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A modern frameless base cabinet with open shelves — the kind that sits under a desk return or floats an office shelving system. Built from one sheet of hardwood plywood with no face frame, so the plywood itself is the finished surface, which is exactly why cutting it well matters so much.
This plan is as much a plywood tutorial as a cabinet. Grain direction has to run consistently across the visible parts, and clean cuts matter because there's no face frame to hide a ragged edge. Plan your cuts on the sheet for grain before you rip anything.
Assembly is straightforward pocket-hole work: 1-1/4" pocket screws set for 3/4" stock, with glue. Adjust the cabinet for square and attach the 1/4" back, nailing into the shelves as well as the sides so the back actually stiffens it. For the base, either rip a 1-1/2" strip from scrap plywood or use 1x2s — your call. The finishing move is edge banding: iron matching wood-grain banding onto every exposed plywood edge and the frameless look is complete.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4" hardwood, 4x8 sheet | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/4" hardwood, sheetBack. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 6 ftBase (optional — can rip from scrap ply). | 1 each |
| Edge banding, wood grain, 25 ft roll | 1 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 30 each |
| Brad nails, 3/4" | 40 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shelves3/4" plywood | 4 | 3/4" × 22" × 15 1/2" |
| Sides3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 22" × 26 1/2" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 17" × 26 1/2" |
| Base front/back1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
| Base sides1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 19" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
1 board
1 board
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 →
There's more to cutting plywood than a chalk line and a circular saw. Consider the direction of the wood grain across the visible parts, and get clean cuts — with no face frame, a ragged edge shows. Plan your layout on the sheet before ripping.
Assemble the cabinet with the pocket-hole jig: 1-1/4" pocket screws set for 3/4" stock, plus glue. Keep it square as you go.
Adjust the cabinet for square, then attach the 1/4" back — nailing into the shelves as well as the sides so the back actually stiffens the box.
For the base, either rip a 1-1/2"-wide strip from scrap plywood, or build it from 1x2s — your call. Attach it under the cabinet.
Apply edge banding to every exposed plywood edge per the manufacturer's instructions — it's easy and it's what completes the frameless furniture look. Trim, sand, and finish.
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