Building Dresser Drawer Boxes

Measure the space in your dresser to determine the size of each drawer. You need to know the height, depth and length for your drawer. For this article, the dresser space is 4 inches high, 24 inches deep and 3 feet wide.

Cut out the sides, back, front and bottom of the drawer from the plywood. For the sample dresser, the sides are 24 inches by 4 inches. The back and front are 35 inches by 4 inches, and the bottom is 22 1/2 inches by 35 inches.

Cut a 1/4-inch-deep by 1/2-inch-wide groove into the bottom and sides of the side pieces.

Form the tongues of the front, back and bottom piece down to 1/2 inch. Shave off 1/8 inch from the top and bottom.

Rough fit your drawer together placing the tongue and grooves together. Adjust as needed for a tight fit.

Place glue inside the grooves and position the tongues. Clamp the pieces in place and let the glue dry completely.

Drill three pilot holes down the sides of the edge pieces, positioning the lowest one to pass through the bottom piece as well.

Screw the pieces together using wood screws.

Set the drawer into place and mark where the drawer slide hardware should sit.

Install the drawer slide hardware based on the manufacturer’s directions. Insert it into the dresser.