Even teddy bears need a place to keep their clothes. If your kid's teddy bear (or yours, for that matter) needs a place to call home, a bear dresser is a great place to start. Model furniture is actually fairly simple to construct from small wood pieces, and it looks impressive when finished. You can also paint the furniture however you like or simply leave it with the rough and unfinished look of sanded wood.
Instructions
1. Measure the support pieces of the model out of wood. Mark out four legs from 1/2-by-1/2-inch wood at 8-1/2-inches, and a bottom siding at 4-1/2-inches long. Use 1/8-by-1/2-inch wood to make four 2-1/2-inch side trim pieces, and two 4-1/2-inch back trim pieces.
2. Measure out the side panels for the dresser. The top should measure 3-3/4-inches by 6-inches. The two sides will be 2-1/2-inches by 8-inches, and the back at 4-1/2-inches by 8-inches. You'll also need six shelves, 2-7/8-inches long by 4-1/2-inches. You also need the bottom shelf, cut it to 2-3/8-inches by 4-1/2-inches. The top drawers also need a central divider, cut to 2-7/8-inches by 1-inch.
3. Mark out the drawer pieces in the wood planks. From the 1/4-by-1/2-inch wood, you need sixteen 2-5/8-inch long drawer glides, four 2-1/8-inch upper drawer front pieces and four 4-1/2-inch long lower drawer fronts. Make the sides of the drawers from 1/4-by-3/4-inch wood, and cut sixteen pieces at 2-1/2-inches long. The drawer bottoms are made of 1/8-inch thick wood, four each at 1-3/8-inches by 2-1/2-inches for the upper and 4-by-2-1/2-inches for the lower drawers.
4. Cut out all of the pieces, and sand the edges. Lay them out on a piece of paper in small stacks, and label what each piece is on the paper.
5. Lay one side panel face-up, with the narrow edge facing you. Dab glue along the left and right sides of this panel, and place a pair of legs on the glue. The top of the legs should line up with the top of the panel.
6. Glue two pieces of side trim to the back panel at the top and bottom, and to the legs.
7. Repeat the previous steps to make the other side. Leave the glue to dry for 20 minutes.
8. Flip one side-panel over. Dab some glue along the bottom side of the panel, and glue the bottom shelf to the underside, perpendicular to the side panel. Glue a shelf to the very top, also perpendicular to the side panel. Leave this glue to dry for 20 minutes. You can perform the next step while waiting.
9. Glue the back trim to the top and bottom of the back panel. Leave this to dry for 15 minutes.
10. Dab glue along the back of the shelves and the back edge of the side panel. Stick the back panel to this glue. Leave the glue to dry for 10 minutes.
11. Hold a shelf divider against the top shelf on the side panel. Mark the bottom of it. Hold a shelf perpendicular against the bottom of the divider, and mark the bottom of it.
12. Shift the divider so that it is against the bottom-most mark, and mark the bottom of the divider. Hold the shelf next to it and mark again. Repeat to mark the locations for all of the shelves.
13. Hold a shelf so that the long edge faces you. Mark the center of the front and back of this piece. Dab some glue along the center and place a divider on top of the glue. Repeat to make a second upper shelf piece.
14. Dab glue along the top mark for the shelf, the back panel, and along the top of a divider. Glue this upper shelf into place. Repeat with the next mark for the next upper shelf.
15. Dab glue along the remaining marks and glue the remaining shelves into place.
16. Glue the remaining side panel into place over the back panel and the shelves. Leave the dresser to dry for 20 minutes while you assemble the drawers.
17.Try fitting the drawer fronts into the shelf spaces and sand where necessary. Each shelf should fit into at least one spot on the front of the dresser. Repeat with the bottoms as well.
18. Place a drawer bottom so that the front of the drawer faces you. Glue along the left and right edges of the piece, on the top. Then glue the sides of the drawer to the piece.
19. Glue along the back edge of the piece, inside the sides and at the back. Stick the back panel into this slot.
20. Glue along the front edge of the drawer and stick the front panel onto the piece. Repeat these steps to make all of the drawers, four lower drawers and four upper drawers.
21. Stick glue along the back of one of the glider pieces. Stick this into a shelf and hold it against the side. Repeat on the other side. Wait about five minutes for the glue to dry, then slide a drawer into place. Repeat with the remaining drawers.
22. Tack the drawer pulls into the center of each drawer.
23. Pull out all of the drawers, leave the model on its back to dry overnight.
Tags: side panel, back panel, Hold shelf, into place, 2-inch wood