Fine Woodworking's Small Chest of Drawers

Build a strikingly beautiful chest with this printed plan. This simple piece was designed by Tim Rousseau for the annual faculty show at Center for Furniture Craftsmanship where he teaches. Since the chest had to be built on a tight time schedule, it was designed to make construction straightforward and fast.

Smart construction and strong joinery. Instead of dovetail joinery, he used a housed tenon joint that features a series of stub tenons connected by a haunch and housed in a wide mortise routed in the case side. The web frames between the drawers are attached to the sides with double mortise-and-tenons. While this can be an intimidating joint to make, Tim s technique uses spacers with a router and bandsaw to eliminate the difficulty, making it fast and easy.

Dovetailed pulls - the right finishing touch. At first glance, the pulls may appear too small for the drawers but they are, in fact, the perfect grip for your fingers. The dovetail anchoring them to the drawers will stand up to years and years of use, further emphasizing the understated strength of this piece.

This uncomplicated piece looks at home anywhere. Clean, crisp lines and strong joinery combine to form a dresser that s ageless and forever useful. The drawers are deep enough to hold jeans and sweaters and its simplicity and lack of ornamentation allow it fit quietly into any style bedroom and almost any room in the house.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Finished Size: 18 in. wide x 31-3/4 in. long x 31-3/4 in. tall

PRINTED PLAN INCLUDES: Extensive full-size and scale drawings Complete cutlist Step-by-step companion article "