Materials list

ITEM

QTY.

12" x 15" x 30" cabinet

1

12" x 30" x 30" cabinet

1

3/4" x 4' x 8' oak plywood

1

1x6 oak

30'

Edge band, knobs, wood glue, 2" screws, Early American stain, wipe-on poly

 

Cutting list

KEY

QTY.

SIZE & DESCRIPTION

A

1

12" x 30" x 15" cabinet

B

1

12" x 30" x 30" cabinet

C

1

3/4" x 13-3/4" x 35" top*

D

1

3/4" x 13-1/8" x 33-3/4" sub top*

E

2

3/4" x 3" x 28-1/4" fillers*

F

4

1-1/2" x 45" spacers (thickness varies)

G

2

3/4" x 12" x 46" side panels*

H

4

3/4" x 1-1/2" x 9-1/4" side rails

J

2

3/4" x 1-3/4" x 49" back legs

K

2

3/4" x 1-3/4" x 3" back leg blocks

L

2

3/4" x 1" x 3" front leg blocks

M

2

3/4" x 1" x 49" front leg sides

N

2

3/4" x 1-3/4" x 49" front legs

P

1

3/4" x 1-1/2" x 30" rail backer*

Q

1

3/4" x 1-1/2" x 29-1/2" bottom rail

R

1

3/4" x 5/8" x 29-1/2" middle rail

S

1

3/4" x 7/8" x 14-3/8" stile

T

1

3/4" x 1/4" x 29-1/2" top rail

*Plywood parts

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1 Cover the sides. Screw two cabinets together and glue spacer strips to the sides. Then glue on the side panels. Tack the panel into place, positioning nails where they’ll be hidden by the legs or rails later.

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2 Add the legs and rails. Attach one of the front legs, then dry-fit the rails and the other leg. When they all fit right, glue and tack them in place. Follow the same dry-fit routine for the side rails and the back legs.

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3 Top it off. Glue the two layers of the top together. To attach the top, drive screws from inside the cabinet, through the fillers and into the top.

Cheap trick: Edge banding

Every cheapskate should learn how to use iron-on edge band. It’s the easiest way to cover plywood edges, and it makes inexpensive plywood look like solid wood. The top on this chest, for example, used less than $20 worth of plywood. Solid wood would have cost more than twice as much. To see how easy it is, go to familyhandyman.com and search for “edge band.”

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