Benchmark Media Console

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.