CUSTOMIZABLE SHOP CABINETS

Build wall and base cabinets to supply your shop with serious storage. Simple tablesaw techniques make the process straightforward.

- CRAIG RUEGSEGGER,KEVIN BOYLE

After years of building and installing kitchen and shop cabinets, Senior Design Editor Kevin Boyle has a foolproof and efficient cabinetmaking technique. Using his methods, you’ll have a set of shop cabinets ready to use in almost no time. Tablesawn dadoes and rabbets create the cabinet carcases quickly, make a perfect-fit face frame, and form the joinery for the drawers and doors. Prefinished plywood greatly reduces finishing chores, speeding construction even more.

The identically sized base cabinets have two configurations. One features doors and narrow drawers; the other has wider drawers and open shelves. Mix and match versions to suit your needs. Add a simple platform between two cabinets to create a mitersaw station.

CRAFT CARCASES EN MASSE

If you’re making more than one of these cabinets, increase your efficiency by cutting parts and joinery for all cabinet carcases at the same time to reduce tool setup changes.

1 From ½" prefinished maple plywood, cut the carcase sides, tops, bottoms, backs, dividers, and stretchers (A—H) to size [Parts List, Drawings 1, 2]. Mark each part with its letter or name to ensure you machine the joinery correctly going forward.

2 Install a dado stack in your tablesaw to match the thickness of your ½" plywood. Raise the blade ¼" above the saw table and set the rip fence ⅞" from the innermost tooth of the stack. Cut the dadoes on the prefinished faces near the ends of the base sides, wall sides, and backs (A, C, F, H) [Photo A].

3 Attach an auxiliary face to your tablesaw rip fence and position it to just touch the dado stack. Rabbet the rear edge of each base and wall side (A, F) [Drawings 1a, 2].