I know there are a lot of parts and pocket holes in this piece but I promise it will be well worth it! The upper and lower drawers are on slides while the middle row of “drawers” are actually just the fronts that are hinged and fold down for media (cable box, receiver, blu-ray or dvd player, etc.) storage. While assembly of this piece may require you to be a contortionist of sorts, the satisfaction of a job well-done is the best end result!
Showcase: Built From These Plans
$75-$100
- Tape Measure
- Square
- Drill
- Saw – Table Saw and Miter Saw, Jig Saw or Circular Saw
- Kreg Jig
- 3- 1×2 at 8’
- 3- 1×3 at 8’
- 3- 1×4 at 8’
- 2 – 1×8 at 8’
- 7- 2×2 at 8’**
- 1 sht. ¾” plywood
- ½ sht. ¼” plywood
- ** If the quality of the 2×2 lumber in your area is not up to standard, you can rip a 2×4 on a table saw to a 2×2. This is not cutting the 2×4 in half… The dimensions of a 2×4 cut in half would be 1-1/2 x 1-3/4. A 2x2s dimensions are 1-1/2 x 1-1/2, so if you set your rip fence for 1-1/2” away from the blade, you will rip the board in half, then run the second piece through the saw again to cut it to size.
- 2 ½” pocket screws
- 1 ¼” pocket screws
- 1 ¼” regular screws
- 3 pr. inset hinges <a href=”http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1273&filter=inset%20hinges ” target=”_blank”>See Here</a>
- (or 3 pr. concealed hinges)
- 3 cabinet clips (to keep the doors closed)
- 6 lid stops (3 – right, 3 – left) <a href=”http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1643&filter=lid%20support ” target=”_blank”>See Here</a>
- 3 sets 14” drawer slides
- 15 – drawer pulls
- 2 – 2×2 at 55” – Top of Front/Back Frames
- 8 – 2×2 at 26-1/2” – Frame Legs
- 4 – 2×2 at 16” – Horizontal Frame Pieces
- 8 – 2×2 at 16-1/2” – Horizontal Frame Pieces
- 10 – 1×2 at 15” – Top Supports & Side Supports
- 10 – 2×2 at 15” – Supports
- 1 – 15’”x 52” of ¾” plywood – Top
- 2 – 15” x 22” of ¾” plywood – Sides
- 1 – 16” x 22” of ¾” plywood – Center Back
- 2 – 16-1/2” x 22” of ¾” plywood – Side Back
- 1 – 15” x 16” of ¾” plywood – Center Shelf
- 2 – 15” x 16-1/2” of ¾” plywood – Side Shelves
- 4 – 1×3 at 15-1/2” – Small Drawer Boxes Front /Back
- 2 – 1×3 at 15” – Small Center Drawer Box Front/Back
- 6 – 1×3 at 12-1/2” – Small Drawer Box Sides
- 4 – 1×8 at 15-1/2” – Large Drawer Boxes Front/Back
- 2 – 1×8 at 15” – Large Center Drawer Box Front/Back
- 6 – 1×8 at 12-1/2” – Large Drawer Box Sides
- 6 – 14” x 15-1/2” of ¼” plywood – Drawer Bottoms
- 3 – 14” x 15” of ¼” plywood – Center Drawer Bottoms
- 2 – 1×3 at 16-1/4” – Small Drawer Fronts
- 1 – 1×3 at 15-3/4” – Center Small Drawer Front
- 4 – 1×2 at 16-1/4” – Drawer Front Spacers
- 2 – 1×2 at 15-3/4” – Drawer Front Spacers
- 4 – 1×4** (ripped to 3-1/8”) at 16-1/4” – Large Drawer Front (Upper Piece)
- 2 – 1×4** (ripped to 3-1/8”) at 15-3/4” – Center Large Drawer Front (Upper Piece)
- 4 – 1×4** (ripped to 3-1/4”) at 16-1/4” – Large Drawer Front (Lower Piece)
- 2 – 1×4** (ripped to 3-1/4”) at 15-3/4” – Center Large Drawer Front (Lower Piece)
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Cut and assemble all pieces for the front frame. Set the Kreg jig for 1-1/2” material. Use 2-1/2” screws and glue for strong joints! Make sure the frame is square!
Cut and assemble the frame pieces for the back. After checking the square of the frame, cut the plywood pieces for the back. If you are using this cabinet for media storage, you may want to use a hole saw and cut a hole at least 1-1/2” in diameter in the back piece (at the shelves) for a power cord to pass through. Set the Kreg jig for ¾” material and attach to the frame (with 1-1/4” screws) making sure the outside face of the back (opposite the pocket holes) is flush with the outside edge of the frame.
Cut the pieces for the sides. Set the Kreg jig for 1-1/2” material and drill holes in each end of the 2×2 supports, then set the jig for ¾” material and drill holes in the plywood. Attach the 2x2s to the top and bottom edges of the plywood with the 1-1/4” screws. Make sure the outside face of the plywood (opposite the pocket holes) is flush with the outside edge of the 2x2s.
At this point, you may want to sand all of the parts that have been constructed so far, as well as any pieces that are going to be cut from now on. Once the piece is fully assembled, sanding may be a tad bit difficult!
Attach the sides to the front and back frames with 2-1/2” screws and glue, again making sure the cabinet is square.
Attach the 1×2 supports to the inside of the sides and to the top at the measurements indicated. (See the notes on the drawings.)
The rest of the cabinet will be assembled in a “top-down” fashion.
Cut the plywood for the top. The top will be glued to the top supports, then fastened with a brad nailer and 1-1/4” brad nails.
Cut the upper and middle supports. Set the Kreg jig for 1-1/2” material and drill holes in each end. Attach to frame as indicated with 2-1/2” screws. The upper supports will sit higher than the face frame to allow for the fastening of the drawer slides. The middle supports will be even with the face frame.
Cut the plywood pieces for the shelves. Set the Kreg jig for ¾” material and drill holes in the shelves. Attach the shelves to the middle supports and frame as indicated making sure the top face of the plywood is even with the front frame and supports.. The narrower plywood piece goes in the center.
Cut the lower supports. Set the Kreg jig for 1-1/2” material and drill holes in each end. Attach to frame as indicated with 2-1/2” screws. The lower supports will sit higher than the face frame to allow for the fastening of the drawer slides just like the upper supports.
Cut and assemble the 1×3, 1×8 and ¼” plywood pieces for the drawer boxes. Use the Kreg jig set for ¾” material. The bottoms can be attached with a brad nailer. You will have four drawers measuring 15-1/2” wide (two at 2-1/2” tall and two at 7-1/2” tall), and two drawers measuring 15” wide (one at 2-1/2” tall and one at 7-1/2” tall).
Attach the drawer slides to the upper and lower support pieces locating them ¾” back from the face of the front frame (this allows for the drawer fronts to sit flush across the frame). Install the drawer boxes and make any necessary adjustments.
Cut all of the pieces for the drawer fronts. Set aside the 2-1/2” x 16-1/4” and the 2-1/2” x 15-3/4” pieces. These are the faces for the small drawers. Drill pocket holes in the long end of the 3-1/4” pieces and the 3-1/8” pieces and assemble with the 1-1/2” pieces in the center. Pre-drill the holes in the faces for the pulls. There will be two pulls on each of the larger drawer fronts to look like two drawers on each – see drawing.
Insert each drawer front into the opening and shim in place. There will be an 1/8” gap around all sides for ease in opening and closing the drawer. Screw the drawer fronts to the boxes from the front through the holes for the pulls. Open each drawer and fasten the fronts with screws from the inside of the drawer box, then remove the screws on the outside. Finish drilling out these holes for the pulls.
Attach the middle drawer fronts to the openings with the hinges. Attach the drawer stops to the sides of each opening to keep the door from opening past 90 degrees.
That’s it… Now wasn’t all of that cutting, drilling, twisting and turning worth it??
If painting, I like to sand the entire piece with 100 grit, then 220 grit, prime with any latex primer, sand again with 220 grit, and paint. Sanding the primer gives an extra-smooth finish! Finish with water-based polyurethane for added durability.
If staining, sand the entire piece with 60 grit, then 100 grit, then 220 grit. Stain as desired. For the finish, use wipe-on poly or brush-on poly.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
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**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.
