Plywood and solid cherry combine to create elegant storage.
Designer/Builder/Writer: Andy Rae
Built primarily from cherry plywood with solid cherry frames, this handsome two-drawer chest provides plenty of storage for bedding, linens, or any number of keepsakes.
Look a little closer and you’ll notice details that you wouldn’t expect to find on what’s basically a biscuit-joined plywood box. On the outside, offset rails and panels, and ebony accents give the piece a flair that’s reminiscent of Greene & Greene style. Open the drawers and lid, and you’ll find Spanish cedar-bottomed drawers and liners that impart a spicy scent. (See "Woodsense: A Tale of Two Cedars" for more information about Spanish cedar.) You’ll appreciate the way the drawers slide to a gentle stop on shop-made leather bumpers. A unique self-stopping, soft-closing lift, found at an auto parts store, ensures that the top opens and closes smoothly and safely for years to come.
Note: See the Convenience-Plus Buying Guide below for a list of materials and supplies.
Build the box
1 From 3/4" cherry plywood, cut the panel parts for the box front, back, sides, shelf, bottom, and divider (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) to the dimensions in the Cut List. Note that divider (G) is cut slightly longer and then cut to fit later.
2 Plane and cut the front, back, and side rails (H, I, J, K) and legs (L) to the dimensions in the Cut List. Also cut the thinner stiles (M). Cut the cap rails (N, O) to thickness and width, but leave these parts about 1" longer than the finished lengths. You’ll trim them to length during assembly.
Dry-assemble and clamp the chest panels, rails, and stiles together, and then mark the biscuit slot locations with chalk.
3 Dry-assemble the front, back, and side assemblies and mark the locations for the biscuit slots where shown in Figures 1 and 2 and Photo A. Use chalk to mark the slot locations because it shows up well on cherry and is easily removed with a damp sponge.
4 Note in Figure 3 that the legs are offset from the panels by 1/8" on the box interior. The easy way to cut slots with this offset is to fold up your biscuit joiner’s fence and use your workbench as a guide. Clamp a stop to your bench, as shown in Photo B. With the outside face up, cut the biscuit slots in the marked panels and hardwood parts for the box front, back, and sides. To cut the offset slots in the legs, insert 1/8"-thick strips under your joiner as shown in Photo C. Again, use the chalk lines as a cutting guide and position the piece so that the outside face is oriented up.
Cutting slots against a stop is faster and easier than using the joiner’s fence. The stop also helps keep fingers safe when slotting narrow stock.
Place 1/8"-thick strips under the joiner to establish the offset slot in the legs.
5 Referring to Figures 1 and 5, chop the 5/16 × 5/16 × 3/8"-deep peg mortises using a square-tipped hollow chisel and a mallet. Clean out the waste with a standard chisel.
6 Assemble the front (A/H/M), back (A/B/H/I/M), and side sections (C/D/J/K/M), checking each one for square. After the glue dries, you can use your table saw and crosscut sled to shave the ends off the panels.
7 Mark and cut the slots for the shelf (E) and bottom (F) in the front, back, and side assemblies. Referring to Figure 1, space the slots about 12" apart. Mark the slot locations on a scrapwood guide, as shown in Photo D. Use the same guide to position the joiner to cut the matching slots in the front, back, and side assemblies.
8 Using glue and biscuits, attach a pair of legs (L) to the front and back box assemblies.
Clamping a marked straightedge guide alongside the assembly makes slot cutting quick and consistent.
Assemble the box
1 Using the biscuits to ensure proper fit and alignment, dry-assemble and clamp the box front, back, sides, shelf (E), bottom (F), and divider (G) together.
2 Cut and glue on a 3/8 × 3/4 × 5" cherry edge strip on the front end of the divider (G). Trim the divider’s back edge so that its front sits 1/16" behind the middle and lower rails. (H, I)
3 Apply a light bead of glue on all of the joint lines and in all of the biscuit slots in the front, back, and side assemblies.
4 With the back resting on blocks, apply glue in the mating slots in the shelf (E), bottom (F), and divider (G). Stand these parts onto the back and stand them in place. Now add the side assemblies as shown in Photo E.
5 Carefully position the front assembly on top of the other sections to complete the box. Use clamps and cauls to pull the parts together as shown in Photo F. Check the assembly for square, wipe away excess glue, and then allow a day to dry.
Stack the parts on the back. Riser blocks positioned under the back panel provide clamp clearance.
Use cauls to distribute clamping pressure across the front panel, box bottom, and shelf for a seamless fit.
6 Drill pilot holes through the lowest peg mortise locations in the front legs (L) and into the bottom rail (I) as shown in Figure 1. Drive a pair of #8 × 2 1/2" deck screws to reinforce the joint.
7 Miter-cut the front, back, and side cap rails (N, O) to finished lengths. Trim as needed so that the assembled cap rail frame sits flush with the legs (L). Cut #0 biscuit slots into the mitered ends, and assemble the frame. Referring to Figure 1, cut slots for #20 biscuits to attach the cap frame to the box assembly. Ease the edges of the frame, and then attach the frame to the top of the box.
Fine-tune the bit height and fence location on a practice corner before routing drawer stock.
Make and fit the drawers
1 Plane stock to 1/2" thick to make the drawer box sides (P), front (Q), and back (R), as well as an extra 12"-long piece for router setup. Prepare your drawer stock pieces to the sizes listed in the Cut List. Cut the setup board into two 1/2 × 5 × 6" pieces.
2 Chuck a 1/4" diameter dovetail bit in your table-mounted router and set the height to 3/16". Using the dimensions in the Corner Detail in Figure 4 and a test board, adjust the fence to cut the slot and then cut the sides (P). Test and then rout the sliding dovetail on the ends of the drawer fronts (Q) and backs (R), as shown in Photo G.
3 Chuck a 1/4" straight bit in your table-mounted router and raise it to 3/16". Adjust the fence 3/16" from the cutter, and then rout the groove along the bottom edges of the drawer sides (P) and front (Q).
4 Plane drawer bottom stock (we used aromatic Spanish cedar) to 1/4" thick. Next, edge-join the pieces to create two 20 × 20" panels for bottoms (S).
5 Assemble the drawer box sides (P), front (Q), and back (R), flushing the top edges of the back with the sides. Check for square and then measure the final dimensions needed for the bottoms (S) from the drawer box assemblies, and trim them to fit. Sand and finish the drawer boxes, let dry, and then secure the unfinished bottoms to the back with #3 × 1/2" flathead wood screws.
6 Fit the drawer boxes in the drawer openings and measure between the drawer and the box sides to determine the thickness of the two runners (U). Here, you want to maintain a gap that’s the thickness of one or two playing cards to remove play from the drawer’s sliding action. Plane, rip, and crosscut two pieces of cherry for the runners. Test their fit in the box, then glue and pin the runners in place (see Figure 1).
7 Measure the drawer front openings to determine the sizes of the 3/4"-thick false fronts (T). Cut these to size, minus the thickness of playing card spacers on all four sides. Apply double-faced tape to the drawer-box fronts and, with the playing cards in place, press the fronts to the drawer boxes (Photo H). Slide the drawers out and temporarily screw the drawer fronts to the drawer boxes, drilling countersunk pilot holes for #6 × 1" flathead wood screws (Figure 5). Remove the screws, pry off the drawer fronts, and peel away the tape. Sand and finish the drawer fronts and screw them back in place.
8 Cut the drawer stops (V) to size. Use white glue to attach 1/16"-thick leather strips to the stops’ fronts (see Stop Detail in Figure 5). The strips cushion the drawer impact and provide a quiet, satisfying feel. Now center the stops in each opening and 1 3/4" in from the front lower rail (I), temporarily securing them with double-faced tape. Fit the drawers in place and check that they leave a 1/2" ledge along the front lower rail (I). Remove the tape, and pin and glue the stops in place.
5 Assemble the drawer box sides (P), front (Q), and back (R), flushing the top edges of the back with the sides. Check for square and then measure the final dimensions needed for the bottoms (S) from the drawer box assemblies, and trim them to fit. Sand and finish the drawer boxes, let dry, and then secure the unfinished bottoms to the back with #3 × 1/2" flathead wood screws.
6 Fit the drawer boxes in the drawer openings and measure between the drawer and the box sides to determine the thickness of the two runners (U). Here, you want to maintain a gap that’s the thickness of one or two playing cards to remove play from the drawer’s sliding action. Plane, rip, and crosscut two pieces of cherry for the runners. Test their fit in the box, then glue and pin the runners in place (see Figure 1).
7 Measure the drawer front openings to determine the sizes of the 3/4"-thick false fronts (T). Cut these to size, minus the thickness of playing card spacers on all four sides. Apply double-faced tape to the drawer-box fronts and, with the playing cards in place, press the fronts to the drawer boxes (Photo H). Slide the drawers out and temporarily screw the drawer fronts to the drawer boxes, drilling countersunk pilot holes for #6 × 1" flathead wood screws (Figure 5). Remove the screws, pry off the drawer fronts, and peel away the tape. Sand and finish the drawer fronts and screw them back in place.
8 Cut the drawer stops (V) to size. Use white glue to attach 1/16"-thick leather strips to the stops’ fronts (see Stop Detail in Figure 5). The strips cushion the drawer impact and provide a quiet, satisfying feel. Now center the stops in each opening and 1 3/4" in from the front lower rail (I), temporarily securing them with double-faced tape. Fit the drawers in place and check that they leave a 1/2" ledge along the front lower rail (I). Remove the tape, and pin and glue the stops in place.
Affix the trimmed drawer fronts to the drawer boxes with double-faced tape to establish their location for screwing them in place.
Build the lid
1 From 3/4" cherry plywood, cut the top panel (W) to size. From planed 1 1/4" cherry hardwood, cut the front and back edging (X) and breadboards (Y) to size (see the Cut List). Tilt your table saw blade 25° and adjust your fence to cut the chamfer on the outside bottom edges of the edging pieces (X) and breadboard (Y), as shown in the Edge Detail in Figure 6.
2 Temporarily assemble the parts (W, X, Y) so the top faces of the pieces are flush. Mark the biscuit locations on the parts where shown in Figure 6. Cut the biscuit slots 3/8" down from the top faces along the mating edges. Lightly ease the interior top-face edges of the panel, edging, and breadboards to create subtle joint lines.
3 Apply glue and then clamp the front and back edging (X) to the panel (W). Make sure that the edging is flush to the outside face of the top panel. Once dry, glue and clamp the breadboard ends (Y).
4 Create the square mortises for the ebony pegs (Z) in the top by hand or machine, using a mortising chisel. Next, use a router, edge guide, and 1/4" straight bit to rout the mortises for the four ebony splines (AA) used on the lid. (See the Corner Detail in Figure 6 for locations.)
5 With a 3/16" round-over bit in your handheld router, rout around the lid’s top edge. Flip it over and use a sanding block to break and soften the edges and ends of the chamfer. Sand the top to 220 grit.
Use a board to position and straighten the hinge as you mark the screw holes.
Install the lift and hinge
1 Using the dimensions in Figure 6, mark the location for the soft-closing lift’s top bracket on the bottom face of the lid. Remove the bulk of the waste from the 3/32"-deep mortise with a straight bit and handheld router, then pare up to the lines with a chisel.
2 Using a hacksaw, cut the 48" long piano hinge to 38". To avoid bends that can affect the hinge’s operation, clamp a straightedge to the top of the box assembly, 3/4" in from the back edge of the back cap rail (N), and use it to align the hinge. Center the hinge along the back edge and mark the screw locations as shown in Photo I. Install the hinge to the cap rail.
3 Center the lid on the box and strike a line along the hinge and onto the bottom face of the lid as shown in Photo J. Remove and flip the lid so that the bottom faces up, then clamp on a straightedge 3/4" (the width of the hinge when closed) in from the line. Remove the hinge from the box and use it to locate the screw holes. Fasten the hinge to the top, then reattach to the box.
4 Screw the lift to the lid. Finally, attach the lift’s opposite end to the front inside corner where the side upper panel (C) meets the leg (L) and 7" down from the top face of the cap (N).
Lay the lid on the box and then draw a line along the knuckle to position the hinge on the lid.
Add the ebony details
1 Rip the ebony to make the peg stock. The box requires a total of 36 pegs; the top needs 10. (My pegs measured 5/16 × 5/16 × 7/16" to match the square holes I mortised; tweak yours as needed.) Cut the pegs long so that you can safely sand the chamfered end.
2 Clamp a simple jig at a 15° angle to the disc or belt sanding surface. Press the corner against the sander, rotate and repeat, to create four symmetrical chamfers as shown in Photo K.
3 Cut the pegs (Z) to length at your bench with a fine-toothed handsaw. Then, apply glue in the holes and tap the pegs in place so the chamfered edges sit just above the surrounding surface.
4 Cut the tapered splines (AA) to match the mortises made earlier (see Figure 6). Ease the exposed edges with sanding, and then, with the wider ends of the splines toward the ends of the box, glue and tap them in place (Photo L).
5 Cut the drawer pulls (BB) to untapered rectangular shapes. Then, referring to the Drawer Exploded View, Figure 4, locate and drill the 5/8"-deep screw holes 1" in from the pull ends. Taper-cut and ease the pulls’ exposed edges.
6 Remove the drawer fronts. Now, mark the centered screw-hole locations on the backs to match those in the pulls. Drill and countersink the holes. Attach the pulls, wide tapered ends toward the box ends, and reattach the drawer fronts.
Line the chest with cedar and finish it
1 Resaw and rip 3/4"-thick Spanish cedar boards to 1/4"-thick × 3 7/8"-wide for the box bottom liner (CC). See the Cedar Lining Detail in Figure 1. Trim the boards to length so that they fit snugly within. Next, adjust the width so that they fit with just a thin gap between each board. (For aesthetics, try to shave the same amount from each.)
2 Using your table-mounted router and a chamfer bit, knock off the liner’s top edges with a light (1/16"-1/8") bevel. Reinstall them in the box. Fasten the liners to the bottom with pin nails.
3 Remove the lid and piano hinge and sand the unfinished parts, such as the box, drawers, and top, to 220 grit. Mask off the interior in order to protect your finishing work.
4 To finish the piece’s exterior, I used a multistep approach designed to bring out the color and protect the surface. First, I wiped on a thin coat of Waterlox. The next day, I applied a water-based wood finish with a spray gun. I used gloss for the base coats because the glossier finish makes it easier to find and fix imperfections. Once the finish was built up sufficiently (about three coats), I applied a final satin topcoat. If you time it right, you can apply all four coats in a day. After giving the finish a few days to cure, I applied wax with super-fine 0000 steel wool and then buffed the surface to bring out the luster.
Press the ends of the ebony pegs against the belt, rotating them to create four equal chamfers.
Use a tack hammer to coax the ebony splines in place. Rub the faces on a sanding block if the fit’s too tight.
About Our Designer/Builder
Andy Rae has been working wood for almost three decades. In addition to writing and teaching, he finds time to design and build furniture in his studio in Asheville, North Carolina. To see more of his work, go to andyrae.com.
Thanks to the owners of the Woolen Willow in Williamstown, West Virginia, for the quilts used in the photos on pages 2 and 54. Learn more about the shop at woolenwillow.com.
