DIY Dog Bed With Storage Drawer

I know you know this already, but Titan is my number one dude… and it’s been a while since I’ve made him something fun. So, I recently decided to build him a new dog bed with a storage drawer to hide all of his grooming supplies (he has a lot). Someone’s gotta keep this pupper looking sharp! I decided to get super fancy on this one, and make him a patterned plywood drawer front (because, why not), and I’m super stoked to show you how I made it all happen!

How To Build A Dog Bed With Storage

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I’m a total sucker for multipurpose projects. That’s why when I decided to make Titan a new dog bed, I knew it had to have storage for his grooming supplies (it’s coat blowing season around these parts and those brushes are too important to misplace).

While this dog bed build is fairly simple, I wanted to give it a cool element of surprise, so I decided to try my hand at patterned plywood again and create a fun chevron patterned drawer front for his new pad (you can thank Michael Alm for my patterned plywood obsession).

Ready to see how I made this “puppy” (… I think I’ll keep my day job)? Let’s get started!

What I Used:

Materials
(1) ¾” Sheet Plywood
(1) ½ Sheet ¼” Plywood
Dowels
1 ¼” Wood Screws
1 ¼” Pocket Hole Screws
1 ¼” Brad Nails
Wood Finish
Drawer Pull
Upholstered Dog Bed/Cushion

The Steps:

1. I started with planning my drawer front by cutting some ¾” plywood into 12 ¾” strips.

3. The next day I removed the panel from the clamps and ran it through my planer to clean up any excess glue.

4. I then cut the panel into 45 degree strips on my table saw.

5. After cutting these strips, I flipped every other piece over and glued them together to create a fun chevron pattern (you can see this in action on my YouTube video)!

6. While the panel dried, I began to cut the rest of my pieces for the dog bed from plywood. Here’s my (correct) cut list!

¾” Plywood:
(1) Back Panel @ 10 ½ x 29 ½”
(2) Side Panels @ 10 ½ x 18 ½”
(1) Bottom Panel @17 ½ x 27 ¾”
(1) Shelf @17 ½ x 27 ¾”
(2) Drawer Sides @ 4 ¼ x 16″
(1) Drawer Box Back @ 4 ¼ x 26 ½”
(1) Drawer Box Back @ 4 ¼ x 26 ½”

¼” Plywood:
(1) Drawer Bottom @ 15 ¼ x 27 ¼”

7. Next, I attached the two side panels to the bottom panel and back panel of the dog bed using dowels and wood glue.

8. I then allowed those to dry in clamps and began to work on the drawer box. I slide the bottom panel into dado grooves that I cut into each of the drawer box pieces and attached the four sides of my drawer box using wood glue and countersunk screws.

At this point, I also wanted to add a decorative element, so I added decorative dowels and then trimmed them flush to the drawer box using my Dremel Multi-Max and Oscillating Tool Universal Carbide Flush Cutting Blade. This is totally optional, though!

9. While the drawer box dried, I cut the legs for the dog bed with my jig saw and then attached them to the bed using wood screws and glue. You can find all of the awesome details on these legs on my friend Shara’s website! She designed them and they look AMAZING. 

10. Next, I attached the shelf that the dog bed mattress will sit on using pocket hole screws and wood glue.

11. I then inserted the drawer box, finished and attached the drawer front by first pinning it into place with my M18 Fuel Cordless Brad Nailer and then attaching it permanently with my drill.
 

12. I also made sure to give the entire dog bed a sanding to 220 grit and then finished it using my preferred wood finish (I used furniture oil for the drawer front and polyurethane for the rest of the bed).

13. Last step was to install the drawer pull and the mattress!

Not only am I stoked on this build, but I think Titan is as well!

Honestly, I think my favorite part about this dog bed is that gorgeous patterned plywood drawer to house all of Titan’s grooming equipment like his new Dremel Cordless Pet Grooming Kit.

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Until next time, friends! Happy DIY’ing!