I’ve been contemplating a credenza build almost since we moved in, a place to store office supplies and files, but it hasn’t been a priority. Recently in between projects, I decided on an interim solution for my storage woes. A small chest of drawers sized to fit on one of my magazine stands could serve to hold the odds and ends that haven’t found a home in my office yet and could be repurposed after that happy day in the future when I’ve built that credenza.

A small chest is an interesting project for a number of reasons. The small scale makes it a manageable effort while the joinery involved–drawer and carcase construction, web frames, veneering–can also be used to build larger chests, making it an ideal way to work through the challenges and techniques of chest building before attempting larger pieces. The small scale also provides a chance to use smaller pieces of figured wood. Read more.