How to Build a Drawer

how to build a drawer

In this how-to woodworking tutorial we are sharing how to build a drawer and how to install a drawer.

How to Build a Drawer

If you follow along with us on Instagram, I am sure you have been seeing our progress on the cabinets we are building for our new home office.

We are closing in on the end of the project and are really proud of how the cabinets are coming together.

We can’t wait to share the finished cabinets and completed office for that matter but first we thought we would talk about the drawers.

Our cabinets are made up of four doors and five drawers. That means the past weekend Brent has been busy building lots of drawers!

He got his drawer building technique down to be as efficient and quick as possible so we thought we would create a tutorial on the easiest way he found to build drawers and install them.

We are building long and large drawers for our cabinets but this tutorial can also apply if you want to build a drawer for nightstands, build a drawer for dressers or build a drawer for a desk.

The measurements and amount of supplies will vary depending on the type and size of the project.

How to Build a Drawer

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TUTORIAL VIDEO

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Before building the drawer, we needed to determine the measurements.

We used 16 inch drawer sliders so our drawer needed to be 16 inches deep.

Based on the opening in our cabinets, the drawer needed to be 4 1/2 inches tall. To figure out how wide to make the drawer, we took the width of the opening in the cabinet minus how wide the drawer sliders are.

The drawer sliders will come with instructions that will explain how much space to compensate for the sliders.

For our sliders it was exactly 1 inch. The opening for the drawer is 37 inches wide so we needed to make our drawer 36 inches wide.

The dimensions for our drawer are: 16″ deep x 4 1/2″ tall x 36″ wide.

*Your measurements and amount of supplies will vary depending on the type and size of your project.

STEPS

How to Build a Drawer

How to Build a Drawer

1. First, we focused on cutting our large piece of plywood down to boards the height we needed (4 1/2″) using the table saw.

To do this we made sure the factory edge of the board lined up with the fence of the table saw.

Since the drawer was going to be 4 1/2 inches tall, we made the fence 4 1/2 inches away from the blade and it was ready to cut to size.

How to Build a Drawer

We cut the plywood down into three pieces.

How to Build a Drawer

2. Next, we created the walls of the drawers. To do this we cut them to the correct lengths using the miter saw.

We used a miter saw for this step because it gives a 90 degrees square angle that creates a nice square box.

We cut two boards at a time so that the front and back pieces of the drawers matched up exactly and the two side pieces would be the exact same.

How to Build a Drawer

Here are the four pieces that made up the walls of our drawers. The long pieces are the front and back pieces (36 inches) and the shorter pieces are the sides (16 inches).

How to Build a Drawer

3. Next, we moved back over to table saw to cut slits in the bottom of all four of the boards.

We needed to cut a slit for the piece of hardboard to slide into that would form the bottom of the drawer.

We made the slot in the bottom of the drawer a 1/2 inch from the bottom so we moved the fence on the table saw so it was a 1/2 inch from the blade.

Then we lowered the blade on the table saw so it would only cut about half way through the board.

How to Build a Drawer

4. Because the piece of hardboard we used is a little wider than the blade, we ended up having to make two passes for each piece with the table saw.

To do this we slid the fence over a little and cut the slot just wider than the board is thick.

How to Build a Drawer
How to Build a Drawer

5. Our last piece to cut was the hardboard that would be the bottom of our drawer.

To determine the measurements of this piece we took the outside measurements of our drawer, which is 16 inches deep and 36 inches wide and since the boards are a 1/2 inch wide and we cut a little over half way through them with the slot, we needed to cut the bottom piece to be a 1/2 inch smaller.

How to Build a Drawer

The measurements of our bottom piece are 15 1/2 inches deep by 35 1/2 inches wide.

How to Build a Drawer

6. Once we started piecing the drawer together we noticed that the boards looked bowed.

This is because we used a thinner plywood and 1/2 inch plywood does that sometimes when it is cut down.

This isn’t a huge problem because we straightened it out once we assembled it. The important thing to remember is to face the side that bows towards the inside of the drawer.

How to Build a Drawer

7. To begin assembling the drawer we took the two smaller pieces of the wall and put clamps on the bottom to hold them upright.

How to Build a Drawer


8. Then we put a dab of wood glue on the sides facing upwards of both of our side pieces.

How to Build a Drawer

9. Next, we took one of longer pieces and attached it to both of the side piece with 1 1/4 inch finishing nails using a nail gun.

How to Build a Drawer

10. We removed the clamps and flipped the drawer over and slid in our bottom piece into the slots we cut.

How to Build a Drawer

11. Then we put a dab of wood glue on both of the side pieces facing upwards.

How to Build a Drawer

12. Finally, we nailed the remaining board to the side pieces. Remember to place the board so the bowed side faces inward.

The bottom board will keep the piece that is bowed straight once it is attached with the finishing nails.

How to Build a Drawer

13. When we cut our boards on the table saw, it caused the edges to splinter a bit.

To clean up the edges and prevent further splintering, we used a router to round over the edges, sandpaper or an electric sander would work as well.

How to Install a Drawer

How to Build a Drawer

14. To install that drawer we first needed to attach the 16″ sliders to the inside of the cabinet, easier said than done!

Making sure the sliders are in the correct position and straight can be a bit tricky but we found a solution that worked really well.

First, we clamped a piece of scrap board inside the cabinet, made sure it was level and measured to make sure it was the correct distance from the top.

How to Build a Drawer

15. Then all we had to do was rest the slider on the clamped board.

How to Build a Drawer

16. We then used a drill and 1/2″ screws to attach the slider to our cabinet.

How to Build a Drawer
How to Build a Drawer

17. We used a t-square and pencil to draw a line the same height as the crossbar on the cabinets and then clamped another scrap board where that line was.

How to Build a Drawer

18. The clamp brace sits flush with the drawer opening so we used a ¼ inch scrap piece of wood as a spacer to prop the drawer up on to allow for a little room for it to slide over the base of the drawer opening.

How to Build a Drawer

19. Next, we slid in the the drawer and had it sit on the scrap board while we attached it to the sliders.

How to Build a Drawer

20. While the drawer slider was in the cabinet, we attached two screws in the front half of the slider to the drawer.

How to Build a Drawer

21. Once the front half of the drawer slider was attached, we needed to attach the back half of the drawer slider so we needed to remove the drawer to access this part of the drawer slider.

How to Build a Drawer

22. To remove the drawer with part of the drawer slider, we slid the drawer all the way out and pressed the plastic trigger on each side.

How to Build a Drawer

23. Then we were able to attach the back half of the drawer slider to the drawer.

How to Build a Drawer

25. Finally, we slid the drawer back into place.

Once the drawer is installed it sat flush with the front of the cabinet so that allowed us to make a drawer face that overhangs the cabinet that finished off the look and made it nice and clean.

How to Build a Drawer

Once we paint the drawer faces we will attach them to the drawer using double sided foam tape.

We will put a couple of pieces on the back of the drawer face, line up the drawer face, stick it into place and then come back through the back with screws and secure the drawer face to the drawer.

Now that all the drawers are built and installed, next on the agenda is to get the drawer faces (and doors) painted and then attach them to the cabinets! Then, we can add out drawer pulls to finish them off.

We hope this how to build a drawer tutorial comes in handy if you ever find yourself in need of building some custom sized drawers. See how our finished office cabinets turned out!

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How to Build a Drawer

How to Build a Drawer

13 comments

  1. Mark Bauer

    Nice job but as a structural engineer, I think you’ll regret such a thin bottom panel for such a wide drawer. When it gets loaded up, it will start to bow and may actually slip out of the side grooves. One possible easy fix is to stiffen up the bottom with some strips of wood to increase the moment of inertia. You may be able to install them and still clear the perimeter so that they don’t get in the way of the drawer movement.

    Reply

    1. Gray House Studio

      Thanks for your feedback Mark. We are happy to report we haven’t hadn’t any issues with our drawers since we built them over two years ago. We have some of them quite full but there isn’t any bowing like you mentioned on the bottom panel. No regrets here πŸ˜‰ They are still going strong. But we appreciate your insight. It’s always helpful to hear others ideas for future projects.

      Reply

  2. marcello

    perfect explained!!!

    Reply

  3. Jeb

    Awesome tutorial, thanks guys! I’ll be working on a similar project myself shortly. Planning to make it only out of recycled wood though which might make it more difficult.

    Reply

  4. Cislaim

    This is an amazing tutorial of how to build a drawer face. Plan on making a side bar. This is perfect. Thank you!

    Reply

  5. Dave

    Very nice indeed

    Reply

  6. Annie

    Thank you for this video. I have to replace a kitchen cabinet drawer and want to try making it myself. This has given me inspiration to try it and if it doesn’t work, I will try and try again until I make it perfect!.

    Reply

    1. Gray House Studio

      You’re welcome Annie! That is awesome you will be making a drawer yourself. You will do great and if you have any questions, feel free to ask! πŸ™‚

      -Courtney

      Reply

  7. Jordan

    Thanks for this tutorial! Making a drawer is a really good thing to try out. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a desk at a thrift store that was perfect except for a crooked or broken drawer.

    Reply

    1. Gray House Studio

      Glad you liked it Jordan! We hope it comes in handy. Love the idea about building a new drawer for thrift store pieces! The possibilites are endless when you can build your own drawer. πŸ™‚ -Courtney

      Reply

  8. Courtney-Foxwood Forest

    Great job, you guys! It’s such a satisfying feeling building something yourself, isn’t it?

    Reply

    1. Gray House Studio

      Thank you! Yes! It is definitely satisfying and really fun to see a project come together. πŸ™‚

      Reply

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