Want to build twin bed bases with full depth drawers, easy or not

11 years ago

Something like this:

I want:

Drawers only on one side (other side will be against the wall)

Smooth glide runners

Drawers as deep as the full width of the bed

White finish

I'm expecting the bed will be taller than most and that's fine. We need lots of storage, 2 girls sharing a room, need I say more? ;)

How difficult a project is this going to be? Looking at RTA furniture online it seems like this would be a fairly simple project. I have access to a nice table saw and drill press. I own my own basic power tools like a miter saw, circular saw and drill, and I have basic woodworking skills.

Sound do-able for me? If so, where do I get drawer runners this long? How do I build all those long drawers so they are sturdy? What else do I need to know?

Thanks!

Comments (6)

bobismyuncle
11 years ago
sounds doable.

Major problem will be getting extra long drawer glides, as most are made for dresser or kitchen cabinet depth. The link below shows some available up to 60" and 500lb capacity. But they are not cheap. You will also have to train your kids not to open more than one at a time, or the whole thing could tip over

There's all sorts of ways to make drawers, but I'd suggest dovetails or rabbet and groove joints. A cross member or two under the bottom would help also.

Here is a link that might be useful: Woodworker's Hardware
mary_ruth
11 years ago
Also room to pull them out! I would go about 1/2 to 3/4. Also do not have the drawers at the pillow area or you can't use a nightstand.

We got glides in full depth glides from a store display! We got it free, took it apart and found these great 36" long very heavy (and heavy duty) glides.

So, after you price the glides you want, then check out used store fixture shops to see if you can locate any.
Good luck with your project!
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mike_kaiser_gw
11 years ago
Figuring those drawer boxes will be somewhere around 24" wide and 36" deep, Accuride offers plenty of options in full extension slides with load ratings up to 1,300 lbs. Unfortunately none are white. There may be white ones out there but I'd suspect they're going to be hard to find because most of that kind of stuff is used in kitchens and baths where the depth requirements are far less.

In any case, slides that deep are not going to be cheap. A quick look says that Accuride 9301's are $140 per pair! You might want to think about making less than a full depth drawer. Even 28" would be far deeper than a typical dresser and allow you to use more reasonably priced slides (and white ones to boot).

As for making the piece, it's going to be a function of your skills. I can tell you that tolerances for slides are pretty tight, about 1/32" per slide, so you need to make sure everything is darn flat and square. Drawer boxes are typically made of plywood and if you're going for something like a natural finish in your picture, Baltic birch would be a good choice.
lazy_gardens
11 years ago
check ana-white.com for plans and pictures of storage beds.

She has tons of them.
Christine Carta
6 years ago
Did you ever build this? We're looking to do the same and wondered how it turned out/what you would suggest if you were to do it again.
geoffrey_b
6 years ago
About 1975, I built a queen size, platform bed, with four drawers (two on each side).

It its a lot of work. Drawers that large are pretty heavy, and need expensive extension slides.