What's inside
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A frame-and-panel cabinet is a good intermediate woodworking project: the face frame keeps the case square, while the floating panels add detail without requiring a large solid-wood slab. This design works for a bathroom cabinet, kitchen wall cabinet, shop storage, or a freestanding cupboard. The measurements below describe a cabinet about 30 inches high, 24 inches wide, and 14 inches deep, but the construction scales easily.
Contents
Plan the Cabinet and Choose Materials
Start by deciding whether the cabinet will have one or two doors, and whether it will sit on a separate base. A 24-inch-wide cabinet is comfortable with two doors; a cabinet under 18 inches wide usually looks and works better with one door.
Use 3/4-inch plywood for the top, bottom, and shelves. Cabinet-grade birch plywood is easier to finish than construction plywood, whose core voids can telegraph through the edge. For the frame, use straight, dry hardwood such as maple, oak, or poplar. Poplar is inexpensive and paints well, while maple and oak cost more but hold a cleaner edge under clear finish.
| Material | Best use | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4-inch birch plywood | Cabinet box and shelves | Stable and affordable, but exposed edges need banding |
| Solid hardwood | Face frame, door frames, and trim | Strong and attractive, but costs more and moves seasonally |
| 1/4-inch plywood | Door panels and cabinet back | Inexpensive and stable, but less decorative than solid wood |
| Solid-wood panel | Raised or flat door panel | Better appearance, but must float to prevent cracking |
Before buying, make a cut list. For the example cabinet, plan on two side panels at 30 by 14 inches, a top and bottom at 22 1/2 by 14 inches, and a 1/4-inch back sized to fit the finished opening. The exact dimensions depend on your frame width and joinery, so measure the actual parts rather than cutting every piece from the nominal numbers.
Prepare and Mill the Parts
Break down the plywood with a track saw, table saw, or a straightedge and circular saw. A track saw and straightedge is often the most practical choice for a single cabinet because it gives clean, repeatable cuts without requiring a large table saw.
Cut the hardwood frame parts 2 1/2 inches wide. You need two vertical stiles running nearly the full cabinet height and horizontal rails for the top, bottom, and any shelf openings. Mill the stock to the same thickness, then joint or rip one straight reference edge before cutting to length.
Sand plywood faces to 150 grit before assembly. Sand hardwood to 120 or 150 grit, but do not round the edges. A sharp, square edge makes frame joints close tightly and keeps the door reveal consistent.
Build the Frame-and-Panel Sides
Each side is a small frame surrounding a plywood or solid-wood panel. Cut two side stiles and two rails for each cabinet side. A practical side frame has 2-inch-wide members, with the panel opening centered inside it.
Cut a 1/4-inch-wide by 1/2-inch-deep groove along the inside edge of every side-frame part. A router table, table saw, or slot-cutting blade can make this groove. Stop the groove short of the outside ends if you want concealed joinery, or let it run through if the cabinet design hides the ends.
Make the frame joints with loose tenons, stub tenons, dowels, or pocket screws. Loose tenons and dowels give the strongest, cleanest result. Pocket screws are faster and perfectly adequate when the cabinet will be painted, especially if the screws are placed on the inside faces.
Cut the side panels about 1/8 inch narrower and shorter than the opening. This clearance allows a solid-wood panel to expand and contract. Do not glue the panel into its grooves. Apply glue only to the frame joints, assemble the side, and clamp it on a flat surface. Check both diagonals; if they differ by more than 1/16 inch, adjust the clamps before the glue sets.
Assemble the Cabinet Carcass
Attach the top and bottom between the side panels with glue and screws, dowels, or confirmat screws. Predrill near plywood edges to prevent breakout. A simple plywood cabinet can use pocket screws from the inside, but cover the holes with matching plugs if they will remain visible.
Install the fixed shelf before adding the back if it helps keep the cabinet square. For adjustable shelves, drill a row of 5mm or 1/4-inch holes on both sides, keeping the rows exactly parallel and about 1 1/2 inches in from the front and back edges. A shelf-pin jig is worth using; freehand holes commonly end up uneven enough to make shelves rock.
Measure the diagonals of the carcass, then attach the back. A 1/4-inch plywood back set into a rabbet looks cleaner, while a back screwed onto the rear edges is faster and can help pull a slightly out-of-square box into alignment. For a wall cabinet, use a 3/4-inch plywood hanging rail across the top and another across the bottom.
Make and Install the Face Frame
Build the face frame flat on a workbench. Use 2 1/2-inch stiles and rails, or widen the stiles to 3 inches if you want a heavier traditional appearance. Join the parts with pocket screws, dowels, or mortise-and-tenon joints. Check the frame on the cabinet before the glue dries; it should overhang the plywood edges evenly by about 1/16 inch.
Glue and clamp the face frame to the front of the carcass. Keep glue out of the door openings. Once dry, flush-trim or hand-plane any edge that stands proud of the plywood. A well-fitted face frame hides small plywood inaccuracies, but it cannot correct a twisted cabinet.
Make the Frame-and-Panel Doors
Measure the finished openings after the face frame is installed. Subtract about 1/8 inch from the opening height and width for a single door. For two doors, allow roughly 1/8 inch at the outside edges, top, and bottom, plus a 1/8-inch center gap. Make a test door from scrap if this is your first cabinet.
Cut door stiles and rails, then mill a groove for the panel. Use a 1/4-inch plywood panel for the simplest door. If using solid wood, leave the panel unfinished at its edges and allow it to float. Glue only the rail-and-stile joints. A solid panel glued into the frame is a common failure mode: seasonal movement can split the frame or panel.
Install hinges according to the overlay you planned. Concealed cup hinges offer adjustment, while butt hinges are cheaper and suit a traditional cabinet. A concealed hinge jig helps place hinge cups consistently, but it is not necessary for one door if you measure carefully and use a sharp Forstner bit.
Sand, Finish, and Install
Sand the assembled cabinet to 180 grit, easing only exposed corners. Vacuum thoroughly before applying finish. Paint-grade poplar and plywood can be filled and primed; clear-finished oak or maple benefits from a conditioner or washcoat if you want more even color.
For a utility cabinet, two coats of water-based polyurethane are quick and low-odor. Oil-based finish gives more working time and can deepen the wood color, but it dries slowly and needs ventilation. Apply finish to shelves and the inside of doors before final installation.
Mount the cabinet into studs or use appropriately rated anchors. Do not rely on drywall anchors alone for a heavy wall cabinet. Install the doors, adjust the hinges for an even 1/8-inch reveal, and add bumpers to stop rattling. If a door binds, check the cabinet for square before trimming the door; forcing a cut often hides the real problem.