How to Make a Kid's Bed With Drawers

Drill pilot holes in the long side a 76-by-12-by-2-inch board using a 1/4-inch drill bit. Place the two holes 1 inch in from the top and side edge of the board. Add two more pilot holes on the opposite side of the board spaced the same distance apart. Place four more pilot holes in a second 76-by-12-by-2-inch board, spacing the holes in the same placement as the first board.

Create a rectangle out the two 76-inch boards and two 40-by-12-by-2-inch boards. Position all four boards on their 2-inch edges. Place the shorter boards over top of the pilot holes in the longer boards. Make sure the edges of the four boards are flush. Apply wood glue where the pieces meet. Screw a 4-inch screw through each of the pilot holes in the larger boards into the ends of the smaller boards to secure the shape.

Secure a 70-by-1-by-1-inch piece of wood to the inside of edge of one of the 76-inch boards. Center the 70-inch board so that there is a 4-inch gap on either side. Place it flush against the work surface. Place one 4-inch screw every 5 inches down the length of the 70-inch board into the 76-inch board. Repeat the process with a second 70-by-1-by-1-inch board on the 76-inch board and more screws.

Rest 14 40-by-5-by-1-inch boards across the width of the rectangle, resting the ends on top of the 70-inch boards you attached in step 3. Secure the 5-inch boards using 2-inch nails. Place one nail centered on each end of the board into the board beneath.

Turn the structure over. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with two more 70-by-1-by-1-inch boards, 14 more 40-by-50-by-1-inch boards and additional 4-inch screws and 2-inch nails. Use the same placement as you did in steps 3 and 4.

Cut a 10-by-30-inch rectangle out of the side of one of the 76-inch boards using a saw, positioned 6-inches in from the edge of the structure. Set the rectangle so the top edge of it is 1 inch below the top edge of the board and bottom edge is 1 inch above the bottom edge. Cut a second rectangle with the same dimensions and placement 6 inches in from the other end of the same board to create the pockets for the drawers.

Cut a groove down the long side of a 24-by-9-by-3/4-inch plywood piece using a router. Make the groove 3/4 inches wide, running from one side to the other. Space the groove 1/2 inch above one edge of the plywood piece. Repeat the process with a second 9-by-24-by-3/4-inch plywood piece. Place the groove in the same location with the same width as the first piece to create the two sidepieces for the drawer.

Cut a three 3/4-inch grooves onto a 11-by-31-by-1-inch board. Place two of the grooves 2-inches in from either of the short sides of the board stretching along the height of the board. Place the third groove 2-inches up from the bottom 1-inch up from the bottom edge of the board, running across the length of the board between the two grooves you just cut to create the front of the drawer.

Squeeze a line of wood glue into each of the grooves on the front of the drawer. Place the two sidepieces into the short grooves and a 29-by-24-by-3/4-inch piece of plywood into the length groove. Place a 24-by-9-by-3/4-inch plywood against the side opposite the front of the drawer. Apply wood glue along the edges where the plywood pieces meet. If desired, hammer finishing nails through the 9-inch board into the ends of the other three pieces of plywood to secure it.

Repeat steps 7, 8 and 9 with additional 3/4-inch plywood and 1-inch boards to create a second drawer. Use the same dimensions you used in steps 7, 8 and 9, securing the pieces with wood glue, grooves and nails.

Slide the drawers into the open rectangles from Step 6. Place a 74-by-38-by-3/4-inch piece of plywood on top of the 5-inch boards on top of the structure. Place your mattress direction on top of the plywood sheet. The plywood evenly distributes the weight of the mattress, eliminating the need for a box spring.