East Fork Map Cabinet / Occasional Table

Rip every 1x4 down to 2-3/4" wide before cutting anything to length — every solid-wood part in this cabinet shares that width. Then cut the rabbets and dadoes in the case frame parts and side/top panels: a rabbet along the back edge of each frame vertical to house the plywood back, and a dado near the bottom of each frame vertical and the underside of the top frame to house the drawer-guide rails. There's no single universal depth here — set your dado width to your actual 3/8" plywood thickness and your rabbet depth to match, then cut a test piece before committing to the real parts.

Glue up scrap 1x4 offcuts face-to-face until you have four blanks roughly 2-1/4" square, clamp until dry, then cut each to 2-3/4" long. This is the standard way to get a leg thicker than dimensional lumber without buying thick stock — the glue line is invisible once it's on all four faces.

Glue and nail each drawer's front, back, and two sides into a box, then nail the 3/8" plywood bottom on square and flush. Attach the drawer guides to the outside faces now, while you can still get a square and clamp on flat parts. Build all five before you install any of them — with five drawers, small dimensional drift compounds fast if you build and fit one at a time.

Glue, clamp, and nail the side panels into their frame verticals and top rails, then the back panel in the same way, following the rabbet and dado joints you cut in step 1. Glue and clamp the joints and reinforce with finish nails set below the surface.

Glue, clamp, and nail the top panel and its trim, then the two bottom panels, into the case — these close out the case top and bottom and carry the frame support and glass ledge. Attach the four laminated legs to the underside corners now, while the case is still upside down and easy to clamp.

Slide each drawer into its opening and check it runs smoothly on the guides, trimming a guide rail slightly if a drawer binds. Mark and drill for your drawer pulls, keeping the hole spacing consistent across all five fronts, then attach the hardware.

Set the glass into the top ledge — don't glue it down; it should lift out for cleaning or for reaching whatever's stored in the top drawer. Once everything fits, pull the drawers back out and finish the case before final assembly. You just built the sweetest map cabinet of all time.