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Solid Wood Nightstand[8/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 nightstand
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood nightstand with a thick 18" top and an open shelf below for books. Four chunky legs ripped from 8/4 stock carry doweled aprons at the top and wide rails low down, and three slats make the shelf. The top sits on figure-8 fasteners so it can move with the seasons. One 8/4 pack builds the whole thing.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legs | 4 | Board 1, ripped in half | 23" × 1 15/16" × 1¾" | 23" × 1 11/16" × 1¾" |
| Top pieces | 4 | Boards 2–3, two each | 18" × 4" × 1¾" | 18" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Lower side rails | 2 | Boards 2–3, the rest | 10⅛" × 4" × 1¾" | 8⅝" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Front and back aprons | 2 | Board 4, 2½" strip | 12" × 2½" × 1¾" | 12" × 2½" × 1¾" |
| Side aprons | 2 | Board 4, 2½" strip | 10⅛" × 2½" × 1¾" | 8⅝" × 2½" × 1¾" |
| Shelf boards | 3 | Board 5 | 15½" × 4" × 1¾" | 15½" × 3½" × 1¾" |
Top: four 18" pieces edge-glued, long grain to long grain, into an 18" × 16" (S4S) or 18" × 14" (S2S) panel.
Frame: board 1 ripped into four 23" legs. Aprons 2½" tall and lower side rails (full board width, top edge 6" up) fit between the legs, outside faces flush.
Rail joints: two ⅜" × 1½" glued dowels per joint, ¾" into each part. Side apron dowels sit higher and lower than the front ones so they miss inside the leg.
Shelf: three slats on the lower rails, outer slats notched round the legs, one #8 × 3" screw per end through a slotted hole.
Top to frame: four figure-8 fasteners in the front and back aprons, so the top can move across its grain.
Finished size: 18" W × 16" D × 24¾" H (S4S); 18" × 14" × 24¾" with S2S. Frame 15½" × 14" (S4S) or 15½" × 12" (S2S). Shelf boards sit 6" off the floor, with about 12¾" of clear height above them.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- A bag of ⅜" × 1½" fluted dowel pins (24 needed)
- 4 figure-8 tabletop fasteners with #8 × ⅝" screws
- 6 × #8 × 3" flat-head wood screws (shelf)
- 4 felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide), push stick and splitter
- Dowel jig and ⅜" brad-point bit with a depth stop
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ¾" chisel or Forstner bit (figure-8 recesses)
- Jigsaw or handsaw (shelf notches)
- 6 bar clamps, 24" or longer
- Framing square
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Cut the parts. Rip board 1 down the middle with a push stick and cut two 23" legs from each strip. Boards 2 and 3: two 18" top pieces each, then a 10⅛" lower rail from the rest. Rip a 2½" strip off board 4 and cut two 12" aprons and two 10⅛" side aprons. Board 5: three 15½" shelf boards. Use a stop block for every matching set.
- 2 Glue up the top. Edge-glue the four top pieces into an 18" × 16" panel, long grain to long grain. Use cauls to keep it flat, clamp and leave it overnight. Scrape the glue and sand the seams flush.
- 3 Drill for dowels. Turn every leg with its 1¾" face to the front. Use a dowel jig and a ⅜" bit, holes ¾" deep in both parts, centred on the thickness, outside faces flush. Front and back aprons: two holes, ½" from the top and bottom edges. Side aprons: two holes 1" from the top and bottom, so they miss the others inside the leg. Lower rails: ½" from the top and bottom, top edge 6" up the leg.
- 4 Build the two sides. Sand every part to 180 first. Glue ⅜" × 1½" dowels into a front leg and a back leg with a side apron (flush with the leg tops) and a lower rail between them. Clamp, check for square, and let it set. Make the second side.
- 5 Join the sides. Glue and dowel the front and back aprons between the two sides, top edges flush with the legs. Clamp, measure the diagonals, and push the long corner in until they match. Wipe off the squeeze-out.
- 6 Notch the shelf. Set the front and back shelf boards on the lower rails and trace round the legs. Cut a 1¾" × 1 15/16" notch at each end with a jigsaw or handsaw. The middle board needs no notches.
- 7 Fit the shelf. Lay the three boards on the rails, outer boards flush with the outside of the legs and about 1" between boards. At each board end, counterbore ½" deep, drill a clearance hole and rock the drill front to back to make a short slot. Drive #8 × 3" screws into the rails. The slots let the boards move.
- 8 Attach the top. Chisel or drill a shallow recess in the top edge of the front and back aprons for two figure-8 fasteners each, and screw them on. Lay the top upside down on a blanket, centre the frame on it (1¼" overhang at the sides, 1" front and back) and screw the fasteners to the top with #8 × ⅝" screws.
- 9 Finish. Ease the edges, sand to 220 and wipe on 2–3 coats of hardwax oil or water-based poly on every face, including under the top. Add felt pads under the legs.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Cut the parts. Rip board 1 down the middle with a push stick and cut two 23" legs from each strip. Boards 2 and 3: two 18" top pieces each, then a 8⅝" lower rail from the rest. Rip a 2½" strip off board 4 and cut two 12" aprons and two 8⅝" side aprons. Board 5: three 15½" shelf boards. Use a stop block for every matching set.
- 3 Glue up the top. Edge-glue the four top pieces into an 18" × 14" panel, long grain to long grain. Use cauls to keep it flat, clamp and leave it overnight. Scrape the glue and sand the seams flush.
- 4 Drill for dowels. Turn every leg with its 1¾" face to the front. Use a dowel jig and a ⅜" bit, holes ¾" deep in both parts, centred on the thickness, outside faces flush. Front and back aprons: two holes, ½" from the top and bottom edges. Side aprons: two holes 1" from the top and bottom, so they miss the others inside the leg. Lower rails: ½" from the top and bottom, top edge 6" up the leg.
- 5 Build the two sides. Sand every part to 180 first. Glue ⅜" × 1½" dowels into a front leg and a back leg with a side apron (flush with the leg tops) and a lower rail between them. Clamp, check for square, and let it set. Make the second side.
- 6 Join the sides. Glue and dowel the front and back aprons between the two sides, top edges flush with the legs. Clamp, measure the diagonals, and push the long corner in until they match. Wipe off the squeeze-out.
- 7 Notch the shelf. Set the front and back shelf boards on the lower rails and trace round the legs. Cut a 1¾" × 1 11/16" notch at each end with a jigsaw or handsaw. The middle board needs no notches.
- 8 Fit the shelf. Lay the three boards on the rails, outer boards flush with the outside of the legs and about ¾" between boards. At each board end, counterbore ½" deep, drill a clearance hole and rock the drill front to back to make a short slot. Drive #8 × 3" screws into the rails. The slots let the boards move.
- 9 Attach the top. Chisel or drill a shallow recess in the top edge of the front and back aprons for two figure-8 fasteners each, and screw them on. Lay the top upside down on a blanket, centre the frame on it (1¼" overhang at the sides, 1" front and back) and screw the fasteners to the top with #8 × ⅝" screws.
- 10 Finish. Ease the edges, sand to 220 and wipe on 2–3 coats of hardwax oil or water-based poly on every face, including under the top. Add felt pads under the legs.
Why dowels? The apron and rail ends are end grain, and glue alone holds very little there. Two dowels per joint give the glue long-grain surfaces to grab and keep the parts lined up. A dowel jig makes the holes match without fuss.
Why figure-8 fasteners? The top is 16" across its grain, so it grows and shrinks about ⅛" with the seasons. Figure-8s pivot as it moves, so the top stays flat and the frame stays tight.
Why slotted holes in the shelf? The shelf slats cross the rails. A short slot at each screw lets each slat move a little without cracking.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Drawer look: glue a thin false drawer front with a wooden knob to the front apron.
- Solid shelf: edge-glue the three shelf boards into one panel and fix it with the same slotted screws.
- Charging slot: drill a 1" hole near the back of the top for a phone cable.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Cut the short aprons with a stop block on the mitre saw. Never cut short pieces against the table-saw fence.
- Rip board 1 with a splitter and push stick — the legs are long, thick strips.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
18" wide and 16" deep with S4S boards, or 14" deep with S2S. That fits a lamp, a phone and a book or two.
Yes. Run it down the back between the top and the wall, or drill a 1" hole near the back edge of the top before you finish it.
Each nightstand uses one full pack, so buy two packs. Pick them in the same species so the colours match.
Planned offcuts only: about 1" off each leg strip, a short end off boards 2, 3 and 5, and the narrow strip left after ripping the aprons from board 4. All 5 boards go into the nightstand.
No. The legs need 23" each, two to a strip, which takes a 4ft board. A 2ft 8/4 pack suits our chunky bookends or heavy door stops instead.
