How to Build a Nightstand with Drawer | FROM PLYWOOD & 2x2s

Hey guys, it's Shara from Woodshop Diaries, and first of all, happy new year. This year got off to a bit of a slow start, but we're here now, so it's time to build. In my last video, I shared how to build this storage bed. So in this video, it seems only fitting that we make matching nightstands. So if you're ready to dive in to the first project of the new year, let's go. This video was sponsored by Shopify. I'm building these nightstands to match the storage bed that I shared in my last video. And since I built that bed from red oak, that's also what I used for these. The majority of this build was made from red oak plywood, but a portion was made from solid 2x2s. You can certainly opt for just buying pre-cut 2x2 boards and save a little bit of time. But if you have a table saw, it's quite a bit cheaper, or at least it was in my case, to buy 2x4s and rip them down than it is to just buy 2x2s pre-cut. So first, I cut my 2x4 board down into smaller sections and then ripped these into 1 1⁄2 inch wide strips on the table saw. I ripped one piece to give me two front legs, another to give me two back legs, and then one more for the top supports. So altogether, I had six 2x2s. You can easily modify the overall size of the nightstands by simply adjusting the length of the leg and support pieces. However, in my case, I made my legs 24 inches long and the top supports 23 inches long. Okay. So basically, here are my two legs, and I'm gonna glue this in between them at the top. So it'll kind of make like a U. I laid out the pieces on my workbench to mark out my dowel locations, made sure to carefully label each joint, then drilled dowel holes and assembled with glue. I've linked a detailed guide on how to use a dowel jig in the video description. And also, if you're looking for building plans for this project, you can find them in my shop, which is powered by Shopify. Over the past few years, I've worked really hard to create quality, premium building plans to go along with the projects that I share. My hope with every plan is that it helps someone kickstart a project, build something new, and gain some confidence in their skills. So after pouring into every detail to make the best plans and product that I can, I don't trust just anyone to take it from there. I trust Shopify. Shopify is a leading global all-in-one commerce platform that powers millions of businesses in over 175 countries, including my own. For someone like me, who is a creator first and business owner second, I appreciate that Shopify supports entrepreneurs no matter where they are on the journey. When I first got started, I only knew how to create the product. I had no idea where to go from there. From setting up the very first website and adding the first product to making the first sale, they offer helpful tools and resources that have allowed me to learn and grow along with my business. If you or someone you know is looking to start or grow their own business, start your free trial with Shopify today at shopify.com slash woodshopdiaries, or scan the QR code. After I glued up two of these U-shaped two-by-two frames, I set them aside to dry while I moved on to cutting down the plywood. You guys know how much I love working with plywood, but I'll be honest, red oak plywood is not my favorite. It splinters easily, so I made sure that I had a good, fine finish blade on all of my saws. I cut two side panels first to go between the two-by-two frames that I glued up. I used pocket holes and screws to assemble the rest of the build. If you don't like pocket holes, you can assemble another way if you'd rather. But I made sure to place the pocket holes where they'll be hidden by the shelves and the drawer later in the build. So before drilling, I marked where the shelves and the drawer will land on each side. Then I drilled pocket holes along the side panels between these marks. Once the pocket holes were drilled, I installed the side panels between the two-by-two frames using pocket hole screws. All right. Okay, so I have the frame here, and I need to add the shelves. I cut two plywood panels for the shelf. The top shelf is just gonna be the 3 1⁄4 inch plywood. So I applied edge banding on the front of it. Now the bottom shelf, I didn't apply any edge banding on it because I'm gonna be adding a one-by-two on the front. I also have a one-by-three here that I'm gonna put underneath where the drawer is gonna go. So this'll all come together in just a minute, but I have a one-by-three, a one-by-two, and then my two shelves. The one-by-two doesn't need any pocket holes, but the one-by-three piece and the shelves do. So I drilled pocket holes in these pieces to assemble. Bug, get over here. There you go. Okay, so here's the bottom shelf. I also drilled pocket holes along the front edge because that's how I'm gonna attach the one-by-two. Full transparency, just in case you're wondering, the one-by-two is just a piece of plywood that I cut to 1 1⁄2 inches wide, and then applied a piece of edge banding on one edge. That will be the top. So that'll be the side that you see. Once the pocket holes were drilled, I glued and screwed the one-by-two onto the front of the bottom shelf. Then I began installing everything into the nightstand frame. By the way, the one-by-three is just a plywood strip that I applied iron-on edge banding to. You can use solid wood or plywood for this piece. It's basically just some trim. The one-by-three goes just below where I want the drawer. I installed the top shelf where it would cover the pocket holes that I had already drilled on the side panels. Then I installed the bottom shelves so that the bottom of the one-by-two was flush to the bottom of the side panel. After they were all attached on one side, I flipped it over and attached on the other. The next part is simply adding a drawer, which is always my favorite part of every build. I installed 14-inch ball bearing drawer slides into the nightstands so that they were about an inch and a half inset from the front of the legs. Then it was time to build the actual drawer box. I used red oak for everything on this build except for the drawer box. For that, I grabbed some birch plywood scraps from my scrap cart since I only needed a few small pieces. I ripped these scraps into strips for the drawer box sides, cut dados in them to install a quarter-inch plywood bottom panel, then trimmed them to length. Before assembling, I applied iron-on edge banding to the tops. This is optional, but it just makes them look nice and clean. You can see my breath. If you'd like to learn more about applying edge banding, I've linked a detailed guide to using it in the video description. Then I assembled the drawer box using pocket holes and screws and installed it into the nightstand. You can check out my entire drawer building series playlist to learn more about how to measure for, build, and install drawers. I've linked it below. I cut a drawer front to fit into the opening and used some shims to help with the spacing as I screwed it in from the inside. These shims that you see here come with the Kreg drawer front installation jig. They're really handy, but any eighth-inch shim would work just as well. The last part was adding the top. I cut a three-quarter-inch plywood panel for the top and applied iron-on edge banding to the sides and front to make it look a little more finished. I cut this top one inch wider and a half inch deeper than the actual nightstand body. That way, it'll overhang both sides and the front by a half inch. I flipped the top panel upside down on the workbench, then flipped the nightstand upside down on top of it, making sure that the overhang was even. You can also see here that I had to remove the drawer to be able to access the top supports to screw it in place. I pre-drilled holes through the top two-by-twos and secured the top panel using two-inch wood screws. Now, doing this on the backside was easy because there was plenty of space, but on the front side, there's limited space to get the drill in between the top piece and the one-by-three that's below the drawer. So here, I just drilled at a slight angle so that I could drive in the screws. And with that, these nightstands were assembled and ready for stain. To match the bed, I stained these the same color, Minwax Weathered Oak. This stain color helped kind of tone down the red in the red oak while still keeping it a fairly light color. After the stain had dried, I applied a few coats of Minwax Polycrylic Clear Coat and added the drawers back in and a simple black knob to complete them. Now these nightstands are the perfect addition next to the storage bed. I really love how simple these are. The large space at the bottom is perfect for blankets or baskets, and the shallow top shelf is perfect for books. I hope you enjoyed this simple build to start the new year, and if you'd like to build your own, don't forget to grab the plans linked below. I've got tons more projects planned for this year, but if you can't wait to also see the matching dresser, be sure to stay tuned because I'll be sharing it next. Thanks so much for watching, friends, and until next time, happy building.