| Waterbed pedestal base
I sleep in a king-size waterbed with a captain's pedestal base. There is no 2x material use in its construction. A waterbed distributes its weight across the base using the deck boards (plywood) that lie on top of the base. Typically, 1/2" plywood is sufficient.
The difference between a captain's base and a double set of drawers are a cabinet with a door on each corner. The whole base is made in 3 parts, two of which are mirror-image. The 3rd part is a door in a frame that covers the gap between the backs of each side unit, allowing long items to be stored up the middle for the full length of the bed. Each side unit contains:
cabinet with door
stacked drawers
stacked drawers
cabinet with door
The cabinet doors and the drawer faces are all oriented in the same direction. The full configuration yields 8 drawers, 4 corner cabinets, 1 long space up the middle. The side units are very light and can easily be moved by two people due to their bulk. I recommend that you visit a waterbed store and ask to see the double-drawer units and captain's pedestal units to see how they are constructed. The exterior is just stained and sealed knotty pine.
Google for 'waterbed pedestal' to see some pictures of how these units are designed.
The tolerances on the drawers and doors are quite generous which might allow you to build them with a few good tools.  |