Building Modern Oak Nightstands with Three Drawers (by Mariobrossh)

If you're looking for a woodworking project that combines functionality with modern aesthetics, building three-drawer oak nightstands is the perfect choice. Oak's elegant grain and inherent strength add a touch of class to any bedroom. In this guide, I'll walk you through the process of crafting modern nightstands, detailing how to cut panels, assemble the frame, and install drawers with precision. Even if you're a beginner, with the right tools and some patience, you can create unique, custom-made furniture pieces for your home.

Introduction

Here I am again with another commissioned project: a pair of nightstands made from 25 mm oak blockboard, featuring three drawers made from 10 mm plywood, with the fronts also crafted from the oak blockboard. Now, let's dive into the details of the work I did:

Sketching the Design for the Oak Nightstands

As always, we start with the design sketch (this time showing both the front and back) of the nightstand, as requested by the client.

Preparing the Nightstand Structure

After cutting the four pieces that make up the side structure of the nightstand to size, I drilled holes for the beech dowels to create the joints. Then, using the router table, I made grooves where the plywood bottom will fit.

"As always, before gluing everything together, I did a dry assembly test. In the photo, you can also see a drawer front that I cut and placed to get a sense of the final look.

Preparing the Drawers

Now we move on to the most challenging part: building the drawers, which I decided to assemble using so-called 'groove and tongue' joints.
As seen in the photo, in addition to the classic groove for inserting the drawer bottom, the side panels were grooved along the edges using the router, while the two smaller pieces (front and back) were routed to create the 'tongue' for the joint.

Here I did a dry square test, and there's a 0.2 mm misalignment... I'd say that's acceptable.
In the photo, you can also see the corner of the drawer, showing the detail of the groove and tongue joint. It gives a clearer idea of how the routing is done to create the tongue for the joint.

After the dry test, I proceeded to glue the drawer pieces together. I then kept them clamped square using woodworking clamps and left them to set overnight.

And here are the two finished drawers the next day.

Installing the Drawer Sliding Guides

Now it's time to install the guides, the classic type with rollers. Since I needed to mount six pairs, I decided to make a kind of template to ensure the exact position of the holes without having to measure each time, avoiding the risk of inaccuracies.
As you can see in the photo, the template is nothing more than a wooden board with holes precisely placed where the guide locking screws need to go.

Once the reference line for the guide is marked (where the drawer will be positioned), simply align the guide precisely with the outer edge and mark the holes using a small nail.
To make things easier, I use a nail attached to the cordless drill to mark the holes.

Finally, I tested the drawer sliding mechanism on the nightstands. Now they need to be trimmed to adjust their height.

Mounting the Drawer Fronts

At this point, I applied the stain and the usual finishing cycle to the nightstand pieces. If you're interested in an example of the finishing process, you can check out the article on the semi-circular étagère table by following this link:
Building a Semi-Circular Etagere Table (or Half-Moon Console) in Chestnut Wood (by Mariobrossh)
After that, I glued the pieces together and started mounting the drawer fronts. To do this, I positioned the first one, clamped it in place, tested its position, and then screwed it in from the inside.

Next, I placed a 4 mm spacer on the edge and positioned the second drawer front. The process is the same for this one—I clamped it in place and then screwed it in from the inside.

For the third drawer front, after placing the 4 mm spacer, I couldn't use clamps for obvious reasons. So, I used double-sided tape to hold it in place before securing it with screws..

Final Look of the Finished Nightstand

This is the final result of the assembled and finished nightstand.

And here are two photos showing both assembled and finished nightstands, viewed from the front:

And from the side:

I hope, as always, that you enjoyed the article. With that, I bid you farewell.

Thank you!

Mariobrossh

P.S. If you have any questions, need advice, or simply want to let us know that you enjoyed the article, you can visit the Forum where this article originates and leave a message by following this link:
Comodini in Rovere
Thank you!
Luciano (Capitan Farloc)