DIY Modern Black Oak Dresser: Free Plans

Stop overpaying for designer furniture!

In this post, I break down exactly how I built a high end, modern 6 drawer dresser for a fraction of the retail price and I’ll share my secret to getting a flawless, deep black finish using India Ink and a sprayer.

Read on for the full cut list, materials and step by step guide you'll need to upgrade your bedroom with a piece you'll be proud to say you built yourself.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS:

Tools:

• Table saw/circular/track saw

• Drill

• Router

• Sander

• Wagner Earlex 5700 Sprayer

Materials:

• 5 - 1 x 12 x 6' oak (I use pre glued oak panels from menards)

• 1 - 4 x 8 plywood sheet 3/4" (I used birch)

• 1 - 2x2 plywood sheet 3/4"

• 1 - 4x2 plywood sheet 1/4" (drawer bottoms)

• 4 - 2 x 2 x 7' Oak (for the legs)

• Pocket hole jig

• 6 sets of 12" drawer slides (I used these)

• Stain and finish of choice - if wanting the black finish I used India ink (linked here)

• Spray gun for stain

• 1¼” Kreg pocket screws – 100

• Wood glue

• 3/4" roundover bit (for legs)

• 1 1/4" wood screws

• Taper jig (for legs)

• Hardware jig (to make drilling the knobs easier)

• Birch edge banding

Cut List:

• Legs - 1.5" x 1.5" x 50" (4) oak

• Sides - 42" x 11.25" x .75" (2) oak

• Bottom - 28.5" x 11.25" x .75" (1) oak

• Top - 30" x 11.25" x .75" (1) both ends mitered at 45 degrees, oak

• Front filler pieces - 27" x .75" x.75" (2) oak

• Back filler pieces - 27" x 1.5" x .75" (2) oak

• Drawer slide spacers - 11.25" x 2" x .75" (10) oak

• Small drawer box divider - 11.25" x 8" x .75" (1) oak

• Drawer box sides - 12" x 6.5" x .75" (12) plywood

• Small drawer box front and back - 10 5/8" x 6.5" x .75" (4) plywood

• Small drawer bottom - 11 1/8" x 11" x .25" (2) plywood

• Small drawer front - 13 1/4" x 8" x .75" (2) oak

• Large drawer box front and back - 24.5" x 6.5" x .75" (8) plywood

• Large drawer bottom - 25.5" x 11" x .25" (4) plywood

• Large drawer front - 26 7/8" x 8" x .75" (4) oak

• Back - 40 1/2" x 27" x .75" (1) plywood

STEP 1

Start by tapering the legs from 8" up from the bottom of the legs. I tapered from 1.5" to .75".

You can use a table saw with a taper jig and I have also used a track saw and it's worked well.

Optional: To make the rounded legs use a 3/4" roundover bit in your router or router table. For the front legs round over the whole front of the leg. Round over the whole tapered portion of the legs. Do not round over the back. That is where the side will connect.

For the back legs only round over the tapered portion of the leg and the back portion that faces out to the side. Make sure its the back side that is not going to be attached to the sides of the dresser.

To make this easier, I waited until the whole main cabinet was constructed before I rounded over the legs. I found it was easier to steady my router and see where I wanted everything rounded over.

STEP 2

Cut both sides to size and miter the top. Set your pocket hole jig to 3/4" and add pocket holes as shown in the picture.

STEP 3

Screw and glue both sides together. The sides should be flush with the outside edge of the legs.

STEP 4

Cut the bottom to size and drill pocket holes as shown in the picture.

STEP 5

Glue and screw the bottom of the dresser to the sides.

STEP 6

Cut the top and bevel both sides as shown in the picture.

STEP 7

Glue the top to the sides. The two beveled edges should fit together perfectly! Dont worry if there is a small gap. You can press the wood fibers together with the side of a screw driver after the glue is dry.

STEP 8

Cut the front accent pieces to size.

STEP 9

Glue the front pieces onto the dresser as shown in the photo. The top piece should be flush with the top of the dresser and the bottom piece should be flush with the bottom.

I just glued them on and clamped them overnight but if you are in a rush you can always use 1 1/2" nails and move onto the next step.

STEP 10

Cut the back accent pieces to size.

STEP 11

Glue on the back pieces exactly as you did the front pieces.

STEP 12

Cut the drawer spacers to size.

STEP 13

Screw and glue on the drawer spacers on both sides of the dresser. The drawer spacers should be flush with the inside of the legs. Use 1 1/4" wood screws.

It helps to cut spacers to 3 7/16" and 5 29/32" to screw on the spacers. It ensures they are level and accurately spaced.

STEP 14

Install drawer slides so they are flush with the bottom of the drawer spacers and start just behind the back of the legs, as shown in the picture.

STEP 15

Screw and glue the center divider using pocket screws as shown in the picture. Install drawer slides on either side as well.

STEP 16

Cut the small drawer fronts and backs to size and pocket hole both sides.

STEP 17

Cut all the drawer sides to size. They should all be the same dimensions.

STEP 18

Cut the front and back of the large drawer boxes to size. Pocket hole both sides as shown in the picture.

STEP 19

Cut a 1/4" x 1/4" groove on each drawer piece. The groove should start 1/2" up from the bottom of each drawer piece.

I cut the grooves on the table saw but you can also use a circular saw or track saw.

STEP 20

Cut the bottom pieces to size for the large drawers.

STEP 21

Cut the bottom pieces to size for the small drawers.

STEP 22

Put the large drawer boxes together using pocket screws and wood glue. Make sure the pocket holes face the front + back of the drawer so it won't be visible.

STEP 23

Glue and screw together the small drawer boxes as you did the larger ones.

STEP 24

Put all the drawers in the dresser.

STEP 25

Cut the large drawer fronts to size.

STEP 26

Cut the small drawer fronts to size.

STEP 27

Install the drawer fronts from the inside of the drawers. I use 2 - 1 1/4" screws for each drawer. Make sure there is even spacing around all the drawer fronts.

Using clamps and small spacers helps a lot!

STEP 28

Cut the back to size and drill pocket holes as shown in the picture.

STEP 29

Screw the back onto the dresser, do not use glue.

STEP 30

Sand, stain, and add your hardware!