Cabinet building plans

This step by step diy woodworking project is about cabinet building plans. If you want to learn more about building a simple Harrison cabinet with bottom doors, we recommend you to pay attention to the instructions described in the article. There are so many designs and plans to choose from when building projects for your home, so make sure you take a look over the related woodworking projects that are featured on our site.

Before starting the actual construction project, we recommend you to plan everything, as to save money and to keep the costs under control. Adjust the size and the design of the wooden table to suit your needs. In addition, we recommend you to invest in high-quality materials, such as pine, redwood or cedar, as they have a nice finish and are highly durable, especially in a humid environment.

If you don’t have a rich expertise in woodworking field, you should ask a friend to give you a hand with the project. There are many things that you could go wrong, so make sure you plan everything and invest in quality materials. Select the lumber with attention, making sure the components are perfectly straight and in a very good condition. Use a carpentry square to check if the corners are right-angled. See all my Premium Plans in the Shop.

Made from this plan

Building a cabinet

Materials

A – 2 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 12 1/2″ x 83 1/4″ long, 2 pieces – 2 1/4″ x 34 1/2″ long SIDES
B – 5 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 12 1/2″ x 34 1/2″ long SHELVES
C – 1 piece of 3/4″ plywood – 34 1/2″ x 80 1/4″ long BACK
D – 2 piece of 1×2 lumber – 81″ long, 4 pieces of 1×3 lumber – 33″ long, 1 piece of 1×4 lumber – 36″ long TRIMS
E – 2 pieces of 2×2 lumber – 14 3/4″ long, 1 piece – 39″ long TOP
F – 2 piece of 1×3 lumber – 31 3/8″ long, 2 pieces – 11 5/16″ long, 1 piece of 1/2″ plywood – 26 3/8″ x 11 5/16″ long 2xDOOR

2 pieces of 3/4″ plywood – 4’x8′
1 piece of 1/2″ plywood – 2’x4′
2 pieces of 1×2 lumber – 8 ft
3 pieces of 1×3 lumber – 8 ft
1 piece of 2×2 lumber – 6 ft
1 1/4″ screws
glue, stain
wood filler

Tools

Safety gloves, glasses, Miter saw, jigsaw
Chalk line, tape measure, spirit level, carpentry pencil
Drill machinery and drill bits

Tips

Apply several coats of wood stain to the wooden components
Fill the holes with wood filler and smooth the surface

Time

One Day

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Building the frame of the cabinet

The first step of the woodworking project is to build the frame of the cabinet. Therefore, build the sides out of 3/4″ plywood, as well as for the bottom supports. Cut the supports at the right size and drill pocket holes at both ends. Fit the supports between the sides and secure them into place using 1 1/4″ screws. Add glue to the joints and remove the excess using a damp cloth. Make sure the corners are square.

Fitting the top and bottom components

Next, you have to fit the bottom and the top components to the cabinet. Use 3/4″ plywood to make the components and smooth the edges with sandpaper. Drill pocket holes at both ends of the bottom component and along the top edge of the sides. Align the edges with great care and leave no gaps between the components. Insert 1 1/4″ screws and add glue to the joints. Alternative you could drill countersunk pilot holes and insert the screws.

Attaching the back

Build the back out of 3/4″ plywood and smooth the edges with sandpaper. Drill pocket holes along the four edges and fit the back to the frame. Make sure the edges are flush and insert 1 1/4″ screws into the frame of the cabinet.

Fitting the shelves

Build the shelves out of 3/4″ plywood and drill pocket holes along the side and back edges. Fit the shelves to the cabinet, making sure they are equally-spaced. Insert 1 1/4″ screws and glue to secure the shelves to the frame of the cabinet, making sure they are horizontal.

Fitting the front trims

In order to enhance the look of the cabinet, you need to fit trims to the front face of the cabinet. As you can notice in the diagram, we recommend you to use 1×2 lumber for the sides and 1×3 lumber for the horizontal trims. The bottom trim should be 3″ wide, so cut it out of 1×4 lumber. Secure the trims to the cabinet using brad nails and glue.

Building the doors

Build the frame of the doors out of 1×3 lumber. Drill pocket holes at both ends of the horizontal components and insert 1 1/4″ screws into the vertical components. Align the edges and leave no gaps between the components. Build the panels out of 1/2″ plywood and drill pocket holes along the edges. Fit the panels to the frame and secure it to the frame with 1 1/4″ screws. Add glue to the joints and remove the excess with a damp cloth.

Fitting the doors

Fit the doors to the opening and secure them to the frame using appropriate hinges. Make sure there is an even 1/8″ gap around the doors. Fit handles and check if the doors open and close easily.

Fitting the top trims

Fit 2×2 trims to the top of the cabinet. Cut the ends at 45 degrees and secure them to the frame using brad nails and glue. Leave no gaps and remove the excess with a damp cloth.

Cabinet building plans

Last but not least, we recommend you to take care of the finishing touches. Fill the holes with wood filler and let it to dry out for several hours. Afterwards, smooth the wooden surface with fine-grit sandpaper and vacuum the residues.

Smart tip: Apply several coats of stain or paint to the wooden components, if you want to protect them from decay and to enhance the look of the cabinet building plans.

Thank you for reading our project about cabinet building plans and we recommend you to check out the rest of the projects. Don’t forget to share our projects with your friends and LIKE us, by using the social media widgets, if you want to be the first that gets our latest articles.

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