Recently, for the first time since I started woodworking, I needed to make a drawer. It dawned on me that I didn’t know the first thing about making one, so naturally, I read every tutorial I could find. As always, every tutorial I read required some form of an advanced power tool, such as an electric saw, a router or a pocket hole drill jig. I decided to try making the drawer my way using the most simple tools I could. So, in this article, you will find instructions on how to make the most basic drawer out of plywood. The tutorial is perfect for woodwork beginners who don’t yet own or feel confident using a router and an electric saw.
THE PLAN
The difference between this drawer and most other ‘simple’ drawer tutorials is that the bottom is usually slotted into a groove cut in the sides. Cutting this groove accurately is best done with a power tool (and seems complicated); hence, I didn’t want to make mine that way. I did want a strong drawer, so instead, I decided to screw the bottom in from the sides. I also don’t have a pocket hole jig so I decided to screw my drawer together from the outside. Here is a SketchUp drawing of the finished drawer components.
MATERIALS & TOOLS REQUIRED
Materials
Note that the sizes and quantities of everything will depend on how big of a drawer you are making.
- Plywood. I used 18mm on all drawer components but you could use 12mm
- Wood glue (optional)
- Screws
- Drawer handle
- Wood filler
- Plywood edge banding (optional)
- Wood finish required
Tools
- Hand saw (do use an electric saw if you have one)
- Drill for pre-drilling holes and screwing in screws
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
Quick tip 1
You don’t have to make this drawer out of plywood – you could use MDF or solid wood if that’s more suitable to your project.
STEP 1: CUT OUT THE DRAWER COMPONENTS
The first step is to cut out the components for your drawer. You will need:
- the inner front and back sides, which are the same size (the yellow components)
- the left and right sides, which are the same size (the blue components)
- the bottom (the light blue component)
- the outer drawer front (the green component)
STEP 2: SCREW TOGETHER THE BASIC FRAME
Use the four side panels to build a basic box by screwing the panels together. Remember, the inner front and back panels sit INSIDE the side panels. Refer to the SketchUp drawings above. You can use wood glue on the panels before screwing for extra strength.
Quick tip 2
It is much easier to have a helper holding the pieces for you as you screw. The end result is also much neater if you pre-drill the screw holes.
Quick tip 3
If you have a pocket hole jig you can use that to screw the sides from the inside.
STEP 3: ATTACH THE BOTTOM
Insert the bottom panel into the drawer and screw it from all sides. It should be a tight fit. Note that the bottom needs to be fairly thick so that it can be screwed. You can use wood glue on the bottom edges for extra strength.
STEP 4: ATTACH THE OUTER FRONT PANEL
The outer front panel is what is seen when the drawer is in a closed position. The size will depend on your drawer runner mechanism and overall drawer design. My drawers are internal, i.e. they sit INSIDE the cabinet. They will move using runners attached to the drawer bottom. This means that my front panel is slightly wider than my drawer to hide the space required to attach the runners. You can also attach the drawer handle at this stage, if applicable.
Quick tip 4
Note how my drawer ‘box’ is shorter than the outer front panel. This is a common way to build drawers that stack above each other. My cabinet has three drawers above each other. For this style of cabinet, the sides should be shorter, otherwise, you will not be able to slot the final drawer into the cabinet once the runner is attached.
STEP 5: DECORATE THE DRAWER
My drawer is made of plywood. I finished the raw edges by attaching edge banding. I also filled all the screw holes and will be painting the drawer a solid colour to fit in with the rest of the cabinet. Finish your drawer in a way that matches the rest of the cabinet. Personally, I think that solid paint will look the best due to the screw holes we are filling – wood filler does not stain or varnish very well.
