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Furniture

Sideboard/Bar Cabinet

This easy to build cabinet provides the perfect amount of storage for your dishes or bottles.

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Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
5.3–10 hours
Cost
$$$$

About this build

This easy to build cabinet provides the perfect amount of storage for your dishes or bottles. With its mid century modern vibe, it's the perfect addition to your dining room or anywhere in your home where you need extra storage!

Tools

Essential

  • Drill / Driver
  • Jigsaw
  • Pocket Hole Jig
  • Router

Materials

ItemQty
Pine project panel, 1 x 18" x 6' .75" x 18" x 72"1 board
Pine project panel, 1 x 16" x 6' .75" x 16" x 72"5 board
Pine board, 2 x 2 x 8' 1.5" x 1.5" x 96"2 board
Plywood, 1/4" x 2' x 4' 1/4" x 24" x 48"1 board
1 1/4" pocket screws50 each
Paint/stain of choice1 each
Wood glue1 each
Figure 8 fasteners10 each
Forstner bit slightly larger than figure 8 fasteners1 each
Set of 10" drawer slides3 each
Set of inset door hinges2 each
Hardware of choice5 each
Sandpaper1 each
Optional: taper jig1 each
Optional: 3/4" roundover bit1 each
Optional: 3/8" roundover bit1 each
1" spax screws6 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.

Cut list

PartQtyT × W × L
Cabinet sides23/4" × 12" × 17"
Legs41 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 29 1/4"
Cabinet bottom13/4" × 12" × 56 1/2"
Cabinet back13/4" × 16 1/4" × 56 1/2"
Cabinet top13/4" × 16" × 60"
Center divider23/4" × 10 1/2" × 16 1/4"
Cabinet door23/4" × 15 1/2" × 16 1/4"
Drawer sides63/4" × 4" × 10"
Drawer front & back63/4" × 4" × 22 1/4"
Drawer bottom31/4" × 9" × 22 3/4"
Drawer front33/4" × 5 3/8" × 25 1/2"

What to buy

Buy 12 boards at 8 ft.

1 1/2" × 1 1/2"

2 boards

3/4" × 16 1/4"

1 board

3/4" × 16"

1 board

3/4" × 15 1/2"

1 board

3/4" × 12"

1 board

3/4" × 10 1/2"

1 board

3/4" × 5 3/8"

1 board

3/4" × 4"

3 boards

1/4" × 9"

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 →

Start building →

Instructions

  1. 11

    Optional: taper the legs starting at 17" from the bottom of the leg using either a taper jig on table saw or using a track saw.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 2
  2. 22

    Optional: roundover the legs using a 3/4" roundover bit on only 3 sides.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 3
  3. 33

    Attach the sides of the cabinet to the legs using pocket holes and wood glue.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 4
  4. 44

    Attach the bottom to the sides of the cabinet using wood glue and pocket screws.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 5
  5. 55

    Attach the back of the cabinet as shown in the image. Use wood glue and pocket screws.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 6
  6. 66

    • Attach the top using figure 8 fasteners.
    • First using a forstner bit, drill just enough into the sides of the cabinet that the fastener sits flush or just below the top of the panels.
    • Screw in the fasteners.
    • Attach top to the fasteners from the underside of the top.
    • Leave 1" overhang on the front of the cabinet and make sure the back is flush. Optional: roundover the front edges of the cabinet by tracing something round (I used a can of stain) and then cut it out with a jigsaw.
    • Also optional: roundover the edges of both sides of the top using 3/8" roundover bit.
    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 7
  7. 77

    • Attach the center dividers using pocket holes and wood glue.
    • Check for square as you go. Make sure the dividers are placed at the same distance from the sides as shown in the image.
    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 8
  8. 88

    Attach the doors using inset door hinges.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 9
  9. 99

    Place the drawer sides as shown in the image.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 10
  10. 1010

    Build the drawers using pocket holes and wood glue. The front of the drawer should have the pocket holes facing out (don't worry this will be hidden by the drawer front) and the back pocket holes should be facing the back of the cabinet. Using a track saw/circular saw/table saw make 1/4" x 1/4" grooves on all 4 sides of the bottom of the drawer. This will allow you to slide the bottom of the drawer into the slots while you are building the drawer.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 11
  11. 1111

    Attach the drawer boxes to the drawer slides.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 12
  12. 1212

    Attach the drawer fronts using 1" spax screws from the inside of the drawer. Tip: Use playing cards to accurate space the drawer fronts before screwing them in.

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 13
  13. 1313

    Sand, stain or paint and attach your favorite hardware. Enjoy your new cabinet!

    Sideboard/Bar Cabinet — step photo 14

Tags

  • Bars
  • Intermediate

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