Simple Furniture Designs
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child’s wood stool
#59 Bedside table
Sunday, April 8, 2012
I left this somewhat rustic bedside table in its natural pine finish, but I can see giving it a color wash would also work. The outer case is relatively easy to construct. The draw, because I made it without standard hardware, is a little fussy. I wanted to see if it could be done. It can, but I recommend that you use modern slides and a box assembly found on most standard draws. You can also use a found draw and hardware. Just change the draw front to match. You can also change the case size, since it is infinitely adjustable, to match a draw you have.
Assembly notes:
Step #1: Don’t cut all the pieces at one time! You will have to determine the true width of the cabinet by placing the individual 1x4 boards that make up the back together and then take a measurement. That is the (confirm) note on the exploded view. Then cut the other pieces to fit.
Step #2: Build the back and both sides by glueing and nailing on the cross pieces. Do not glue the boards together edge to edge. Unless you spline and clamp them while glueing up, the joints will split from the wood shrinking. If you are careful you can assemble everything without any nails showing.
Step #3: Next, lay the back down on the work surface supported by 1/8” spacers underneath. Fit the sides, resting on the work surface, to the back. I did use glue along the edges of the back and clamped them together. Glue on the front kick board now. Clamp a spacer board on the top front to match the back dimension. Keep everything square. I added glue blocks to the four corners of the inside base so everything would dry square.
Step #4: Now I added the top boards by glueing and screwing (I used a nice stainless square drive deck screw) them to the sides. Check the end grain to be sure the concave face is up and screwed in the canter. Wood tends to shrink more on the outer rings which would make the boards cup down in the direction of the outer rings. Turn the cabinet upright to check for square. Weight or clamp to correct before the glue dries.
Step #5: Turn the cabinet upright and place in the bottom shelf boards. I just glued them in with weights on top.
Step #6: Make the draw and install. That’s easier said than done -- at least the install part. Making the draw is easy. There is a lot of fussy work to get the draw to work/slide if you make it as I did. That’s why I suggest using draw slide hardware. There can still be a challenge to get the right gap all around but most slides are adjustable. You can also adjust the draw face to get the right gap.
Cut list for case:
1x4 @ 20 1/2” = 4 1x4 @ 18 3/4” = 9
1x4 @ 20 1/4” = 4 1x4 @ 17 1/2” = 3 (confirm)
1x3 @ 17 1/2” = 3 (confirm)
1x3 @ 11 1/4” = 2
1x2 @ 17 1/2” = 1 (confirm) top cross bar of back
1x2 @ 11 1/4” = 2 you may have to adjust this if you use draw slide hardware
1x1 @ 11 1/4” = 2 draw slide if you do it this way
Cut list for draw:
1x4 @ 17 3/8” = 1 (confirm) draw front
1x3 @ 14 3/8” = 2 (confirm) back
1x3 @ 11” = 2 sides
1x1 @ 11” = 2 slides
1/4” x 15 7/8” x 11” draw bottom fastens to bottom of frame (confirm)
