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This is a proper little file cabinet: a plywood carcass on a recessed footer, with three drawers on Euro slides — one deep enough for hanging file folders and two shallow ones above. Edge banding on the exposed plywood edges is what takes it from 'shop project' to 'furniture,' so don't skip it. The build calls for formaldehyde-free hardwood plywood, which is the healthy choice for something that lives in an office you sit in all day.
The intimidating part of any plywood project is the first cut, and grain direction is why. Plywood has a visible grain, and mismatched grain on adjacent panels looks wrong even to people who can't say why. Follow the cut diagram: rip 22" off the sheet first for the top, bottom, and sides, then take the drawer faces off the next section so their grain runs with the cabinet. Having the store make the long rip cuts is a legitimate move — straighter than most of us manage freehand, and it fits in a car.
Drawer fit is the fussy bit. Install the drawer boxes 3/4" inset from the front to leave room for the faces, mount the bottom drawer first and work up, and only then float the faces on with even gaps before fixing them from inside the boxes. Even reveals are the difference between crisp and homemade.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" hardwood plywood, 4x8 sheetCarcass, drawer faces, and drawer boxes. | 1 each |
| 1/4" hardwood plywood, 4x8 sheetBack and drawer bottoms. | 1 each |
| 21" drawer slides, Euro-style | 3 pair |
| 1x2 board, 6 ftFooter. Optional — 3/4" plywood ripped to 1-1/2" works too. | 1 each |
| Edge banding, matching veneerIron-on. Trims all exposed plywood edges. | 25 ft |
| Pocket-hole or wood screws, 1-1/4" and 2" | 60 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 20 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Top and bottom3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 22" |
| Sides3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 22" × 26 1/2" |
| File drawer face3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 12 1/2" × 15 1/4" |
| Small drawer faces3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 6" × 15 1/4" |
| File drawer sides3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/2" × 21" |
| File drawer front and back3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/2" × 13" |
| Small drawer sides3/4" plywood | 4 | 3/4" × 5" × 21" |
| Small drawer fronts and backs3/4" plywood | 4 | 3/4" × 5" × 13" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 17" × 26 1/2" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywood | 3 | 1/4" × 14 1/2" × 21" |
| Footer, long1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 19" |
| Footer, short1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
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Rip 22" off the sheet first — top, bottom, and sides come from this piece. From the next section cut the drawer faces so their grain runs with the cabinet. Then rip the remainder into an 11-1/2" strip and two 6" strips for the drawer parts. If you're using plywood for the footer, rip a 1-1/2" strip too. Mismatched grain reads as 'off' even to people who can't name why, so follow the cut order.
Build the box from the top, bottom, and sides. With a pocket-hole jig, set it for 3/4" stock and use 1-1/4" screws; otherwise use a countersink bit, 2" screws, and glue, and check hard for square — a racked carcass fights every drawer you fit into it.
Square the box up and glue-and-nail the 1/4" back on — the back is what locks it square, so don't skip it. Then attach the footer around the base with pocket screws or corner braces, recessed for a toe kick.
Assemble the three drawer boxes — one deep file drawer, two shallow — with 1/4" bottoms captured or screwed in. Mount them on the slides, bottom drawer first and as low as possible, then work up. Set every box 3/4" inset from the front to leave room for the faces.
Line up the drawer faces with even reveals all around and tack them with 1-1/4" finish nails. Then pull each drawer and drive screws from inside the box into the face to fix it for good. Even gaps are what make it look built rather than bodged.
Iron on the veneer edge banding over every exposed plywood edge, trim it flush, and sand the whole cabinet smooth. Because it's low-formaldehyde hardwood ply, a simple clear finish shows the veneer off and keeps the office air clean.
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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 →