This project was built and designed by Mark from Gunflint Designs.
Mark returns to his bedroom to revisit a pair of earlier builds, a raised bed frame and a single walnut nightstand, before setting out to make a matching pair of nightstands that better fit how he and his wife actually use the space. The original nightstand looked great with its open shelf, but that shelf sat mostly unused, so this time around he set out to build two nearly identical tables with drawers instead of open storage.
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From Prototype to Redesign
Before starting on the finished pieces, Mark reflects on the original nightstand he built as a prototype years earlier. He liked how it turned out visually, but the open shelf never got used, and in a bedroom where storage matters, that wasted space bothered him. The new design keeps the same overall proportions and walnut material, but swaps the shelf for a bank of drawers on each table.
Rather than build one table and copy it exactly, Mark builds both nightstands side by side so any lessons learned on the first apply immediately to the second. This approach cuts down on repeated mistakes and keeps the pair as close to identical as possible.
Leg and Top Joinery
The legs and tops are joined using a series of interlocking notches cut on the table saw with a dado blade, a miter gauge, and a stop block for repeatable cuts. Mark first tests the setup on scrap material to dial in the shoulder widths before committing to the actual legs and top pieces.
One hurdle comes from needing to flip parts around to cut matching joints on opposite faces, which conflicts with the built-in fence stop on his miter gauge. He solves this by swapping in a flat, sacrificial block of walnut that lets stock slide past without catching, giving him a reliable registration surface for cutting all eight legs consistently.
He also takes time to inspect each leg for grain and minor imperfections, choosing which faces will show and which will hide the joinery. That extra sorting step helps keep the finished tables looking clean and intentional rather than random.
Assembly Strategy
Because the leg-to-top joinery locks every piece together at once, Mark can’t glue up the sides and top separately the way he originally hoped. Instead, he has to bring both side assemblies and the top together in a single glue-up, since the tight-fitting joints won’t allow parts to be added after the fact.
To manage this, he pre-fits everything dry first, then works through a planned sequence: gluing and loosely assembling one side, then the other, then adding glue around the top’s edges before pulling the whole structure together and clamping at multiple points. The back panel and bottom rail are left for later, since they can be slid into their grooves and secured with glue on just one edge, simplifying the process without weakening the final joint.
Working through the glue-up on the first table lets Mark refine his sequence, and the second nightstand comes together more smoothly as a result.
Final Touches and Wiring
With the main structure clamped and drying, Mark turns to a small but useful feature: a power strip mounted inside the back of each nightstand. Before installing it, he cuts an opening for the cord to pass through, since the unit he found doesn’t route its cable out the front the way he’d prefer.
Running the cord through the back and out a cutout near the bottom lets him tuck the power strip out of sight while still giving each side of the bed convenient outlets for a lamp, alarm clock, or phone charger.
A Perfect Match
Reflecting on the visible joinery at the top of the legs, Mark notes that the connection relies mainly on glue beneath the shoulder, a detail that worried him on the original nightstand. Years later, that piece has shown no signs of separating, and the new design should be even more stable since the side panels extend up and lock the legs in place, keeping wood movement contained to one direction.
Once both nightstands are finished and set in place, the improvement is obvious, especially for his wife, whose old nightstand had been a mismatched, drawer-pull-less relic tucked away for years. Seeing two matching walnut nightstands flanking the bed finally ties the whole room together.
See Mark’s plans here: https://www.gunflintdesigns.com/project-plans
Matt’s Take
These are my personal thoughts and tips based on my own experience in the shop. This section is not written, reviewed, or endorsed by the original creator of this project.
Building two nightstands side by side instead of one at a time is a smart move, and it’s a technique worth stealing for any project where you need a matching pair. Little inconsistencies in setup or technique tend to creep in over time, and working both pieces together at every stage keeps them honest against each other instead of against your memory of what you did last week.
That interlocking notch joinery on the table saw is a great example of why sacrificial fences and stop blocks earn their keep in a shop. Anytime you’re flipping parts to cut mirrored joints, factory miter gauge fences can get in the way, and a simple auxiliary block solves that without needing a fancy jig. It’s also worth remembering that dado blades demand extra caution with hand placement and push blocks, especially on smaller leg stock where fingers end up closer to the blade than you’d like.
The single glue-up assembly is the part that would make me slow down and dry-fit everything twice before committing. With interlocking joinery like this, there’s no going back once glue hits the wood, so having a clear sequence and enough clamps ready ahead of time makes all the difference between a calm glue-up and a stressful one. Setting up extra hands or even a rehearsal run-through with no glue at all is never a bad idea on a build like this.
Building in a hidden power strip is a nice modern touch, and it’s a good reminder to always check the cord routing on any electrical component before installing it permanently. A little extra planning there saves you from cutting a second opening later.