american woodworker - giant shop cabinet

This project originally appeared in American Woodworker magazine.For subscription information, visit www.americanwoodworker.com

Giant Shop Cabinet

PROJECT PLAN

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If your workshop seems cluttered and yourworkbench is always covered with stuff,you need this cabinet. It packs 30 cubic ft. of

storage, enough for all of those got-to-havesupplies, from screws to paint cans. Everythingis readily accessible, without reaching, becausethe big pantry-style doors open wide. We’vepacked a room-full of storage into a cabinet thesize of a fridge—only 30-in. wide, 24-in. deepand 6-ft. tall. Best of all, this cabinet is easy tobuild. You and a buddy could whip together acouple of these beasts over a three-day weekend.

Tools and MaterialsTo build this cabinet, you’ll need a tablesaw witha 30-in.-capacity rip fence and an outfeed table,a dado set and a router with a 1/2-in. diameterstraight bit. You’ll also need a drill/driver, abunch of clamps, glue, lots of screws, a hinge bit,a hack saw and help from a friend to cut the bigsheets of plywood.

All of the materials you need to build thecabinet, except for the rare-earth magnet doorcatches, are available at your local home center(see Sources and Shopping List, page 96). It canbe built for as little as $250. By using birch

plywood and metal shelf standards and clipsthroughout, we spent $350.You can save close to$60 by substituting AB exterior gradeplywood, but it’s considerably harder towork with. Besides, it’s just plain ugly.Standards and clips work great tomount the shelves in the outer doors,but by mounting the ones inside thecabinet with wooden cleats or bydrilling holes for shelf pins, you cansave another $25.

Getting StartedMeasure the thickness of yoursheet stock before you start cutting.It’s often up to 1/32-in. thinner thanyou’d expect. The Cutting List on page96 shows which pieces will be affectedif you’ve got skinny plywood. It’s bestnot to cut these pieces until you needthem, so you can adjust thedimensions.

We’ve arranged the cabinet’s pieceson the plywood so you can cut them allto final size on your tablesaw, usingonly the rip fence. You should recruit a

88 A m e r i c a n Wo o d w o r k e r DECEMBER 2001

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By Tim Johnson

Organize tons and tons of woodworkingsupplies with room to spare.

A m e r i c a n Wo o d w o r k e r DECEMBER 2001 89

A13

A2

A4

A1

A9

A11

A5

A7

A3

A12

B5

B4

B1

B2

B3

B6

A10 A1

33''

31-3

/4''37

-3/4

''

1/2''W X 1/2''DRABBET #6 x 1'' FH

SCREW (TYP.)

3/4'' X 3''NOTCH

35''

3/4''W X 1/4''DDADO (TYP.)

4''

3/4"W X 3/8"DRABBET ALLAROUND

5/8''WX 3/16"DDADO

5/8'' WIDESHOULDER

3/4''W X 1/2''DRABBET

#6 x 1-1/4'' FHSCREW (TYP.)

DADOFOR A5

4''

DADOFOR A7

#6 x 1-1/4'' FHSCREW (TYP.)


FIG.A: CABINET AND OUTER DOORS

FIG. B:BIRD’S-EYEVIEW A

B

BC

D

Simple glued-and-screwed

joinery makes this cabinet

easy to build.


buddy to help you make the first cuts ineach sheet (Fig. D “Buddy Cuts,”in red). Ifyou’re a lone wolf, it’s safest to make thesecuts with a circular saw and a straightedge.

The long pieces (cabinet sides, centerdivider, door fronts and frame sides) arearranged so you can cut them to exactlength from the short end of the full-length sheets (Photo 1). First, mark theirexact length on the plywood. Then, makea second mark 1/8-in. beyond the first, tomark the width of the saw kerf. Set thefence to cut the distance from the wasteend of the plywood to the second mark.

Initial crosscuts leave most of thecabinet’s long pieces cut to length. Theyalso result in manageable-sized piecesthat you can handle yourself. Crosscutthe remaining long pieces (one doorframe piece and the center divider) tolength the same way, from full-lengthsections, after making an initial rip cut inthe fourth sheet of plywood. Convinceyour buddy to stick around and help youmake these cuts, too.

Build the CabinetRabbet the top and back edges of thecabinet sides (Fig.A, Parts A1 and Photo2). Then cut dadoes for the center divider(A2) and fixed shelves (A3, A5 and A7).

I forgot to stop! The phone rangjust as I was ready to cut thestopped dado for the middle shelf.Distracted by the call, I went backto work and zipped right throughmy stop mark.Oh well, it’s only a shop cabinet.

The through dado won’t hurtanything but my pride. Had Ithought of it, a clamped-on stopblock, instead of a pencil line, wouldhave kept me from screwing up.Next time I’ll just let the phone

ring.That’s safer, anyway.

1CUT THE CABINET’S LONG PIECES from the short end offull-sized sheets.You’ll need a buddy to help maneuver theungainly sheet and keep the big offcut under control.With

careful measuring, the cut-off piece will be exactly the right length,ready to be ripped to width.

3 ROUT PERFECTDADOES FORTHE SHELVES

with a 1/2-in. straight bit and a T-square-style

jig made from scrap.Make the wide dado intwo passes, the second

with a spacer heldbetween the jig’s fence

and the base of the router.

2 RABBET THE CABINET SIDES for the top and back,using an auxiliary fence (Part X1) and a featherboard.By housing the dado set, the fence allows you to

match the width of the rabbet to the thickness of the plywood top.The featherboard acts as a blade guard andensures a consistent depth of cut.

EXACTLENGTH

WASTE

SHORT END

AUXILIARYFENCE

HOUSEDDADO SET

FEATHER-BOARD

CABINETSIDE

SPACER

JIGFENCE

SECONDCUT

WIDTH OFFULL CUT

T-SQUAREARM

Caution: The blade guard must be removed for this cut. Be careful.

3/8" WCHAMFER

3/4"

1/2"

1/2"

2X4 OR 2X6STOCK

L-SCREW

C1

C3 D3

D1

D4

D6

C4

C5

C2 C6

D2

D7

4-3/4''

2-3/4''

1/4''W X 3/8''DDADO (TYP.)

3/4W'' X 3/8''DRABBET (TYP.)

#6 X 1-1/4'' FHSCREW (TYP.)

#6 X 1'' FHSCREW (TYP.)

3''

#4 X 3/4''FH SCREW

A6

A8

1/2'' DIA. MAGNET5/8''MAGNETCUP 5/8''

MAGNETWASHER

5/8"DIA.HOLE1/4"D

FIG. C: LEFT AND RIGHT INNER DOORS

FIG. D: PLYWOOD CUTTING DIAGRAM

A6

X1

A8

A1

B4 B4

B1

X2

D2

C2

A9A12

A2

B2

B3

A5 A7

A4

A3

D1

C1

A1B1

D1

C1

D2

C2

DETAIL 1:INNER DOORSHELVES

GET YOURBUDDY’S HELPWITH THIS CUT

SECONDBUDDY CUT

BUDDY CUT

BUDDY CUT

FIRST BUDDY CUT

THIRD BUDDY CUT



Perfectly fitting dadoes are easy to cutwith a router equipped with a 1/2-in.straight-cutting bit, a spacer and a T-square jig (Photo 3). Used on the secondpass, the 1/4-in. spacer makes a 3/4-in.-wide dado. If your plywood is on thethin side of 3/4-in., your spacer will haveto be thinner.Rout end-to-end dadoes forthe full-depth bottom shelf, and stoppeddadoes for the narrower middle shelves.

Every joint is glued and screwed.Assemble the cabinet, using clampingbrackets (X2) to hold it square (Photo 4).Then, fit the center divider and secure it.Install the middle shelves. They’re offsetso both sides can be fastened to the centerdivider.

Install the nail strip (A9), perf-boardback (A10) and fill strip (A11). The topof the perf-board should be flush with thetop of the cabinet. Finally, install the toekick (A12) and glue on the door stops(A13).

The Outer DoorsRabbet the edges of the door fronts (Fig.A, Parts B1). Fasten the frame sides (B2),and add the ends (B3). Next, dado theshelves (B4) to fit around the shelfstandards (Photos 5 and 6). Add a shimto your dado set to allow a bit of side-to-side clearance for the standards.You haveto flip and re-clamp the pieces for eachpass. After all four dadoes are cut, gluelips (B5), made from ripped-down 2x4stock, on the shelf fronts. Then, use theshelves to install the standards in thedoors. Be sure to push the standards tothe bottom of the door frame beforenailing so the shelves will sit level.

Clamp the doors to the cabinet so youcan install the hinges (Photo 7). Propthe door in place on a simple stand.Then,clamp it to a cantilevered straightedge(use piece X1) and to the cabinet. Thestraightedge ensures the door will beflush with the top of the cabinet.Clamping the door and cabinet sidestogether removes any bow, so the doorwill swing freely, once it’s hinged.A perf-board spacer between the door and thecabinet side creates room for the hingebarrel.

When you’ve got the door positioned,cut the piano hinges to length and install

4 PLYWOOD CLAMPING BRACKETS KEEP THE CABINET SQUARE and letyou glue and screw it together, one side at a time, without big pipe clamps.We’ve included the eight brackets you need in the plywood cutting diagrams

(Fig. D, Parts X2).

6NAILING THESTANDARDS

IS A CINCHbecause the dadoedshelves hold them in

place for you. Needle-nosed pliers are much

better nail-holdingdevises than your

fingers!

5 GANG THESHELVESTOGETHER

FOR DADOING.Abacker board keepsthe dado set fromblowing out the back-side of the last shelf.The auxiliary fence’sextra height keeps thestack steady.

CLAMPINGBRACKET

BACKERBOARD

AUXILIARYFENCE

FINGERSAVER

SHELFSTANDARD

them, using sheet metal screws (Photo8). Center the hinge between the edgesof the cabinet and door, with the barrelfacing you, and predrill holes for thescrews with a self-centering hinge bit.

The Inner DoorsRabbet the door frame sides (Fig. C,Parts C1 and D1) for the ends (C2, D2).Then cut dadoes in them for the perf-board panels (C3, D3). Like plywood,perf-board is often thinner than itsstated thickness. If yours is less than1/4-in. thick, you’ll have to use a regularblade in your tablesaw instead of yourdado set. Make two passes, adjustingthe fence between cuts.

Once glued in the dadoes, these perf-board panels make the doors strongand rigid. Hold the frames square whenyou glue and screw the doors together.

Mounting the inner doors is similarto mounting the outer doors, but thehinges are fastened to the plywood facesinstead of the edges.

To prop the inner doors at the rightheight, just stack two pieces of 3/4-in.plywood (door shelves work great) ontop of the little stand used for mountingthe outer doors. Tape an 11/16-in.-wideperf-board spacer to the front edge ofthe center divider. Position the dooragainst the front of the cabinet, opened180 degrees and resting on top of the


8 MOUNT THE HINGES WITHSHEET METAL SCREWS.Theyhave sharp threads that grip much

better than the puny screws suppliedwith the hinges.Alternate the screwsbetween the cabinet and the door sotheir heads won’t bind.

7 CLAMP THE DOORSIN POSITION BEFOREINSTALLING THE

HINGES, using a shop-madestand, a perf-board spacer anda straightedge extending fromthe top of the cabinet. Makesure the edges of the doorand cabinet are flush.

STRAIGHT-EDGE

EDGESFLUSH

4" TALLSTAND

SPACER

ALTERNATESIDES

ROUND-HEADSHEETMETAL

SCREWSPIANOHINGE


raised-up stand. In this position, the door you’remounting will cover the opening on the oppositeside of the cabinet and its hinge side will be flush with the hinge side of the center divider. They’ll beseparated by the spacer.

Hold the door against the spacer and cabinet witha clamp at the top. Center the barrel of the hinge (withthe barrel facing you, just like on the outer doors) inthe space between the door and cabinet and installone screw on each side, in alternating holes. Theninstall a couple screws at the bottom of the hinge,using knee pressure to hold the door against thecabinet. With the hinge secured top and bottom,finish installing the hinge screws.

Finishing TouchesNotching the cabinet’s adjustable shelves (Fig. C,Parts A6 and A8) makes it easy to mount the shelfstandards in the cabinet. You can also add shelvesmade from 2x4 and 2x6 stock to the perf-boarddoors (Fig. C, Detail 1). Fasten lips (B5, C5, D6 andD7) to all door-mounted shelves.

Mount the door handles, rare-earth-magnetcatches (two per door) and the latch. Move thecabinet into position, level it and anchor it securely tothe wall. Then get organized.

PPAARRTT DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN PPIIEECCEESS DDIIMMEENNSSIIOONNSS

A CABINET 1 18 x 30 x 72A1 Sides 2 3/4 x 18 x 72A2 Center Divider 1 3/4 x 17-1/2 x 67A3 Bottom Shelf 1 3/4 x 17-1/2 x 29A4 Top 1 3/4 x 17-1/2 x 29-1/2A5 Left Fixed Shelf 1 3/4 x 11-11/16 x 14-3/8A6 Left Adjust. Shelves 4 3/4 x 11-11/16 x 13-3/4A7 Right Fixed Shelf 1 3/4 x 9-7/16 x 14-3/8A8 Right Adjust. Shelves 4 3/4 x 9-7/16 x 13-3/4A9 Nail Strip 1 3/4 x 3 x 28-1/2A10 Back 1 1/4 x 29-1/2 x 68-3/4A11 Fill Strip 1 1/4 x 3 x 29-1/2A12 Toe Kick 1 3/4 x 4 x 28-1/2A13 Door Stops 2 1/4 x 3/4 x 3B OUTER DOORS 2 5-5/8 x 14-15/16 x 68B1 Fronts 2 3/4 x 14-15/16 x 68B2 Frame Sides 4 3/4 x 5-1/4 x 68B3 Frame Ends 4 3/4 x 5-1/4 x 13-7/16B4 Shelves 20 3/4 x 4-5/8 x 13-5/16B5 Shelf Lips 20 3/16 x 1 x 13B6 Bottom Shelf Lips 2 3/16 x 5/16 x 13C LEFT INNER DOOR 1 5-3/4 x 11-1/2 x 65-1/2C1 Frame Sides 2 3/4 x 5-3/4 x 65-1/2C2 Frame Ends 2 3/4 x 5-3/4 x 10-3/4C3 Panel 1 1/4 x 10-3/4 x 64-3/4C4 Shelves 8 1-1/4 x 2-1/2 x 9-7/8C5 Shelf Lips 8 3/16 x 3/4 x 9-7/8C6 Bottom Shelf Lips 2 3/16 x 5/16 x 9-7/8D RIGHT INNER DOOR 1 8 x 10-1/4 x 65-1/2D1 Frame Sides 2 3/4 x 8 x 65-1/2D2 Frame Ends 2 3/4 x 8 x 9-1/2D3 Panel 1 1/4 x 9-1/2 x 64-3/4D4 Front Shelves 4 1-1/4 x 4-1/2 x 8-5/8D5 Back Shelves 4 1-1/4 x 2-3/4 x 8-5/8D6 Shelf Lips 8 3/16 x 3/4 x 8-5/8D7 Bottom Shelf Lips 2 3/16 x 5/16 x 8-5/8X1 Auxiliary Fence 1 3/4 x 4 x 34X2 Clamping Brackets 8 3/4 x 13-1/2 x 13-1/2

CAUTION:THIS CABINET MUST BE SECURELY ANCHORED TO A WALL.

CUTTING LISTOVERALL DIMENSIONS W/ DOORS CLOSED 23-7/8 D x 30 W x 72 HOVERALL DIMENSIONS W/ DOORS OPEN 18 D x 60-1/2 W x 72 H

DIMENSIONS IN BLUE: Sheet stock may be thinner than stated dimension.DIMENSIONS IN RED: Cut slightly longer if plywood is thinner than 3/4 in.

Shopping List PIECES DESCRIPTION

4 3/4" x 4' x 8' Birch Plywood2 1/4" x 4' x 8' Perf-Board4 1-1/2" x 72" Piano Hinges16 6' Shelf Standards112 Shelf Supports (as shown)2 8' 2x4s (clear)1 4' 2x6 (clear)32 #3 1-3/4-in. L-screws4 Rare-Earth Magnet Catch Sets

1 box 1" #6 Flat-Head Sheet Metal Screws

2 boxes 1-1/4" #6 Flat-Head Sheet Metal Screws

1 box 3/4" #6 Round-Head Sheet Metal Screws

SourcesRare-Earth Magnet Catch Sets (4 required),1/2-in. dia. magnet, #99K31.03; $ .80 each5/8-in. dia. magnet cup, #99K32.53; $ .50 each5/8-in. dia. washer, #99K32.63; $ .43 each.Lee Valley Tools Ltd., (800) 871-8158, www.leevalley.com

You won’tbelieve howmuch junkyou can fitinto thisamazing cabinet.

american woodworker - giant shop cabinet

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