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This is a proper cabinet: frame-and-panel construction on the sides and doors, a bank of two doors on the front, tapered store-bought feet, and a choice of a plank or mitered top. It's built almost entirely from 1x4s joined with pocket holes, with plywood as the panel infill, so it looks like joined casework without cutting a single mortise.
The build is a sequence of flat frames: the two side frames, the front and back frames, then the doors, each made by pocketing the ends of the shorter pieces into the longer rails. The sides get 3/4" plywood inserts, and when you assemble the box the front and back frames overlap the side edges — mind that overlap so your overall dimensions come out right.
Doors are where beginners lose the crispness: build each door frame so its total width is 1/4" less than the opening for clearance, back it with 1/4" plywood overlapping the frame by at least 1/2" for fixing (overlap enough to hide the pocket holes), and hang them with an equal reveal all around. The top attaches through upward-facing pocket holes drilled in the rails; a plank top from six 1x4s is the simple route, a mitered top the dressier one. Magnetic latches keep the doors from swinging inward, and tapered feet lift it off the floor.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x4 board, 8 ftFrames, rails, doors, top. | 11 each |
| 1x4 board, 6 ft | 1 each |
| 3/4" plywood for sidesTwo 17.5" x 33" side inserts. | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywoodDoor backs and cabinet backs. | 1 each |
| Tapered feet, 3-1/2" | 4 each |
| Cabinet hinges | 2 pair |
| Door knobs and magnetic latches | 2 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 80 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Side horizontals1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 10 1/2" |
| Side verticals1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 33" |
| Front/back top and bottom rails1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 45" |
| Front/back outer verticals1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 33" |
| Front/back middle verticals1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 26" |
| Door verticals1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 25 3/4" |
| Door horizontals1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 13 1/2" |
| Top, long1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 54" |
| Top, mid1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 47" |
| Top, ends1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 21" |
| Side inserts3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 17 1/2" × 33" |
| Door backs1/4" plywood | 2 | 1/4" × 14 1/2" × 26 3/4" |
| Cabinet backs1/4" plywood | 2 | 1/4" × 22 3/4" × 28" |
Buy 15 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
12 boards
Make each side from two 33" verticals and two 10-1/2" horizontals, placing the pocket holes in the ends of the shorter pieces. Keep them square.
Build the front and back frames with pocket holes in the ends of the 45" rails. Cut and fit the 26" middle vertical once the outer frame is together so it lands exactly.
Drill pocket holes in the sides of the two end frames and attach the two sides to the front frame, then the back frame — the front and back frames overlap the side edges. Add the 33" x 17.5" plywood side inserts with 1-1/4" finish nails and glue.
Attach the tapered feet at the corners. Depending on the feet, measure where the mounting screw goes, drill a pilot hole, and screw them in.
Build each door with pocket holes at both ends of the shorter pieces, making the total width 1/4" less than the opening for clearance. Fix 1/4" plywood to the back of each door overlapping the frame by at least 1/2" — enough to cover the pocket holes — and add trim around it if you like.
Make the top as a plank of six 1x4s at 54" or as a mitered top, then drill upward pocket holes in the rails and fasten the top with the cabinet upside down on it, equal gap all around. Nail the 1/4" back panels on from inside. Hang the doors with an equal reveal, add knobs and magnetic latches, sand, prestain, and finish.
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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 →