Plans N O W
SECTIONAL
ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
This contemporary project was built with pocket hole joinery —
a “new” technique that required some clever cover-ups.
I t’s easy to see how practical this
project is. The top is a large, solid
wood panel that will hold a fairly good-
sized TV, and inside there’s plenty of
storage space for all of your home
entertainment components. Even the
back has been carefully designed to
provide room for organizing cables.
Plus, there are also smaller side
cabinets that can be built and set
next to the main TV cabinet, as
shown in the inset photo. Or to give
the components a little more protec-
tion, you can build a pair of inset,
glass-paneled doors (page 8).
Woodsmith.com
But it’s what you can’t see that
I’m excited about. That’s because
this project was built almost exclu-
sively with pocket hole screws, refer
to the detail on the next page.
This has been my first experience
with pocket hole joinery, and I want-
ed to see what could be built with it.
But since this project is an “open”
design, I didn’t want to have any
pocket holes showing. This meant { Build a set of matching side cabinets
coming up with a number of cre- that can be set right next to the main
ative solutions for covering them up. TV case or can “stand alone.” To see
But the final result was worth it — this side cabinet in a different light,
not a pocket hole in sight. turn to page 9.
page 1 © August Home Publishing Co.
 Top panel is #/4"
hardwood

OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
42”W x 24”D x 28”H
!/8"-thick spacers
create shadow
line between
top and case
Pocket !/4" plywood
NOTE: holes
Optional side cabinet CASE back
shown on page 9, TOP
Optional doors for
main case on page 8 BACK
SUPPORT

SHELF
STANDARD CENTER
DIVIDER

Backs have slots

UPPER for cable access
FRONT and air circulation
RAIL

END
PANEL
CASE
BOTTOM

SHELF & Adjustable shelf

has recess in back for END
EDGING STILE
cable access Vertical divider
and air circulation creates two
identical case Shelf standards
openings support shelves !/8"x !/16" rabbet
and cover cut in end panel
pocket holes to create small
shadow line
Face frame
covers plywood
edges of case top POCKET HOLE JOINERY DETAIL
and bottom NOTE:
Pocket hole joint Pocket hole
LOWER created with jig
FRONT and special
To see how this RAIL "stepped"drill
entertainment bit.
center would
look in cherry or walnut, go to 1!/4" fine-threaded
www.woodsmith.com. FRONT pocket hole screw
STILE

MATERIALS & SUPPLIES

A End Panels (2) #/4 ply. - 20!/2 x 21!/8 L Lower Back Rail (1) #/4 x 6 - 38!/2 • (1 pkg.) #8 x 1!/4" Pocket Hole Screws
B Upr. End Rails (2) #/4 x 1!/2 - 20!/2 M Shelf Standards (8) #/8 x 2!/2 - 21&/8 • (6) #8 x 2" Fh Woodscrews
C Lwr. End Rails (2) #/4 x 3 - 20!/2 N Back Supports (4) #/8 x 1!/2 - 19!/8 • (16) Spoon-Style Shelf Supports
D End Stiles (4) #/4 x 1 - 27!/8 O Back Panels (2) !/4 ply. - 20!/4 x 21&/8 • (9) #8 x 1!/4" Rh Woodscrews
E Case Top/Btm. (2) #/4 ply. - 22!/2 x 40!/2 P Shelves (4) #/4 ply. - 19 x 19 • (9) #8 Flat Washers
F Center Divider (1) #/4 ply. - 19!/4 x 21&/8 Q Shelf Edging (4) #/4 x !/4 -19 • (2) !/8" Glass (15&/8" x 17!!/16")*
G Divider Edging (1) #/4 x !/4 - 21&/8 R Top Spacers !/8 x 1!/2 - 180 rgh. • (1 pkg.) !/2"-long Brads*
H Front/Back Stiles (4) #/4 x 1#/4 - 27!/8 S Top Panel (1) #/4 x 24 - 42 • (2 pr.) 2" x 1(/16" Nickel Hinges*
I Upper Front Rail (1) #/4 x 1!/2 - 38!/2 T Door Stiles (4)* #/4 x 2 - 21 • (2) 96mm Stainless-Steel Pulls*
J Lower Front Rail (1) #/4 x 3 - 38!/2 U Door Rails (4)* #/4 x 2 - 15!%/16 • (2) Magnetic Catches & Strikes*
K Upper Back Rail (1) #/4 x #/4 - 38!/2 V Glass Stop* !/4 x !/4 - 140 rgh. * Required for the optional doors

Woodsmith.com page 2 © August Home Publishing Co.

 Pocket
holes

UPPER 1"
1 END RAIL
b.
B END STILE END VIEW
(Backside)
D
1!/2" 1#/4"
NOTE: Panels
are #/4" plywood.
Rails and stiles
are #/4"-thick
hardwood #/4"
21!/8" B

D
END PANEL 20!/2"
27!/8" END PANEL
A
A

Pocket
22!/2" holes

3"
C
{ A small rabbet is a. END PANEL
all it takes to add A
NOTE: LOWER
an interesting Case assembled END RAIL !/8"
shadow line to with fine-thread, C
1!/4" pocket hole 3!/2"
a frame and #/4" 1!/2"
screws
panel assembly. 1" !/16" Outside
face

Case Construction
The parts of this entertainment cen-
ter are fairly typical for case con-
struction. At each end there are frame
and panel assemblies, and these are
connected with top and bottom pan-
els. Then to create the two openings,
a vertical center divider will be added.
What’s unique here is that almost
the entire case is built using a pock-
et hole jig and screws. The nice
thing is that all the pieces are butt
jointed together, so there aren’t any
dadoes, grooves, or other joints to
cut. On the other hand, I found that
2 NOTE: Stiles flush
with top edge only
END D
STILE
End panel
and rail
assembly
this lack of traditional joinery meant
that I needed a few “helpers” when
it was time to assemble the case.
But more on that later.
END PANELS . As with many cases,
the first thing to work on are the end
assemblies (Fig. 1). But with pocket
screws the sequence is a bit differ-
ent. Instead of starting with the
frames, I cut the 3/4" plywood end
panels (A) to size first.
When frame and panel pieces are
the same thickness (as they will be
here), it’s pretty tough to get them
NOTE: Set stiles
next to assembly
when laying out
pocket holes
a.
Face clamp
Face
clamp
D
#8 x 1!/4"
self-tapping
pocket hole screw
flush all the way around the panel. I
sidestepped the problem by creat-
ing a shadow line that accents the
panel and hides the joint lines, as
shown in the margin photo at left.
This is easy to do — just cut a tiny
rabbet around each panel (Fig. 1a).
RAILS & STILES. With the rabbets cut
on the panels, the rails and stiles can
be added to create the frame around
the panel (Fig. 1). I started with the
upper (B) and lower end rails (C)
since they’re cut to length to match
the width of this panel.
When attaching the rails to the
panels, the pocket holes could have
been drilled in either the panels or
the rails. As you can see in Fig. 1, I
drilled them in the rails. This meant
that the holes in the upper rails were
drilled partially into their edges, but
this method is better because these
holes will end up neatly hidden by
the top and bottom panels later on.
I should also note two things here
before going on. One is that while in
most situations the locations of the
pocket holes aren’t critical, I’ve
included them here because there
are so many screws used to build
this project (Fig. 1b). This way,
you’ll be sure to avoid drilling into a
neighboring pocket hole (or screw).

Woodsmith.com page 3 © August Home Publishing Co.

 The other thing to note has to do 3 Brace
with the use of glue. Technically, the End a.
SECTION
screws should provide plenty of 1!/2" assembly VIEW
End
holding power. But to play it safe, it assembly
Pocket
would be a good idea to apply glue holes E
too. However, you’ll want to use the drilled 8" TOP
in top
glue sparingly so you don’t have a face
lot of excess to clean up. CASE TOP
To complete the frames, the two (22!/2" x 40!/2") #8 x 1!/4"
E pocket
end stiles (D) are ready to be added NOTE: Case top hole screw
(Fig. 2). These pieces are sized to and bottom panels
are #/4" plywood
extend below the lower rail to create
short legs. It sounds simple enough,
Pocket holes
but with the stiles offset, they’re not 4 drilled in
identical — the pieces are actually E bottom face a.
mirrored images of each other. So CASE BOTTOM #8 x 1!/4"
(22!/2" x 40!/2") SECTION pocket
to drill the pocket holes in the right VIEW hole screw
8"
place, it’s best to lay the stiles next
Top edge BOTTOM
to the assembly and mark the edges 1!/2" of lower E
rail
that you’ll be drilling into.
TOP & BOTTOM . Now that the end Scrap cleat
assemblies are complete, they can supports bottom
NOTE: Assembly and aligns
is upside down Scrap
be connected with the case top and edge of bottom cleat
with top of rail
bottom (E), as shown Figs. 3 and 4.
These 3/4" plywood panels are identi-
cal, and once they’ve been cut to
size, they’re ready to be screwed to together, as shown in Fig. 3. (Here, scrap cleat across each end and let
the end assemblies. it’s okay to screw into the top face of the cleat support the panel while
I started with the case top. After the panel — it’ll get covered with a you screw it in place.
drilling the pocket holes in each end hardwood top panel later.) DIVIDER . To divide the case into
of the panel, it’s screwed flush with When attaching the case bottom, two equal openings, the next piece
the top edges of the end assemblies. you’ll need to flip the assembly over, to make is the center divider (F).
But holding this long panel square as shown in Fig. 4. The idea here is When cutting this panel to size, note
to the ends while you’re driving in to position the upper face of this that it won’t end up as deep (wide)
the screws takes more than two panel even with the top edge of the as the top and bottom panels. As
hands. So I made a couple L-shaped lower end rail, as indicated in Fig. you can see in Fig. 5a, it is flush with
braces to help hold the assembly 4a. There’s nothing tricky about the front of the case and stops a few
square while it was being screwed this. All you need to do is clamp a inches short in back. (This space
will be used to create a little trough
5 #8 x 2"
CL
or pocket for the cables.)
Fh woodscrew a. Before the plywood divider can
8!/4"
8!/4" be screwed into the case, it needs a
TOP
1!/2" SECTION piece of edging (G) to cover the
VIEW plies in the front. I made this thin
strip quickly and safely by ripping a
NOTE: Scrap DIVIDER 1/ "-wide strip from an oversized
spacers can be 4
F
used to position piece of 3/4"-thick hardwood.
center divider
The center divider is the only
CENTER F
21&/8" 21&/8"
case piece that isn’t attached with
DIVIDER
(#/4" plywood) pocket hole screws. Instead, it’s sim-
EDGING
G ply screwed to the top and bottom
panels, flush with the front edges
!/4"
NOTE: Divider (Fig. 5a). But this panel isn’t much
stops short of
back of case easier to hold in place than the top
19!/4" Divider is and bottom panels were, so you may
DIVIDER G flush with
front of case want to clamp some cleats to the
EDGING
(!/4"-thick hardwood) case for support — similar to what
you did with the bottom panel.

Woodsmith.com page 4 © August Home Publishing Co.

 UPPER H
K BACK
RAIL

38!/2" a.
42"
1!/2" I
H
Front
face frame
(back view)
H 38!/2"
27!/8"
BACK I 1#/4"
STILE J
UPPER #/4"
L FRONT
L 27!/8"
RAIL 3"
LOWER
BACK
RAIL

1!/2" H b.

#/4"
1#/4" K
NOTE: H
Face frames joined with
pocket screws, as shown in LOWER Back
details 'a' and 'b' J FRONT face frame
RAIL (front view)
#/4"
FRONT H NOTE: Position NOTE:
STILE lower front rail flush Face frames are
with case bottom panel #/4" hardwood 6" L
6

Face Frames, Shelf Standards, & Backs

Now that the main case has been
assembled, it’s time to add a pair of
face frames, some shelf standards,
and a couple of back panels.
FACE FRAMES. I started with the face
frames that cover the plywood edges
of the case at the front and back
(Fig. 6). Typically, I’d just add a face
frame to the front of a case. But the
back frame here will create a shal-
low trough or pocket for the cables.
FLUSH FACE FRAMES
When gluing a face frame to a large
case, it’s nearly impossible to get the
edges completely flush. So I usually
plan to do a little “touch-up.” Most
times, I’ll use my block plane, setting
it to take very fine shavings, see draw-
ing. Or if there’s a only slight shoul-
der, I’ll sand it flush, using a sanding
block to prevent rounding the edges.
These two face frames aren’t iden- top face of the case bottom. So I set
tical though. While the stiles (H) each stile against the case and
are the same, the lower back rail marked the position of the bottom
(L) is wider than the lower front panel. These marks can then be
rail (J). And to allow the back pan- used to position the lower front rail.
els to fit through the opening later When the face frames are assem-
on, the upper back rail (K) is nar- bled, they’re ready to be screwed to
rower than the upper front rail (I). the case (Fig. 7). Don’t worry if the
Once the face frame pieces are frames and case don’t end up per-
cut to size, they’re simply screwed fectly flush all the way around. You
together. This is where pocket hole can always do a little trimming later,
joinery really shines. These frames as shown in the box at left.
are quick and easy to assemble. The SHELF STANDARDS . With the face
only thing to give extra attention to frames in place, you can make the
is the position of the lower front rail. shelf standards (M) next (Fig. 8).
You want it to end up flush with the These 3/8"-thick pieces have a series
7 NOTE: Glue
face frames to
case separately
Back a.
face
frame 2"
14!/2"
3!/2" 9"
SIDE
SECTION
VIEW
Front
face Front
Face frames can frame face
be trimmed or frame
planed flush if
necessary, see
box at left
1!/4" 8!/4"

Woodsmith.com page 5 © August Home Publishing Co.

 1!/2" N
BACK a. M
SUPPORT SHELF STANDARD
of holes for holding spoon-style 8 19!/8" (#/8" thick) (eight needed)
shelf pins. But they do more than
just support the shelves. These stan-
dards also cover the most visible 2!/2"
pocket holes inside the case.
!/4"-dia.
The shelf standards at the front of holes for
shelf
the case can simply be glued and support
clamped to the sides and center pins
divider. The standards glued flush
with the back of the center divider 21&/8"
are also easy enough to install. 1"

The trick is the back standards at

M
the ends — they also need to align SHELF
with the back of the divider. This is STANDARD
(#/8" thick) !/4"-dia.
easy to do with a couple of scrap through
spacers. But then they’re inset too NOTE: All back supports holes
and back standards
far for clamps to reach them. So to align with center divider, 5"
hold them, I cut some thin, flexible see Fig. 9 below
strips and wedged them between
the standards while the glue dried,
as you can see in Fig. 9. 9
BACK SUPPORTS . While the glue on M a.
the standards was drying, I cut four TOP
SECTION
3/ "-thick back supports (N) to fit VIEW
8 N
Standards Scrap spacer
between the standards at the top in back flush aligns standard BACK SHELF
with center SUPPORT STANDARD
and bottom of the case (Fig. 8). And with back
divider of center M
since they’re flush with the back Thin strips divider
edges of the standards, I used the provide clamping
pressure Scrap
same spacers and flexible strips M N spacer
when gluing them in place.
BACK PANELS . At this point, the 1/4"
plywood back panels (O) can be cut
to finished size to fit inside the case,
as shown in Fig. 10. But before glu- these slots, I first drilled a 1"-dia. frame (which is why there are two
ing these panels in place, I cut three hole at each end. Then the waste back panels in the first place). And
access slots across the back of each between the holes can be removed the back face frame also prevents
(Fig. 10a). This will make it easier to with a sabre saw, and the slots can you from being able to nail the pan-
feed the cables through when con- be sanded smooth. els in place. But a few scrap spacers
necting the components, as well as The back panels have to be angled will apply enough pressure to hold
let the air circulate freely. To make to be slid in front of the back face them while the glue dries (Fig. 10b).

10 5!/8"
a. BACK Access
O slot
5"
Waste 1"

10"
BACK PANEL
(!/4" plywood) Access NOTE: Tall
O slots lower rail
and inset
21&/8" backs create b.
shallow BACK SHELF
BACK O pocket for STANDARD
PANEL SUPPORT
excess cable
5" BACK O O
PANEL

Scrap spacer holds back

20!/4"
NOTE: Small
spacers used while
gluing backs in place
(similar to Fig. 9)
while glue dries
NOTE: Slots in
back allow for easy TOP SECTION VIEW
cable management
and better air flow

Woodsmith.com page 6 © August Home Publishing Co.

 S
24" TOP PANEL
42"
(#/4" thick) SIDE SECTION
11 !/8"
VIEW
a.
1!/2" S

20#/4"
R
TOP !/8"
SPACER R
(!/8" thick) 1!/2"
41#/4"
23#/4" %/16"-dia.
#8 x 1!/4" shank
Rh screw hole
10" & washer
1"
SHELF
P
4!/2"
19"
19"
1"rad. b. EDGING Q
{ The decorative
Front
shadow line on the Q SHELF stile
P
end assemblies is SHELF
EDGING
repeated under the NOTE: Shelves are #/4" (#/4" x !/4") Spoon- !/4"
top panel. This NOTE: Make plywood and style pin
four shelves rest on !/4" spoon- SIDE SECTION
time, it’s created style shelf pins VIEW
with thin spacers.
Shelves & Top
The main case of the entertainment TOP PANEL & SPACERS . Now that the The spacers are mitered to length
center is just about complete. All that’s shelves are in place, the last area to so they set 1/8" back from the edges
left is to add some adjustable shelves work on is the top of the case. As of the case, as shown in Fig. 11a.
and a hardwood top with some thin you can see in Fig. 11, there are two This creates a thin shadow line simi-
spacers, as in Fig. 11 above. layers here: A large panel that rests lar to the one on the end panels of
SHELVES . The shelves (P) are 3/4" on a layer of thin spacers. the case. (See margin photo at left.)
plywood panels with hardwood edg- The actual top panel (S) is glued Also to help support the top panel, I
ing (Q) added to the front of each. up from 3/4"-thick hardwood. And added a spacer at the center.
(For the edging, I ripped a 1/4"-wide while the glue is drying on this When the glue is dry, the case top
strip from 3/4"-thick hardwood.) panel, you can begin working on the can be cut to match the case and
Then to make it easier to organize second layer that’s sandwiched then screwed in place. I made the
the cables (and let the air circulate), between the top and the case (Fig. shank holes oversized so the top
I used my sabre saw to create a 11). It’s a thin “frame” of top spacers can expand and contract freely. (To
cutout on the back of each shelf and (R) cut from stock that’s been find out how I finished the entertain-
sanded this profile smooth. resawn or planed down to 1/8" thick. ment center, turn to page 12.) W

CUTTING DIAGRAM
#/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (4.8 Bd. Ft.) #/4" - 48" x 96" Maple Plywood
B C C
D D N
E A F
R
#/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (4.8 Bd. Ft.) I K
H H
J U U A
E
V
#/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (4.8 Bd. Ft.)
T T #/4" - 48" x 48" !/4" - 48" x 24"
L Maple Plywood Maple Plywood
U U
Q G
P P O
#/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (Two Boards @ 4.8 Bd. Ft. Each)

S S
P P O
#/4" x 5!/2" - 96" Hard Maple (3.7 Bd. Ft.)
M M M M

NOTE: Top spacers (R) and glass stop (V) must be resawn to get blanks needed.

Woodsmith.com page 7 © August Home Publishing Co.

OPTIONAL DOORS
SAFETY NOTE:
Cut glass stop from
1 oversized blank

If you’d like to build a pair of inset V

doors for this entertainment center, GLASS
you’ll find they’re just simple frames STOP

with glass panels, as shown in Fig. 1.

2" U
Like the face frames on the case,
these doors could’ve been built
quickly with pocket hole joinery.
2" x 1(/16"
Plus, you can buy hardwood plugs nickel hinge
for making the pocket holes less vis- 21"
ible. Stainless
FRAME . But I didn’t want the join- T steel pull
STILE
ery to be visible at all, so I built the
door frames with stub tenons and
grooves (Figs. 1 and 1a). And when 15!%/16"

sizing the door stiles (T) and rails RAIL U Glass NOTE: Initially, door
T sized for !/16" gap on
(U), I allowed for a 1/16" gap around (!/8"x 15&/8"- 17!!/16") outside edges but no
15#/16" gap between doors
the two doors, but no gap between
them. (This makes the math a bit
easier, and the edges of the center a. Trim door b. c. STOP
to create V
stiles will be trimmed later to quickly STILE
!/16" gap
T !/4"
create an even 1/16" gap.) !/8"
With the stiles and rails cut to #/8" glass
2" RAIL
U !/4"
size, 3/8"-deep grooves need to be cut !/4" 2" T U
on the inside edges of the pieces !/2"-
TOP long
(Fig. 1a). Then you can cut the stub #/8" CROSS brad
SECTION
#/4" Pull SECTION
tenons to fit into these grooves.
After the frames have been assem-
bled, they’re ready for the rabbet that make installation easier, I cut the Quarter-round glass stop (V) will
will hold the glass (Fig. 1c). With the mortises in the door frames only, as hold the glass in place. (When mak-
grooves already cut, there’s not indicated in Fig. 3a. (The hinges will ing these tiny strips, it’s best to start
much material left to be removed, so be surface mounted to the case.) To with oversized pieces to be safe.)
the rabbet can be routed in a single do this, I used my table saw, attach- Then they’re mitered to length and
pass (Fig. 2). But you’ll still need to ing a tall auxiliary fence to the miter nailed to the frame (Fig. 1c).
square up the corners with a chisel. gauge to support the frame (Fig. 3). MOUNT DOORS . Now the doors are
HINGE MORTISES. I planned to mount GLASS. At this point, the doors are ready to be mounted to the case.
the doors on butt hinges. And to ready for the 1/8" glass panels. With inset doors, the goal is to get
an even gap around and between the
2 NOTE:
Square corners
3 doors. I like to concentrate on the
with chisel
gaps around the doors first. Then
Rout creating the gap between the doors
clockwise Tall aux.
fence is a simple matter of planing or sand-
ing a little off each center stile.
HARDWARE. When the doors fit well,
Mortise
the last step is to add pulls to the
for 2 x 1(/16" doors and magnetic catches to the
butt hinge
inside of the case (Figs. 1b and 4). W
a.
FRONT
2"
VIEW 4
Rabbet U
bit 2 x 1(/16"
butt T
hinge

2"
!/2" CROSS
SECTION Strike

#/8" !/16" Magnetic

a. Bench catch

Woodsmith.com page 8 © August Home Publishing Co.

 SIDE CABINET
This side cabinet is the perfect “side-
kick” to the entertainment center on
page 1. Since its top panel is flush
with the sides, the cabinet will nestle
up tight on either side of the TV cab-
inet. And the small drawer and
adjustable shelf offer quite a bit of
additional space for storage.
But don’t limit this cabinet to
being just a component of the enter-
tainment center. When set next to a
bed or arm chair, as shown in the
photos below, it also makes a great
little nightstand or end table.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES . As you might
expect, building this cabinet is simi-
lar to building the TV cabinet — only
this one is even easier because the
workpieces are smaller. However,
there are some important differ-
ences to note. Instead of a vertical
center divider, the side cabinet has a
horizontal divider that creates a
small drawer opening. Plus, the
back is quite a bit different. It still
has a face frame, but there’s no ply-
wood back to the cabinet and no panel with pocket hole screws. CONNECTING PANELS . With the stiles
pocket for excess cables. Again, I drilled the stepped holes for in place, the two end assemblies are
END ASSEMBLIES . This small cabinet the screws in the rails (instead of complete and can be connected with
starts out just like the larger TV unit: the panel) so they’d end up being the 3/4" plywood top (E) and bottom
by building two end assemblies, as hidden later. Then the two stiles (D) (E) panels (Fig. 1). Here’s where
shown in Fig. 1. First, the end panel can be cut to size and attached to the big difference between the two
(A) is cut to size, and the small rab- the assembly. And as on the larger cabinets begins. Instead of a vertical
bet that creates the shadow line is case before, you want to get these center divider, these side cabinets
cut, refer to Figs. 1 and 1a on page 3. pocket holes in the right places, so have a horizontal divider (E) that
Next, the upper (B) and lower when laying them out, it’s best to set will support the drawer.
end rails (C) are attached to the the stiles next to the assembly. The divider is identical to the top
and bottom panels except for one
thing. I drilled 3/4"-dia. access holes
in each corner so I’d be able to
screw the hardwood top panel to the
case later on (Figs. 1b and 4a). And
while I was at it, I drilled the over-
sized shank holes (5/16") in the top
(E). (They’re oversized so the hard-
wood top will be able to expand and
contract with changes in humidity.)
When connecting the end assem-
blies with the plywood panels, I start-
ed with the top and bottom pieces.
To do this, I used braces and cleats
Nightstand or end table. This side cabinet doesn’t have to be set next to the just as I did before with TV cabinet,
TV cabinet. It’s the perfect size for a nightstand (left). And since the back looks refer to Figs. 3 and 4 on page 4.
as good as the front, it can be set out away from the wall as an end table (right). Attaching the divider is similar to
the bottom panel. It’s positioned by

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 UPPER
TOP Pocket END RAIL
E holes 2!/2" B
a couple of cleats, but these scrap 1 %/16"-dia.
pieces can be cut to match the 1!/2" a. B b. shank
height of the opening between the hole
top and divider (41/4"), as shown in E
DIVIDER
Fig. 2. Then with the case flipped END E
END STILE 1!/2" B
upside down, the divider and cleats 16!/2" PANEL D
simply rest on the top panel. 24!/8" A D

FACE FRAMES . Now the front and 18!/8" 1!/2"

NOTE: #/4"-dia.
back face frames ready to be added Panels are
A
access
A
to the case, as shown in Fig. 3. The 16!/2" #/4" plywood. hole to
Rails and SIDE attach
front face frame establishes the stiles are VIEW top
BOTTOM
opening for the drawer, while the #/4"-thick
E #8 x 1!/4"
hardwood
one in back merely cleans up the 3" 3" !/8"x !/16" pocket
rabbet hole screw
back side so you’ll be able to set the E
cabinet out away from a wall. 1"
NOTE: C
When cutting the face frame Case assembled 3!/2" 3!/2" CROSS
pieces to size, the four front and with fine-threaded, 14!/2" C C SECTION
1!/4" pocket hole screws LOWER
back stiles (F) are identical, as well END RAIL
as the lower rails (I). There are two
narrow upper front rails (G) that 2 Access
hole
create the drawer opening. And as a.
NOTE: Drill
for the upper back rail (H), it’s 61/2" #/4"-dia. access 2!/2"
wide and covers the entire back of holes before DIVIDER
attaching E 4!/4" Cleat
the drawer opening. divider
4!/4"
Assembling the face frames here SECTION
VIEW
isn’t much different than those made NOTE:
Assembly is Scrap cleat
for the TV cabinet. Both lower rails upside down supports divider
should end up flush with the bottom
panel, as shown in Fig. 3a. And
1#/4"
there’s the extra upper front rail that 3
should also be flush with the divider. a.
In both cases, you can set the stiles 3!/2" 1!/2" 2!/2" 6!/2"
F
against the case and mark the loca- 2"
tion of the plywood panels. SIDE
TOP PANEL & SPACERS . After the face 1!/2" H SECTION
G UPPER 1#/4" VIEW
frames had been pocket-screwed to UPPER 24!/8" BACK
the front and back of the case, the FRONT RAIL
RAILS 14!/2"
next area I worked on was the top of NOTE:
the cabinet. Like the TV cabinet, Size back rail I
to cover edges
there are two layers here, as you of both top 3"
can see in Fig. 4. and divider
F
First, I glued up an oversized 3/4"- STILE F 7"
thick hardwood top panel (K). 3"
Then while the glue was drying, I NOTE: 2#/4"
worked on the top spacers (J). LOWER All rails positioned
RAIL flush with top
Again, these create the shadow line face of plywood panels
I
under the top panel, so you’ll need
to plane or resaw some stock down
to 1/8" thick for these pieces. Then 4 TOP PANEL K
SECTION VIEW
they’re simply mitered to length so a.
18" 18" 1!/2" K
they set back 1/8" from the outside
edge of the cabinet.
After the top spacers have been
J
glued in place, the top panel can be
17#/4" 17#/4" !/8"
cut to finished size and then #8 x 1!/4"
screwed down to the cabinet. (You’ll Rh screw
JJ & washer
need a long screwdriver to be able TOP SPACER
(!/8" thick)
to tighten the woodscrews.)

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 Drawer 5 GUIDE SIDE 96mm FRONT
Now that the case for the side cabinet O BACK M stainless- L
is complete, the next thing to work L steel pull

on is the small drawer that fits into 3&/16"

the opening, as shown in Fig. 5.
CUT TO SIZE. When sizing the draw-
SIDE
er pieces, I cut the front and back M !/4"-deep
(L) so there would be a 1/16" gap at groove
16!/4" 14#/8"
the sides and top. The side (M)
pieces are resawn or planed down to 16!/2" N
1/ " thick and are cut to length so the
2 BOTTOM
(!/4" ply. -13&/8"x 15#/4")
drawer ends up 1/2" short of the full O NOTE: Drawer
depth of the cabinet. (Later a stop has !/16" gap at
sides and top
will be added so the drawer ends up
SIDE
flush with the front face.) SECTION TOP SECTION Face
Pull & frame
LOCKING RABBET JOINT . To join the machine L GUIDE
O stile
drawer pieces, I used a fairly simple screw
3&/16" CL
locking rabbet joint, as described in !/4" !/16"
1!/16" 1"
the box below. However, if you own
a router and a dovetail jig, the pieces !/4" !/2" M
are sized so that you could join them N
BOTTOM L
with half-blind dovetails. (!/4" ply.)
a. b. #/4"
BOTTOM . Before assembling the
drawer pieces, you’ll want to cut a
groove near the bottom of each
piece to hold a 1/4" plywood drawer 6 KICKER
bottom (N), as shown in Fig. 5a. P a.
Once the bottom is cut to size, the SIDE
STOP SECTION
drawer can be glued together, and Q #/4"
Size to put
the pull can be added to the front. drawer P
16!/2" flush with
GUIDES, KICKER, & STOP. To guide the front
NOTE: Q
drawer in and out of the opening, Size stop so
drawer front #/4"
there are a few more pieces to add.
is flush with 14#/8"
First, I glued drawer guides (O) face frame
along the sides of the cabinet. These

HOW TO MAKE LOCKING RABBETS

To build the drawers on the small cab-
inet, I used a locking rabbet joint, see
photo. It’s much stronger than a sim-
ple butt or rabbet joint, and it’s not as
difficult as cutting dovetails.
With a locking rabbet, a short tongue
is cut on the front and back pieces,
as in Steps 1 and 2. Then these
tongues simply lock into dadoes cut
in each side piece, see Step 3.

Aux.
L END fence
Aux. !/4" SIDE
fence FRONT/ VIEW END Aux.
!/4" BACK VIEW fence M
END !/4"
VIEW !/4"
!/2" Dado
blade L
!/2"
!/4"

Tongue

1 On the front and back pieces, cut

a !/4"-wide slot on each end. Raise
the blade so the depth matches the
thickness of the drawer sides (!/2").
2 Next create a short tongue on
the inside face of each front and
back piece. Sneak up on the fence
3 Finally to hold the tongue on the
front and back pieces, cut !/4” x !/4”
dadoes at the ends of each side piece.
setting until the tongue is !/4" long. (Check the setup with a test piece.)

Woodsmith.com page 11 © August Home Publishing Co.

are sized to stick past the face frame 7
stiles 1/16", as shown in Fig. 5b. (To a. SIDE
make it easier to “feed” the drawer SECTION
R
into the cabinet, I tapered the front SHELF
STANDARD R
1" of each guide with sandpaper.) (#/8" thick) #/4"
Next, to keep the drawer from tip- S 1"
ply.
2!/2"
ping as it’s pulled out, I glued a kick- 13&/8"
er (P) under the top of the case
(Fig. 6). Then I added a stop (Q) at 15&/8" !/4"-dia.
holes
the back of the case. You’ll want SHELF S 4"
to sneak up on the width of this 15%/8" T
piece so that when the drawer
stops against it, the drawer’s front
T !/4"
face will be flush with the face frame. EDGING
SHELVES & STANDARDS. For this small
cabinet, I saved the shelves for last
(Fig. 7). To support these panels,
four shelf standards (R) will need
FINISHING TOUCH
to be resawn or planed down to 3/8"
thick. They’re basically the same as When deciding on the finish for difficult to stain evenly anyway —
the standards in the TV cabinet (just the entertainment center, I chose it often ends up looking “blotchy.”
shorter), as shown in Fig. 7. not to stain the wood. For one Instead, I sanded the project to
Finally, you can cut the shelf (S) thing, the light color of maple fits 180-grit and then applied several
to size from 3/4" plywood (Fig. 7). well with the project’s contempo- coats of a wipe-on polyurethane.
And since this cabinet is open in the rary style. And besides, the color However, this would also be a
back as well as the front, I glued of the plywood and hardwood was great project for trying your
hardwood edging (T) to both the a good match, and maple can be hand at a water-based topcoat.
front and back edges of the shelf. W

MATERIALS & SUPPLIES CUTTING DIAGRAM

A End Panels (2) #/4 ply. - 14!/2 x 18!/8
B Upper End Rails (2) #/4 x 1!/2 - 14!/2 #/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (4.8 Bd. Ft.) O
C Lower End Rails (2) #/4 x 3 - 14!/2
K K K R R
D End Stiles (4) #/4 x 1 - 24!/8
E Top/Btm./Divider (3) #/4 ply. - 16!/2 x 16!/2
P Q
F Front/Back Stiles (4) #/4 x 1#/4 - 24!/8 #/4" x 7!/4" - 96" Hard Maple (4.8 Bd. Ft.)
G Upper Front Rails (2) #/4 x 1!/2 - 14!/2 H
I I C C
G B F F
H Upper Back Rail (1) #/4 x 6!/2 - 14!/2
I Front/Back Lower Rails (2) #/4 x 3 - 14!/2
#/4" x 5!/2" - 96" Hard Maple (3.7 Bd. Ft.)
J Top Spacers (1) !/8 x 1!/2 - 90 rgh.
L L M M D
K Top Panel (1) #/4 x 18 - 18
L Drawer Front/Back (2) #/4 x 3&/16 - 14#/8 J T
!/4" - 24" x 24"
M Drawer Sides (2) !/2 x 3&/16 - 16!/4 #/4"- 48" x 48" Maple Plywood Maple Plywood
N Drawer Bottom (1) !/4 ply. - 13&/8 x 15#/4
O Drawer Guides (2) #/4 x 1!/16 - 16!/2 A A N
P Drawer Kicker (1) #/4 x #/4 - 16!/2
Q Drawer Stop (1) #/4 x !/2 - 14#/8
R Shelf Standards (4) #/8 x 2!/2 - 13&/8
S Shelf (1) #/4 ply. - 15&/8 x 15%/8 E E
T Shelf Edging (2) #/4 x !/4 - 15%/8

• (1 pkg.) 1!/4" Pocket Hole Screws NOTE:

• (4) #8 x 1!/4" Rh Woodscrews Top spacers (J) must
E S be resawn to get
• (4) #8 Flat Washers blanks needed.
• (1) 96mm Stainless-Steel Pull
• (4) Spoon-Style Shelf Supports

Woodsmith.com page 12 © August Home Publishing Co.