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Two Dressers for My Granddaughter
Aug 20, 2025
H: 57 3/4″
W: 36″
D: 18 5/8″
I built two dressers for my granddaughter, Emma. The first was made to her specifications; the second was made to mine.
The first dresser was made of plywood and used metal drawer slides and silver metal knobs.. I built it as my granddaughter ,Emma, –an IKEA fan –asked me to build it at a [COVID] time when good materials were scarce. The dresser was painted entirely with black cabinet paint.
The drawer slides on the old dresser failed after 3 years because the drawer slides were not up to the stress and the weight put onto them.
The second dresser is made of solid wood, primarily poplar. It is stained black and finished with black polyurethane. It has an oak top and matching oak drawer pulls. It was built with the traditional method using drawer frames.
The front drawer dividers are dovetailed and glued into the front of the case. The drawers are made with 1-in thick Poplar fronts with 1/2″ Maple sides and backs All drawer joints are hand cut dovetails. The bottoms are 1/2″ Birch cabinet plywood.
The internal framework is made of maple and the frame sides are attached with truss head screws to allow for wood movement throughout the seasons. The rear drawer dividers float freely in dovetails. The back of the dresser is 1\4″ Baltic Birch plywood.
I believe the new dresser will last a long time. I was proud to sign it.
P.S. I had not made a traditional chest of drawers in 30 years, so Tom McLaughlin’s video course on building a Shaker chest of drawers was invaluable in building Emma’s second dresser.
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The second chest of drawers completed.
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Internal structure of the second chest of drawers.
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