I searched around for a good nightstand for the bedroom, but everything I found was dated or too expensive so I decided to build one myself. I find the whole process of taking a pile of lumber and turning it into furniture fun and rewarding. And as a major bonus, you get the exact size and features you want for much less money.
I found this plan from Ana White and drew it up to the size that I needed for our room.
The final dimensions for this nightstand were 16.25" D x 27.5" W x 27.25" H. I originally planned to have one big open space with no shelves, but when I built it that way, it looked funny. So I went back and added a shelf. The cut list below is for the version with the shelf. The one in the picture (if you can see it) is for the version without the shelf, since that was what I originally drew up. Cut List 1x12 - 3 @ 22.5", 1 @ 27.5" 2x2 - 4 @ 26.5", 6 @ 22.5" 1x2 - 5 @ 11.25" 1x4 - 2 @ 27.5" For a list of the tools I use and a look at my workshop, click here and here. |
Once I mark everything and double-check everything, I break out the Kreg Jig and drill bits to make all the pocket and pilot holes, respectively. Then I sand of the pieces (I used a power sander for the edges and a sanding block for the surfaces) and get ready to start building. The picture above shows my pieces, ready to go.
(Note, at this point I hadn't planned for the shelf so you don't see those pieces, I added those later when I decided to add them. For the shelf you will add an additional shelf and two additional shelf borders).