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This buffet is a genuinely large plywood carcass — top, bottom, sides, and two internal dividers form four bays across nearly 8 feet — so the source's own advice is worth repeating: take your time, use clamps, use glue, and check the outside corners' diagonals for square before anything is permanent. A project this size amplifies a small out-of-square error across its whole length in a way a nightstand-sized carcass never would.
Build the face frame as its own separate, flat assembly before attaching it to the front of the cabinet — the same discipline this catalog's smaller face-framed pieces use, just at a larger scale where it matters even more. The top is solid-wood planking rather than plywood, laid over the carcass and either nailed down (visible heads) or screwed from underneath (hidden), giving the whole piece a furniture-grade surface rather than a sheet-good edge.
The three drawers are sized to the actual cabinet opening and your specific drawer slides' clearance requirements, not to a fixed universal number — build them to fit inside the cabinet, inset 3/4" for the drawer faces, before finalizing drawer face dimensions. The two end doors are simple frame-and-panel construction, a 1x4 frame around a 1/2" plywood inset panel, hung on either inset or surface-mount exposed hinges with a magnetic catch to keep them closed.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood, sheets ripped to 15-3/4" strips | 2 sheet |
| 1/4" plywood or hardboard, for the back | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftFace frame. | 3 each |
| 1x6, 8 ftFace frame bottom. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftFace frame drawer trim. | 1 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftIncludes stock for the doors. | 8 each |
| 1x8, 8 ftDrawer sides, front, back. | 3 each |
| 1x10, 10 ftDrawer faces. | 1 each |
| 1/2" plywood, for door panels | 1 each |
| Inset hinges | 4 each |
| Drawer slides, 14" | 3 set |
| Handles | 3 each |
| Knobs | 2 each |
| Base moulding, 4-1/4" | 12 ft |
| Top edge moulding, 3/4" | 12 ft |
| Magnetic door catches | 2 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 100 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 80 each |
| Wood glue | 6 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, sheets ripped to 15-3/4" strips | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 88" |
| Sides3/4" plywood, sheets ripped to 15-3/4" strips | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 39 1/2" |
| Dividers3/4" plywood, sheets ripped to 15-3/4" strips | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 34" |
| Back1/4" plywood or hardboard, for the back | 1 | 1/4" × 89 1/2" × 39 1/2" |
| Face frame top1x3, 8 ft | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 89 1/2" |
| Face frame bottom1x6, 8 ft | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 89 1/2" |
| Face frame stiles1x3, 8 ft | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 31 1/2" |
| Face frame drawer trim1x2, 8 ft | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 33 1/2" |
| Top planking1x4, 8 ft | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 91" |
| Shelves3/4" plywood, sheets ripped to 15-3/4" strips | 4 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 26 1/2" |
| Drawer sides1x8, 8 ftMeasure your slide clearance before final cut. | 6 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 14" |
| Drawer front/back1x8, 8 ft | 6 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 31" |
| Drawer bottoms1/4" plywood or hardboard, for the back | 3 | 1/4" × 12 1/2" × 31" |
| Drawer faces1x10, 10 ft | 3 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 33 1/4" |
| Door frames1x4, 8 ftSized to your actual door openings — measure and cut to fit. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 34" |
| Door panels1/2" plywood, for door panelsSized to fit your assembled door frames. | 2 | 1/2" × 25" × 28" |
Buy 24 boards at 8 ft.
5 boards
2 boards
Build the basic frame of top, bottom, sides, and dividers with pocket holes and glue. Take your time and use clamps — this is a much bigger task than it looks given the project's overall size. Adjust for square by comparing diagonal measurements at the outside corners until they match.
While the carcass is square, attach the back with glue and 3/4" nails or staples.
Build the face frame as its own separate, flat assembly, then attach it to the front of the cabinet with 1-1/4" nails and glue.
Cover the top with planking, nailing and gluing down with 1-1/4" nails (heads will show) or screwing from underneath to hide fasteners.
Add the shelves fixed or with a shelf-pin jig for adjustability. Apply base moulding around the bottom and top edge moulding to the top edge.
Build the drawers to fit inside the cabinet and your specific drawer slides. Install inset 3/4" to allow room for the drawer faces. Attach the faces with 1-1/4" nails and glue, avoiding hardware locations, then pull each drawer out and add a few screws from the back for extra hold.
Build simple frame-and-panel doors to fit the end openings — a 1x4 frame around a 1/2" plywood inset panel. Attach with inset or surface-mount hinges, and add magnetic catches to keep them closed. Sand and finish the whole piece.
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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 →