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A plywood cabinet base you size to your own desk — open shelves, a door, or drawers. The dimensions here are the standard recipe; adjust freely.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carcass sides 24" is the depth rip; 28.5" gives a 30" finished desk height with a top. | 2 | 3/4" × 24" × 28 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Shelves (incl. bottom) Length = 16" outside width minus two 3/4" sides. Add shelves as your design needs; keep spans ≤ ~36". | 2 | 3/4" × 24" × 14 1/2" | 3/4" plywood | ☐ |
| Top inside bay supports Equal in length to the shelves. | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 14 1/2" | 1x3 or 1x4 | ☐ |
| Front bottom bay support On the outside, full cabinet width; measure and cut to fit — it's visible from the front. | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 16" | 1x6 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4" hardwood plywood Amount depends on how many bases you build; one sheet does a base or two. | 1 sheet | ☐ |
| 3/4" iron-on edge banding, matching veneer | 1 roll | ☐ |
| 1x3 or 1x4, 8 ft (Pine) Top bay supports — furring strips are fine. | 1 each | ☐ |
| 1x6, 8 ft (Pine) Visible front bottom base support. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Baseboard moulding, 5-1/4" wide The toe-kick base. | 4 linear ft | ☐ |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 1 box | ☐ |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 1 box | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 6 oz | ☐ |
| Cabinet door with full-overlay euro hinges Optional — order or build. Height 1/2" less than the opening, width 1/2" less than the cabinet outside width. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Drawer boxes, slides, and faces Optional. 20" or 22" slides; size faces to off-the-shelf 1x6/1x12 widths. | 1 set | ☐ |
| Finish / cabinet paint | 1 kit | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Miter Saw, Table Saw, Tape Measure. Materials: 3/4" hardwood plywood
Settle on your sizes before cutting. The standard recipe is 28-1/2" tall (for a 30" desk once a top is added), 16" wide, and a 24" deep rip; width can go up to about 36" before shelves start to sag. Rip the sheet into 24"-deep strips, then crosscut the sides and shelves to length.
Tools: Iron for Edge Banding, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: 3/4" iron-on edge banding, matching veneer
Iron edge banding onto every plywood edge that will show, trim it flush, and sand lightly. Doing this now, on flat parts, is far easier than after assembly — and it's the single step that makes plywood look like furniture.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: 3/4" hardwood plywood, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4"
Attach the shelves to the sides with four 3/4" pocket holes on each end and 1-1/4" pocket screws. Leave a 5-1/4" gap underneath for the base moulding (or adjust to your baseboard height). Every base needs at least the bottom shelf; add optional shelves at any height.
For a pull-out printer shelf, cut a plywood shelf 1" narrower than the interior and mount it on a euro drawer slide.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver. Materials: 1x3 or 1x4, 8 ft, 1x6, 8 ft, Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Tie everything together with bay supports — a 1x3 or 1x4 at the top and a 1x6 across the bottom front. The inside top supports equal the shelf length. The front 1x6 sits on the outside and is the full cabinet width, so measure and cut it to fit; it's visible, so treat it as a finished face. Screw or nail and glue in place.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Baseboard moulding, 5-1/4" wide, Cabinet door with full-overlay euro hinges, Drawer boxes, slides, and faces, Finish / cabinet paint
If adding a door, size it 1/2" smaller than the opening in both height and width and hang it on full-overlay concealed hinges. If adding drawers, use 20" or 22" slides and size the faces to off-the-shelf 1x6/1x12 widths so you don't have to rip drawer fronts.
Wrap the bottom with 5-1/4" baseboard as a toe-kick, then prime and paint. Add your countertop last to reach desk height.