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This carcass is intentionally minimal — the sides are ripped plywood, but the top and bottom are 1x2 rails rather than full plywood panels, with the back panel and face frame doing the work of keeping the box square. That's a lighter-duty build than a fully paneled cabinet box, and it's the right call for open or lightly loaded wall cabinets rather than a base cabinet stacked with heavy dishware.
The face frame is deliberately cut 1/2" larger in total width than the carcass underneath it — a 1/4" overhang on each side — which is what gives you room to align the face frames of a whole run of cabinets even when the wall behind them isn't perfectly flat or square. Every pocket hole gets placed with the same intent as any face-frame cabinet: facing the side that an adjacent cabinet or an end panel will cover, so nothing shows on the finished run.
This file works out the numbers for one specific 24"-wide cabinet as a concrete example — the source plan is really a formula (every cut scales off your own chosen "cabinet width"), so treat these dimensions as a worked example to adapt, not a fixed size.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Hardwood plywood, 3/4", ripped to 11-3/4" strips, 4x8 sheetOne sheet yields far more strip length than this single cabinet needs — the cost reflects buying the whole sheet. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", for back | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x2, 8 ft | 2 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", fine-thread for hardwood | 1 box |
| Shelf pins, with shelf-pin jig | 4 each |
| Edge banding, matching veneer | 1 roll |
| Wood glue | 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SidesHardwood plywood, ripped to 11-3/4"30" is a standard cabinet height — adjust to taste. | 2 | 3/4" × 11 3/4" × 30" |
| Shelves, top and bottom railsPine 1x2Cabinet width (24") minus 2". | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 22" |
| Adjustable shelf, optionalHardwood plywood, ripped to 11-3/4"Trim about 1/4" narrower for easy placement on shelf pins. | 1 | 3/4" × 11 3/4" × 22" |
| Top cleatPine 1x2 | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 22" |
| BackPlywood, 1/4" | 1 | 1/4" × 23 1/2" × 30" |
| Face frame stilesPine 1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 30" |
| Face frame railsPine 1x2Cabinet width (24") minus 3". | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 21" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 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 →
Sketch the cabinet on graph paper and write out a cut list for your own chosen cabinet width — this file works the numbers for 24" as a concrete example. The face frame is the full cabinet width, but the carcass underneath is 1/2" narrower in total (1/4" per side), which gives you room to align face frames across a run of cabinets even on an imperfect wall.
Drill pocket holes for attaching the face frame and shelf-pin holes for the adjustable shelf before assembly. Place pocket holes on the outside faces where an adjacent cabinet will cover them, or where a 1/4" plywood veneer will finish an exposed end.
Add the top cleat, inset from the front, to give the cabinet something solid to screw to the wall. Drill 3/4" pocket holes on the cleat's back side and attach with 1-1/4" pocket hole screws. Add more cleats under any fixed shelves if desired.
Attach the plywood back with glue and nails, using it to square up the whole carcass.
Trim the adjustable shelf about 1/4" narrower than the opening so it drops easily onto the shelf pins. Apply edge banding to the front edge for a finished look if the cabinet will be stained.
Attach the face frame to the front of the carcass with glue and pocket hole screws. When hanging, screw into wall studs and attach neighboring cabinets to each other with cabinet screws. For full-overlay doors, leave a 1/2" gap between all doors, and use full-overlay face-frame Euro-style hinges to hang them.
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