Bedroom Nightstands

[Derek]

My first project was the Cherry iMac Desk which these nightstands are modeled after and should resemble when it's all said and done. I'm thankful for the facilities I've been able to borrow to do my building and for all of the great help a friend has given me during the build. But perhaps most of the thanks belongs to the Kreg Jig which has made these projects possible. As a beginner, the Kreg Jig has made all of the joints I build so much faster and easier. I don't have to worry about overlapping tenons, complicated tablesaw cuts, and I don't even have to use glue if I don't want to! (although I still usually do) The Kreg Jig has made the math involved more simple so I can just concentrate on building the project instead of thinking about the finer details.

I started with cherry wood just because it was what was available, and I think the wood grain is really beautiful (although I'm told I'm ruining it with the dark stain I'll be using) and rich. I made the sides, top and shelf out of cherry plywood, while the legs are all homemade by sandwiching 3 pieces together and cutting to size from there.

I also edgebanded the top using cherry stock, and added a v-groove between the ply and edgebanding for a little additional detail. I decided not to miter the corners like I did on the iMac Desk just because I thought doing it this way would be a nice look and a way to slightly differentiate the two projects.

I'm using full-extension drawer slides to get maximum use out of the drawer space, and am also adding brushed nickle hardware for the drawer pull and top-side grommet which will allow for running cords for a lamp, iPhone, alarm clock, etc.

As you can tell, I used a LOT of pocket-holes. There are at least a hundred between the two nightstands. My thought was, if one or two of them are strong... why not drill 10? :) I did all of the edgebanding with pocket-holes, all of the side-to-leg assemblies with them, and also attached the top and bottom-shelf with pocket-holes. Although there are a lot of them, they should be almost 100% hidden when the project is complete. The drawer alone will cover up 90% of them.

Anyway, below are a few more photos from the project. For the complete album, see here. I'm not done yet, still constructing the drawers at the moment, then I'll be moving on to final sanding, staining, and finishing. Finishing, based on my past experience, is what I'm most concerned about. I'm going to try and just leave it up to the professionals this time. :)

Drilling hole for electronics grommet:

Installed electronics grommet:

Hanging the full-extension drawer slides:

[Derek]

Thank you very much, Kerry!

[Kerry Drake]

Nice look set of stands.