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A classic farmhouse jelly cupboard — tall, shallow, two plank doors, 1x10 shelves set back for door clearance, with an optional tapered-leg face frame.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sides | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 47 1/4" | 1x12 | ☐ |
| Shelves Installed flush to the BACK — the 2" front gap is the door-backing clearance. | 3 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 32" | 1x10 | ☐ |
| Bottom | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 32" | 1x12 | ☐ |
| Top Overhangs the case. | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 35" | 1x12 | ☐ |
| Face frame bottom rail Optional tapered feet get cut into this. | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 33 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Face frame stiles | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 44 3/4" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Face frame top rail | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 35" | 1x2 | ☐ |
| Back panel | 1 | 1/4" × 33 1/2" × 48" | 1/4" plywood or beadboard | ☐ |
| Door panels Trim to your actual doors. | 2 | 1/4" × 12" × 38 1/2" | 1/4" plywood or beadboard | ☐ |
| Door rails Nominal — doors are built to YOUR openings minus 1/8" per side. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 14" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Door stiles | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 36 1/2" | 1x3 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 1x12, 8 ft Sides, top, and bottom. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x10, 8 ft Shelves — narrower than the case ON PURPOSE, for door-backing clearance. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 1x3, 8 ft Face frame and door frames. | 5 each | ☐ |
| 1x2, 3 ft | 1 each | ☐ |
| Plywood or beadboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheet Back and door panels. Beadboard is the period-correct choice. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Hinges | 4 each | ☐ |
| Knobs | 2 each | ☐ |
| Magnetic clasps Magnets, because these doors get opened with a jar in each hand. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 50 each | ☐ |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 100 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 8 oz | ☐ |
| Paint or stain | 1 qt | ☐ |
| Anti-tip strap Tall + shallow = the tipping shape. Strap it to a stud. | 1 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x12, 8 ft, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Join the sides, bottom, and top with pocket screws and glue — mark the top's overhangs and set them evenly before driving anything. Check square by diagonals; a cupboard case that starts out a parallelogram delivers that parallelogram to the doors later, with interest.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x10, 8 ft, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Fit the three 1x10 shelves flush with the case's back edge. The ~2" gap this leaves at the front is not sloppiness — it's where the doors' backing panels swing in when they close, plus finger room for jar retrieval.
Space the shelves for actual jars: pints want about 6" clear, quarts about 8".
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw, Speed Square. Materials: Plywood or beadboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheet, Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Square the case one more time, then nail the 1/4" back on with 1-1/4" finish nails and glue into every fixed board — sides, top, bottom, and all three shelves. Nailed to everything, the back is the case's shear panel; nailed to just the edges, it's a rattle.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Jigsaw, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: 1x3, 8 ft, 1x2, 3 ft, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Pocket-screw the face frame flat (stiles, top rail, bottom rail), then glue and nail it to the case front. Want the classic look? Draw a gentle taper at each end of the bottom rail and cut it with a jigsaw before attaching — instant feet, and the piece stops looking like a box.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Miter Saw, Tape Measure. Materials: 1x3, 8 ft, Plywood or beadboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheet, Hinges, Knobs, Magnetic clasps, Finish nails, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Measure each door opening off the real face frame — board widths vary mill to mill, so the plan's numbers are estimates and your tape is the truth. Build each door frame 1/8" smaller than the opening on all sides, then nail and glue the 1/4" backing panel on (beadboard face out, if using).
Hang with hinges, mount the knobs, and set the magnetic clasps so the doors close with a satisfying period-correct thunk.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Paint or stain, Anti-tip strap
Sand, then paint or stain — milk-paint colors (barn red, deep green) are the traditional move, distressed edges optional and forgivable.
Strap the cupboard to a wall stud before loading it: tall, shallow, and forty pounds of preserves behind two doors is the exact geometry tip-over warnings were written about. Then fill it with jam you made or store jam you'll claim you made.