over.
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6
Secure the legs in place with three evenly-spaced 2-inch screws through the base of the chest into the top of each leg.
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7
Finish the chest, as well as a piece of 16½-by-50-inch plywood, ¾-inch thick, for the lid, with the wood finish of your choice.
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8
Position two large decorative brass hinges 10 inches in from each end of the lid, and secure one half of the hinges to the back edge of the lid with ½-inch screws through the hinge screw holes.
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9
Center the lid over the top of the box of the chest, and secure the other half of the hinges to the back of the chest with ½-inch screws through the screw holes.
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10
Fit decorative brass corners over the front corners of the chest if desired, and secure with ½-inch screws through the screw holes.
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