NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
This is the end-table-sized sibling of the big dog-crate console: a single kennel with slatted 1x2 rail sides, a latched rail door, and a project-panel top that holds the lamp and the remote. Sized for a small-to-medium dog who wants a den, not a cage.
The construction insight is in step 9, stated as advice and worth treating as law: you are really building FOUR WALLS, and everything is easier flat. Each side and end builds as its own pocket-holed panel; the door gets its hinges and latch installed while the end wall lies on the bench (the source did, and called it much easier — they were right). Even finishing happens per-wall: filling pocket holes, sanding, painting a flat panel beats painting inside a box through a 17" door.
The flat-pack option is the sleeper feature: assemble the four walls with corner brackets screwed from the inside instead of glue, and the crate breaks down flat for travel or storage — a kennel that goes to the cabin in the trunk instead of staying home.
Rail spacing note: the 6" rails with 1x2s produce gaps fine for most dogs. For a determined puppy, add more rails per bay. Bottom is optional (housebroken dogs, as the source notes) — if you add the 1/4" plywood floor, the plexiglass lining trick makes it accident-proof. And a dog inside means ventilation is a feature, never a compromise: don't be tempted to panel over the rails for looks.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Pine project panel, 24" x 36"The top. 3/4" plywood or MDF also works. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftSide boards, legs, door frame. | 5 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftThe 21 rails and door parts. | 4 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 4x8 sheetSide panels; leftover makes the optional floor. | 1 each |
| Hinges, pair | 1 each |
| LatchMounted where hands reach and paws don't. | 1 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 100 each |
| Brad nails, 3/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Corner bracketsThe flat-pack option — walls screw together from inside instead of gluing. | 8 each |
| Paint and wood filler | 1 qt |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rails1x2Batch-cut with a stop block — 21 identical parts is jig territory. | 21 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 6" |
| Side boards1x3 | 6 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 30 1/2" |
| Side legs1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 26 1/4" |
| End legs1x3 | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 26 1/4" |
| Side panel plywood1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 17 3/4" × 33 1/2" |
| End panel plywood1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 17 3/4" × 21" |
| Door frame and back boards1x3 | 5 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 18" |
| Door top and bottom1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 17 1/2" |
| Door sides1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
| Door rails1x2 | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 3/4" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
5 boards
4 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 →
Cut all 21 six-inch rails with a stop block so they're identical, drill a 3/4" pocket hole in each end, and assemble the slatted railing runs between the 1x3 side boards with 1-1/4" screws and glue.
Even spacing matters here for looks AND function — lay the rails out with a spacer scrap instead of measuring each gap.
Add the 1x2 legs to each side assembly — pocket screws and glue, everything flush at the top where the panel meets the top later. Then brad-nail the 1/4" plywood to the lower portion of each side with 3/4" brads and glue.
Same recipe at end-wall width: 1x3 legs, back boards, plywood panel. You now have three of the four walls.
Pocket-screw the door together (1x2 sides and rails in a 1x3 frame), then build the front wall's door frame. Now, with the front wall FLAT on the bench, install the hinges and the latch — pilot-drilled. The source did hardware at this stage and called it much easier; inside-a-box hinge mounting is nobody's favorite hour.
Check the door swings with an even gap before moving on.
Fill the pocket holes (the source filled three times — filler shrinks), sand to 120, and paint each wall as a flat panel.
Then assemble the four walls: pocket screws and glue for permanent, or corner brackets screwed from the inside for a crate that flat-packs for travel. The brackets cost a few dollars and buy a feature; take that trade.
Screw the project panel to the top from below. For a floor, cut leftover 1/4" ply to fit — lined with plexiglass if accidents are a possibility — or skip it for the housebroken.
Bed goes in, dog goes in, lamp goes on top. Nobody visiting will clock it as a kennel until the tail thumps.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.