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A long, low midcentury buffet: a plywood carcass with an open display bay in the center flanked by cabinets, plank-built doors on butt hinges, and a base that lifts it into that floating midcentury stance. It's a satisfying jump into casework — face frame, real doors, adjustable interior — and it's designed so all the plywood parts nest onto a single sheet with barely any waste, so plan your cuts before you start ripping.
The doors are where the build is won. Wood isn't reliably true to width, so measure the actual 1x4s you'll use for the door panels before you finalize the opening: if they're a hair under 3-1/2", your door comes out narrower and your face-frame opening has to follow. Build the doors dead square — glue between each 1x4, glue and nail the back supports — because a door that's out of square will never hang with an even gap. Aim for a consistent 1/8" reveal all the way around, hang them on simple butt hinges set in the gap between door and frame, and add magnetic catches to keep them shut.
The finish shown is a two-tone trick worth stealing: stain the whole cabinet one medium tone, then on the doors sand some boards back to lighten them and re-stain others darker, so the door panels read as a random midcentury gradient rather than a flat color.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4", 4x8 sheetRipped into 15-3/4"-wide strips. Plan the cuts — there's just enough. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", sheet or backerboardBack panel. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftFace frame and door frames. | 3 each |
| 1x6, 6 ftBase. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 3 ftBase rail. | 3 foot |
| 1x4, 10 ftDoor panels. | 2 each |
| Butt hinges (sets) | 2 each |
| Magnetic catches | 2 each |
| Knobs | 2 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 80 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| StainOne medium tone, worked two ways on the doors. | 1 each |
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 3/4" × 55 1/2" |
| Main shelf3/4" plywoodCut to fit the finished opening. | 1 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 36 1/4" |
| Sides / dividers3/4" plywood | 3 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 25 1/2" |
| Small shelves3/4" plywoodCut to fit. | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 17" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 27" × 55 1/2" |
| Face frame stiles/rails (long)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 55 1/2" |
| Face frame verticals1x2 | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 24" |
| Base sides1x6 | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| Base front1x6 | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 34" |
| Base rail1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 34" |
| Door frame pieces1x2Both ends beveled 45° off square, long point to long point. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 17 1/2" |
| Door panels1x4 | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 23 3/4" |
Buy 11 boards at 8 ft.
3 boards
1 board
Wood isn't always true to width, and the doors drive everything. Measure the 1x4s you'll use for the door panels. If they're a full 3-1/2" wide, proceed as drawn; if they're under, note the difference — your door will be narrower and the face-frame opening has to shrink to match. Decide this now, before you cut the carcass openings.
Cut the plywood parts, planning them onto the single sheet so they all fit. Assemble the top, bottom, sides, and dividers into the carcass. If you altered the opening width for the doors, that changes the small-shelf width too — cut those to fit and attach them, pocket-holed on the underside with 1-1/4" pocket screws. Edge-band the exposed shelf edges if you want a finished look.
Build the face frame flat on the ground with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket screws, then nail the whole frame onto the front of the cabinet. Building it flat first gives cleaner joints than fitting stick by stick.
Nail and glue the 1/4" back onto the carcass. It squares the cabinet and closes the cabinets off behind the doors.
Assemble the 1x6 base sides and front with the 1x3 rail into the lifted base, and attach it under the carcass. The base is what gives the buffet its midcentury float.
Build the plank doors carefully so the ends match — square is everything here. Glue between each 1x4 panel board, and glue and nail the back supports (the beveled 1x2 frame) on. A door out of square will never hang with an even gap no matter how you fuss the hinges.
Hang the doors on simple butt hinges set into the gap between door and face frame. Shim for a consistent 1/8" reveal all the way around — this is the detail everyone notices. Add magnetic catches to keep the doors shut and mount the knobs.
Stain the whole cabinet a medium tone. Then work the doors: sand some boards back to lighten them and re-stain others a touch darker, so the door panels read as a random midcentury gradient rather than one flat color. Seal when you've got the look you want.
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2 boards
1 board
3 boards
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 →