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Fillman Storage Bed with Drawers

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Make a storage bed! Free plans to DIY this bed!

Hi there!

My friend Tamara and I worked on this storage bed together. I really wanted the storage part to be independent of the headboard and footboard so you can attach just about any style headboard/footboard to the storage boxes. The storage boxes are self supporting, so fill those drawers up!

Special thanks to Tamara for her hard work - this bed is a huge project, and she put a tremendous amount of work into it!

 "I have finally finished this Big Boy bed for my son. Between babies being born (my sister's), trips, kayaking, sailing and entertaining my little dudes, this bed took me a lot longer to finish than I had expected. I am very happy with the result! I knew I wanted to have lots of storage because my boys are sharing a room and these will serve as their beds and their dressers. There is 6 drawers to each side, and for now I have one side up against the wall that I use as storage for things we only use a couple times a year.

This bed was a challenge for me with all the drawers. As you can clearly see if you look, it wasn't a skill I mastered on this project either. BUT, I will say that when get ready to build bed #2 for my youngest son, I will approach things with a little more 'know-how'. That's what this hobby is all about right, getting better with each project and learning something new each step of the way?

I also tried my first distressed finish on this bed. I have a lot of blues and greens in their room that I am trying to tie in. I like it, but I'm am also new to the distressed finish, so I had the constant 'Am I doing this right? What in the world is it going to look like? Am I sanding too much? Not enough?' questions rolling around in my head. In the end, I was very happy with the 'look'.

My son, who is 4, loves his new bed. He is higher up now and falls to sleep each night staring at the starry sky and moon out his window. I added the rail with scrap pieces I had left over from this piece. He feels much more at ease with that up there, and so does Mommy :)

A huge THANKS goes out to Ana for once again drawing up some plans that were easy to follow and gave me exactly what I wanted for my son's bed. You ROCK Ana!!!"


This bed could also be made without the drawers, using storage cubbies instead.

Dimensions
Dimensions are shown above.

Preparation

Shopping List

Headboard/Footboard

1 – Sheet 3/4" Plywood, MDF
2 – 1x3 @ 8 feet long
2 – 2x3 @ 8 feet long
1 – 1x2 @ 8 feet long
2 – small moulding pieces 8 feet long
3/4” finish nails
1 1/4” pocket hole screws

Storage Bases

2 – Sheets ¾” plywood or MDF cut into strips 15 3/4" wide, referred to as 1x16 boards throughout this plan
2 – sheets ¼” plywood or other backerboard
4 – 2x4 @ 8 feet long
2 – 2x2 @ 8 feet long
2 – 1x3 @ 8 feet long (for the slats – try and burn up small scraps here)
7 – 1x6 @ 8 feet long OR 1 sheet ¾” plywood cut into strips 5 1/2" wide, used as 1x6s for drawers. You could even use 5/8” thick material
4 – 1x8 @ 6 feet long
Optional drawer moulding
12 – Drawer Knobs or handles
12 – 14” long drawer slides, the white euro style bottom corner mount ones will work best
1 1/4” and 2 1/2" pocket hole screws
1 1/4” finish nails

Cut List

Headboard/Footboard
2 – 3/4" plywood or MDF @ 36” x 26 3/4"
2 – 1x3 @ 36”
2 – 1x2 @ 36”
2 – 2x3 @ 49 1/4”
2 – 2x3 @ 30 1/4"
2 – 1x3 @ 43”
4 – Moulding pieces @ 30” (long point to long point, both ends cut at 45 degrees off square, not parallel to each other)
4 - Moulding pieces @ 16 3/4” (long point to long point, both ends cut at 45 degrees off square, not parallel to each other)

Storage Bases

4 – 1x16 @ 75”
8 – 1x16 @ 14 7/8”
2 – ¼” plywood @ 75” x 16 ¼”
4 – 2x4 @ 70”
4 – 2x4 @ 10”
2 – 2x2 @ 75”
14 – 1x3 or 1x2 scraps @ 7”

DRAWERS
24 – 1x6 @ 14”
12 – 1x6 @ 21 ½” (omitted optional fronts to save materials)
12 – 1x8 @ 23 ¾” (Drawer Faces)
12 - ¼” plywood @ 23” x 14” (Drawer Bottoms)

General Instructions

Please read through the entire plan and all comments before beginning this project. It is also advisable to review the Getting Started Section. Take all necessary precautions to build safely and smartly. Work on a clean level surface, free of imperfections or debris. Always use straight boards. Check for square after each step. Always predrill holes before attaching with screws. Use glue with finish nails for a stronger hold. Wipe excess glue off bare wood for stained projects, as dried glue will not take stain. Be safe, have fun, and ask for help if you need it. Good luck!

Instructions

Step 1

For the headboard and footboard, start by drilling 3/4" PHs around the top and side edges of panels with Kreg Jig.

Step 2

On the front side, attach top and bottom trim.

Step 3

Use 1 1/4" PH screws to attach legs to panel - flush to trim and back of plywood.

Step 4

Now add the top.

Step 5

Step 6

The footboard just has shorter legs.

Step 7

Depending on your skill level and how confident you are, I would attach drawer slides now rather than later. Attach to both ends on insides, and then on both sides of center dividers. IMPORTANT: For drawer faces, inset slides 3/4" to give room for a drawer face.

Step 8

Now add tops and bottoms to the dividers ...

Step 9

Build drawers. Drawers MUST be 1" less in width than overall width for standard slides requiring 1/2" clearance for each slide. Make sure you measure before building drawer boxes - your widths may need to be adjusted.

Step 10

Attach drawer members to drawers and insert in bed. Attach drawer faces to drawer boxes and add moulding if desired.

Step 11

These boxes are to support the weight of your drawers. They will be heavy. Attach flush to back and headboard side.

Step 12

When you go to assemble the bed, add a 2x2 cleat and 1x2 or 1x3 slats to support the mattress. Screw footboard and headboard to storage boxes.

Finishing Instructions
Preparation Instructions
Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Vacuum sanded project to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces as well. Wipe project clean with damp cloth.

It is always recommended to apply a test coat on a hidden area or scrap piece to ensure color evenness and adhesion. Use primer or wood conditioner as needed.
Project Type
Twin Beds and Twin Bed Frames
Storage Woodworking Plans
Room
Kids and Toys
Style
Children's and Kid's Room Furniture and Toy Plans

Comments

Joleene24

Wed, 04/25/2012 - 12:05

I love this bed! Where do you attach the 2x4s for the drawer support? Underneath? Flush to the front of the storage or offset? Sorry about my confusion.

exuma_momma

Thu, 04/26/2012 - 10:03

Hi Joleene,
I wasn't completely sure on this one either. I attached mine underneath the drawer boxes flush to the back side and flush with the end that attaches to the headboard. Does that make sense? Ana, if this is incorrect... please feel free to correct me. They seem to be supporting the boxes very well :)

Michele Miller (not verified)

Fri, 05/25/2012 - 15:00

Yes, that 2x4 box should be on the bottom to support the weight of everything above it. If you look at the photo of the green bed, you can barely see the box there.

Michele Miller (not verified)

Fri, 05/25/2012 - 15:00

Yes, that 2x4 box should be on the bottom to support the weight of everything above it. If you look at the photo of the green bed, you can barely see the box there.

Michele Miller (not verified)

Fri, 05/25/2012 - 15:00

Yes, that 2x4 box should be on the bottom to support the weight of everything above it. If you look at the photo of the green bed, you can barely see the box there.

Kriminie1 (not verified)

Thu, 04/26/2012 - 07:20

This is exactly what i want for our bed!!! Would it be easy to modify for a queen??? How tall is it with the mattress!!! Its lovely and so inspiring!!!

megan_m

Thu, 04/26/2012 - 08:13

It would be perfect for my daughters' room. When the baby moves in, there will be two girls in a less than 10x10 room.
The extra storage would be amazing, but I know they would both no doubt pull out the drawers and use them as steps. And we already have to replace hardware on two different pieces of furniture around our house. :s

Amy J. (not verified)

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 14:45

Thank you thank you thank you! I have been thinking about modifying one of your bunk bed plans and building something like this under it! Now you have made it easier!!

Guest123 (not verified)

Thu, 06/21/2012 - 18:25

thats what i was wondering...my daughter has alot of girls coming over now and i dont want to buy one because they are like 300-1000 dollars plus the mattresses!

ReallyNeedTHISBED (not verified)

Thu, 08/09/2012 - 08:03

I too agree-I've made the farmhouse bed in a King and love it. now i need something nice for my kids but need storage.
I'd like the top set of drawers attached to the bed so the trundle portion is still easy-light enough to pull out from underneath.
Does anyone know how to do this?
Im sure it isn't a major overhaul but I wouldn't dare figure it out myself.

Ian (not verified)

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 10:56

Could you elaborate a little more on the assembly of the storage base?

exuma_momma

Wed, 05/30/2012 - 18:29

Hi Ian! I'd recommend checking out a couple of Ana's other storage bed plans that shows some of the steps in images. Like this: http://ana-white.com/2011/04/plans/hailey-storage-bed-twin That might help with a visual better than I can with writing.

I cut the boards to the sizes and, the best way I could, I assembled them into the boxes. I mostly just pre-drilled and countersunk my screws since I knew the mattress would cover the holes anyway, but you could use pocket holes too I'd imagine. I'm still pretty new to the hobby, so it took a bit of trial and error for me to get my boards all lined up and straight, and I still didn't get them exactly straight.

I spaced them evenly across for the drawers, or as even as I could get them.

I'm not sure if this will help any, but hopefully it will. Best of Luck!

Leslie K (not verified)

Sat, 09/01/2012 - 16:08

Would it be possible to modify the drawers so that they are deeper and only used from one side? How could that be done?

This is the piece we have been looking for to solve issues in my 15 year old's 10 x 10 room. Putting the dresser under the bed allows for more floor space. His current dresser no longer fits his clothes as they are adult size now!

merzetti

Tue, 03/08/2016 - 15:01

Can anyone help me?  Are there supposed to be 2 bases [one for each side]?  If not, how is the side against the wall held up? What are the final dimensions of the base unit[s]?

 

thanks for any input

 

merzetti

Sun, 03/13/2016 - 12:13

I have scoured these plans for a hint as to the dimensions of the supporting box.  Fairly complete instructions for the headboard and footboard...where do I find the plans for construction  of the storage box??  Please and thanks.

CurtP

Sat, 03/26/2016 - 12:53

First of all I love the build. I do have a couple of questions. On the headboard and footboard plywood pieces, there are pocket hole screws along the bottom edge. Is there supposed to be something joined to the bottom? My second question is also about the HB/FB.  How are the trim pieces held on glue and nails or glue and screws?

 

Thanks,

 

Curt

Lady Goats

Sat, 03/26/2016 - 22:46

Hi Curt, It looks like the top of the head and foot boards have the pocket holes drilled to later attach the 43" 1x3 top trim piece. Along the bottom is a little more confusing. There isn't anything in the plans that show what you would attach there (it would be 36", and everything on the cut list is accounted for), so I would leave those off. If you end up needing to attach something there, later, it'd be on the bottom and out of sight, so you'd be okay predrilling/screwing directly into it (since it wouldn't be seen... However, I don't think anything is supposed to go there. 

Hope this helps!!