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A straightforward plywood box, but the acrylic-glass door fronts are what make it worth building over a plain shelf unit — infrared remotes see straight through them, so a cable box or streaming device can live behind closed doors instead of out on the shelf. The center divider splits the cabinet into two roughly equal bays, each with its own shelf and door, so you're really building two smaller cabinets side by side rather than one wide one — which keeps the plywood spans short enough that shelves don't need center support.
Build order matters here: the top glue-up needs a flat clamped surface and time to dry, so start it early and work on the case while it sets. Euro hinges are forgiving to adjust after the fact (that's their whole appeal over surface hinges), so don't agonize over getting the door reveal perfect on the first try — hang it, check the 1/8" gaps, and tweak the hinge cups until it's even.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheetOne and a half sheets needed. Rip into 15-3/4" wide strips with the grain for sides, shelves, and top. | 2 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 4x8 sheetCabinet back. | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x2, 8 ft | 4 each |
| Pine, 2x2, 8 ft | 4 each |
| Pine, 1x6, 6 ftDoor panels — cut to fit the actual openings. | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x3, 8 ft | 3 each |
| Acrylic sheet, 1/4" thick, 30" x 24"For the door insert glass — lets remote signals through a closed door. | 1 each |
| Knobs | 6 each |
| Euro-style hinges | 4 pair |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 6 oz |
| Wood filler | 1 each |
| Sandpaper, assorted grit | 6 sheet |
| Stain or paint | 1 quart |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sides3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 26 1/4" |
| Main shelves and top blank3/4" plywood | 3 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 55" |
| Center divider3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 17 1/2" |
| Adjustable shelves3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 27 1/8" |
| Side trimPine | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| LegsPine | 6 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 29 1/4" |
| Bottom trimPine | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 26 3/4" |
| Top door area trimPine | 8 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 26 3/4" |
| Top breadboard endsPine | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19 3/4" |
| Top front trimPine | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 55" |
| Top back trimPine | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 55" |
| Cabinet back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 58" × 26 1/2" |
| Door panelsPineCut to fit actual door openings. | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 26 1/2" |
| Door frame stilesPineCut to fit. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 17 1/4" |
| Door frame railsPineCut to fit. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 21 1/2" |
Buy 17 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
4 boards
Go through the whole plan and mark, then predrill, every pocket hole before you assemble anything — reaching a drill into a half-built cabinet is how corners get skipped. Glue and nail the side trim flush to the top and bottom edges of both side panels.
Through the predrilled pocket holes, attach three legs to each side panel with 1-1/4" pocket hole screws.
Mark the shelf locations on both sides and attach with pocket holes. Check the assembly for square before moving on — everything downstream (the divider, the doors) depends on this being right.
Carefully mark the center divider's location — it needs to split the cabinet into two even door openings — and attach with 1-1/4" pocket hole screws.
Attach the bottom trim flush on top. Add the top trim to both front and back.
Build the top on a flat, level surface, using clamps to keep every joint smooth and even as it dries. A doming or dipping glue joint here shows on the most visible surface of the whole piece.
Mark 1" in from the front and both sides and attach the top. If you don't have a right-angle drill, consider installing the doors and hinges before the top goes on — reaching into the tight door openings gets harder once the top is in place.
Fix them permanently with pocket holes, or predrill a row of holes for shelf pins if you want adjustable positions later.
Cut the back panel from the 1/4" plywood sheet and tack it on with 1-1/4" finish nails and wood glue.
Measure your actual door openings and build the door frames 1/4" smaller overall than the opening — a door built to the plan's numbers instead of your actual openings is the most common reason doors don't hang flush. Attach the acrylic sheet to the back of each frame, then hang with Euro hinges.
Sand all surfaces, fill nail holes, and finish. Add knobs last, after paint or stain has cured, so you're not sanding around hardware.
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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 →