Simple desk with drawers

In this master class I will show you how to make an inexpensive and simple work desk with drawers from plywood in which you can store tools and other things.

Functionality and design of the table

The six-meter wall in my garage was ideal for installing a desktop with storage drawers.
I need space for my miter saw and plenty of drawers to store tools and gardening supplies.
The desktop will be 1 m high and 60 cm deep.
The countertop will take up the entire space between the walls, and underneath there is space to store a lawn mower, snow blower, circular saw, vacuum cleaner and cyclone.
The desktop will consist of cabinets, each of which will have drawers. The open ends of the tabletop will be framed with a 5 x 10 cm board.

Plywood cutting

Frame:
I used 2cm plywood for both the body and the tabletop. 5 standard sheets will be enough to make 5 cabinets and a 6-meter countertop.
Using a saw with a plywood cutting blade, I cut each sheet of plywood into two strips: 60 and 240 cm.
I left the 3 most successful options for the top of the table.
Each part of the sheet can be used to make the top and bottom of the cabinets. I planned to make 5 cabinets, so I cut the 70cm wide sides at the same time. I also cut the 60cm wide tops and bottoms of the cabinets.
Drawers:
For the drawers, 12 mm plywood was used, sanded on both sides. I also divided these sheets of plywood into two parts: 60 and 240 cm.
The bottom of each drawer is the same and measures 60 x 60 cm. I cut 20 bottom pieces and left the rest of the plywood for making the sides.
Sawing guides for drawers

The desk was designed in such a way that each cabinet has 4 drawers. 3 small and one deep for bulky items.
To cut the guides, I used a router with a cutter that plunges only 12 mm.
The first groove is cut 3 cm above the bottom edge in the inside side of the cabinet. The remaining three are equidistant 13 cm from each other, with the top one located at a distance of 15 cm from the top edge. I made a template to guide the router to ensure the grooves were positioned the same on all cabinets.

Cabinet body assembly

Each cabinet has two side panels, in which the sides are located symmetrically with the grooves inward. They are fastened with screws at the top and bottom.
I didn't make the back wall of the cabinets, since it wouldn't be visible anyway. But at the same time, I secured the structure at the back top of the table using a strip of plywood 2 cm thick, through which I will also attach the table to the wall.
I needed a table for working with a miter saw, so I made one cabinet 8 cm lower than the other 4. In it, two drawers were made 8 cm lower.
Once all five cabinets were assembled, I fastened them together and screwed them to the wall using screws. The entire structure is located 25 cm from the floor surface.
Because at the bottom there will be the largest drawers for long tools and accessories. These boxes will rest directly on the concrete floor and will be pulled out using semicircular bolt heads. You can use wheels, but I found that a button head bolt glides perfectly over the felt furniture sticker.

Installing bottoms on drawers

The drawers fit exactly the width of the cabinets. Using a sander, I slightly rounded the corners on the headlight for the bottom to help the drawers fit into the grooves more easily. In some cases, it was necessary to use a saw to remove up to 4 mm of excess material. Before attaching the bottom to the drawer, make sure it fits freely into the grooves.

Assembling the remaining boxes

The sides, fronts and backs of the drawers were made from 12mm plywood.
Using a router and a homemade jig, I cut out handles on the front of the drawers.
I went over all the elements with a grinding machine.
Next, using a nailer, I knocked all the parts of the drawers together, and screwed in two screws on the front side for additional strength.
This stage was the longest as I had to cut, route and sand 112 pieces.
I placed the largest boxes at the bottom. Two are 120 cm long and one is 60 cm long. The lower drawers are set deeper to provide foot space when working at the desk. They are ideal for storing long tools such as clamps, workpieces and vacuum cleaner hoses.

Installation of countertops

The worktops were made from 20mm plywood which was screwed onto the top of the cabinets.
For the hanging parts, I made a frame from 5 x 10 mm boards and screwed sheets of plywood onto them on top.
By placing two layers of plywood on top, the tabletop turned out to be quite impressive. She can easily withstand my lacerations.

Polishing

The entire top surface was sanded and I applied stain to the plywood.
I added a frame of red oak planks, which I also stained.
Next, I applied three layers of polyurethane varnish to all wooden surfaces.

Conclusion:

Now I can store tons of tools and materials, and I've even been able to throw out a few old baskets and boxes. I really like this desktop.
If I were to make a table like this again, I would like to change the dimensions of some of the drawers. For example, I need more small ones that can be used to store small tools. While medium and large boxes would be enough for me in a couple of pieces. Therefore, before getting down to work, I recommend thinking about this issue.
Original article in English