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Building this cabinet as two separate carcasses — a base box and a top box — rather than one tall case is what lets every pocket hole disappear: the top carcass gets its pocket holes on its own top edge, and the base carcass gets its on the underside, so once the two are stacked and joined, nothing shows on the visible faces. Rip your plywood into 15-1/4" strips first, since every carcass part comes from those strips.
Each carcass gets an extra bay support at the back for structure, pocket holes facing upward into the ends — the base carcass gets a second bay support as well, with its pocket holes facing the back of the cabinet, since the base carcass also carries a fixed bottom shelf that needs planned-ahead pocket holes into its underside. Get this planning right before you build the bottom shelf in, since drilling into an assembled carcass afterward is much harder than planning it up front.
The 1/4" plywood back panel is glued and nailed on last, working around the carcass to square everything up against the back panel's factory-square edges — this is what squares the whole cabinet, not clamps or measuring. Shelves can be fixed in place or hung on shelf pins for adjustability; if going adjustable, trim the shelf length about 1/8" shorter so it can be maneuvered into place without binding.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-1/4" strips, full sheet | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 1/4" underlayment or hardwood plywood, full sheet | 1 each |
| Edge banding, 3/4" wide, 25 ft | 1 each |
| Cabinet doors, 30-3/4" x 14-3/4" | 2 each |
| Frameless full overlay concealed hinges, pair | 2 set |
| Shelf pins (if using adjustable shelves) | 1 set |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 45 each |
| Brad nails, 3/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Cabinet paint | 1 set |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Carcass sides3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-1/4" strips, full sheetCut first from the ripped strips. | 4 | 3/4" × 15 1/4" × 33 1/2" |
| Carcass tops, bottoms, and shelf3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-1/4" strips, full sheetCut after the 33-1/2" pieces. | 5 | 3/4" × 15 1/4" × 28 1/2" |
| Bay supports1x3, 8 ft | 5 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 28 1/2" |
| Back panel1/4" underlayment or hardwood plywood, full sheet | 1 | 1/4" × 30" × 68" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
2 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Build the base carcass and the top carcass, placing pocket holes on the top carcass at its top edge, and on the base carcass at its bottom edge, so both stay hidden once stacked.
Add a bay support at the back of both carcasses, pocket holes facing upward into the ends. Add a second bay support to just the base carcass, pocket holes facing the back, planning ahead for the bottom shelf.
Attach the bottom shelf to the base carcass with pocket holes into its underside.
Cut the back panel pieces. Glue the backs of both carcasses, line up a factory edge of the plywood to the side of each carcass, and nail down with 3/4" brad nails, squaring the carcass to the panel's edges as you go.
Attach shelves fixed in place, or drill shelf pin holes for adjustable shelves, trimming the shelf length about 1/8" if going adjustable.
Apply edge banding to the door panel edges, then install the doors with the frameless concealed hinges for full overlay doors.
Sand all surfaces and apply cabinet paint.
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