This little three-tiered storage cabinet was constructed for a young student's bedroom, but it could be used anywhere in the home. In fact, Shari, my pal and co-host, had me build one to be used in her office for a message center near her phone. It's a snap to build, so get started.
Materials:
miter saw
1-x 4 inch poplar lumber
wood glue
finish nails
drill
hammer
1/8-inch Luann plywood
wire brads
measuring tape
sandpaper
tack cloth
The lumber I used is poplar, I find it a great type of lumber because it can be stained or painted. You can use pine, which I do quite often, but pine has a lot more imperfections in the wood, such as knots and holes. (I hope I didn't offend any pine trees out there.)
The cabinet is made up of three sections. The tall one (with a small drawer and dividers), the middle (just a shelf) and the shorter compartment that has a drawer.
I cut all the pieces to length using a miter saw, but you can use a miter box and backsaw; both are fine, but the miter saw takes less time. The type of joint that I'm using is called a butt joint, meaning that one board butts into another. This is probably the easiest joint to use and is still quite attractive.
The tall section has two 22-inch sides and an 11-inch top piece. The middle section uses a side from the taller portion along with an 11-inch side and an 11-inch top piece. The shorter section uses the middle side along with a 6-inch end piece plus an 11-inch top.
The shelves are for inside the sections, so just measure the distance and cut to length. The bottom board is the total length of all three sections, which should come out to 33 inches, if I have done the math right.
Attach all the boards together using wood glue and finish nails. Remember to drill small pilot holes so that the nails will not split the wood. Also, wipe away any glue that is squeezed out with a damp sponge; this will help especially if you decide to stain the piece. If you let the glue set, the stain will not penetrate and will look blotchy. Once all the side and tops have been assembled, attach the bottom board.
To dress up the structure, cut and add a 1/2-inch thick topper board to all the sections, cut the pieces so that they are a 1/2-inch longer and wider that the board underneath. This will allow some room for small decorative trim that will be attached underneath the lip of the topper boards. Attach the boards and trim with wood glue and small finish nails.
I also used the same trim for around the bottom board. These little details really dress up the piece and makes it seem more like a substantial piece of furniture.
The drawers are very basic: a front board and two side boards that are 1/2-inch thick poplar, and the bottom and back are just pieces of 1/8-inch Luann plywood. To find the size of the drawer, just measure the inside of the two drawer sections.
Attach the sides to the front then attach the back ply, followed by the bottom of the drawer. I added a front facing to the drawer; it's the exact size of the opening minus 1/8-inch, so that the drawer can be opened and closed easily.
Cut two pieces of plywood for the vertical dividers in the tall section of the chest. Attach them with glue and small wire brads nailed into place.
After the assembly, lightly sand the entire piece and remove all dust with a tack cloth. I decided to paint my cabinet, so I primed all the pieces with a latex primer followed by two coats of latex satin paint.
After the priming and the painting, you can hang it up on the wall using simple wall hangers. That's all there is to it.
If you are at least a novice woodworker, you shouldn't have any problems with this little cabinet.
(Matt Fox writes this column with Shari Hiller. They also co-host the Home & Garden Television show Room by Room. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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