How to Build a Double Bed With Drawers

Cut two 55-by-12-by-2-inch boards and two 76-by-12-by-2-inch boards to create the base of the bed. Cut two 70-by-1-by-1-inch boards to create the cleats. Cut seven 55-by-5-by-1-inch boards to create the bed slats. Cut one piece of 73-by-54-by-3/4-inch plywood to place on the slats. Cut four 24-by-9-by-3/4-inch plywood pieces for the drawer sides. Cut 11-by-31-by-1-inch boards for the drawer fronts. Cut two 29-by-24-by-3/4-inch plywood pieces for the base of the boards. Cut two 24-by-9-by-3/4-inch plywood pieces for the back of the drawers. Use a circular saw to make the cuts or have the wood cut at the hardware store.

Cut two 10-by-30-inch rectangles out of the side of one of the 76-inch pieces. Place the rectangles so the bottom edge of each rectangle is cuts through the bottom of the board. The bottom edge of the rectangle is one of the 30-inch sides. Space the rectangles each 4 inches in from the ends of the board. Use a circular saw to make the cuts, creating the drawer pockets.

Place the two 76-inch boards on their 2-inch sides spaced 55 inches apart. Place the board with drawer pockets so the cut out edge is down. Place the 55-inch boards in between the 76-inch boards. Position them so one board lines up with each edge of the longer boards. Secure the boards into rectangle by screwing two 4-inch screws through the longer boards into ends of the shorter boards. Space the screws evenly on the height of the boards.

Turn the base over so the cut out pockets are up. Place the two cleats inside the base along the 76-inch edge. Center the cleats on the 76-inch board and secure them with 2-inch wood screws spaced every 5 inches. Screw the wood screws through the cleats into the base.

Place the bed slats on the attached cleats. Stretch them from one cleat to the other, spacing them 2 inches apart. Secure them using 2-inch wood screws. Place one screw through each end of each slat into the cleat below. Turn the base over again. Place the large plywood piece on top. The plywood piece distributes the weight of the mattress, eliminating the need for a box spring.

Cut a 3/4-inch wide groove 2 inches in from either of the shorter sides of the drawer fronts using a router. Make the grooves 1/2 inch deep. Cut a third groove on each front piece stretching between the two side grooves, positioned 1 inch up from the bottom edge of the draw front.

Cut a 3/4-inch-wide groove along one long side of all four sidepieces. Position the grooves 1/2 inch down from the edge. Cut the groove from one end to the other end of plywood.

Fill the grooves on the drawer fronts and the sidepieces with wood glue. Insert the sidepieces into the shorter grooves on the drawer fronts. When inserting the sidepieces, position the grooves you cut in Step 7 down. Slide the bottom of the drawer through the grooves on the sidepieces resting the end in the third groove of the drawer front.

Apply wood glue to the exposed edges of the drawer bottoms and sidepieces. Place the back piece against the glued edges. Let all glue dry overnight.

Slide the drawers into the drawer pockets of the bed base. Place a mattress on top of the larger plywood piece.