How to Make a Wooden Filing Cabinet with Simple Rabbeted Drawers

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A small filing cabinet is a useful first casework project: it teaches square construction, accurate drawer fitting, and how to keep several moving parts aligned. This version has two drawers for letter-size hanging files, a plywood cabinet, and solid-wood drawer fronts. The drawers use simple rabbeted corners rather than dovetails. Allow a weekend for the build, plus time for glue and finish to dry.

Plan the cabinet and dimensions

The example cabinet is about 16 inches wide, 22 inches deep, and 28 inches high, sized for two shallow drawers. Check the actual files and hardware you plan to use before cutting. Letter-size hanging files need roughly 12 inches of clear width between their rails; allow extra room for the rails and drawer sides. If you want legal-size files, increase the cabinet width and drawer depth to suit.

Use 3/4-inch plywood for the sides, top, bottom, and back. A 1/4-inch plywood back keeps the case square without adding much weight. Drawer sides can be 1/2-inch plywood, with a 1/4-inch plywood bottom set into grooves. Choose straight, dry hardwood or stable paint-grade wood for the fronts. Plywood is the practical choice for the large panels; solid wood can move across its width and complicate a wide cabinet.

Materials and tools

Gather one 4-by-8-foot sheet of 3/4-inch plywood, a smaller piece of 1/4-inch plywood, drawer stock, glue, screws, finish, and two pairs of full-extension slides. Side-mount slides are easier to install than undermount slides and leave useful access to the drawer sides, but they require accurate, parallel mounting surfaces. Look for a pair rated for at least 75 pounds if the drawers will hold paper files; ordinary light-duty slides can sag or bind under that load.

A table saw makes repeatable grooves and rabbets, but a circular saw with a straightedge, router, and chisel can do the work. A fine-tooth plywood blade helps reduce splintering on visible cuts. For slide installation, a drawer-slide jig is convenient, but a level, spacers, and careful marking are enough for a one-off cabinet.

Cut and assemble the case

Cut the two sides to 28 by 22 inches. Cut the top and bottom to the cabinet’s chosen outside width, minus the combined thickness of the sides; for a 16-inch-wide case, that means 14 1/2 inches between 3/4-inch sides. Make the top and bottom 22 inches deep. Before assembly, label the inside faces and mark the drawer openings. A small layout error here can leave too little room for the rails or slide hardware.

Join the top and bottom between the sides with glue and screws, checking both diagonals before the glue sets. Equal diagonals mean the case is square. Add the 1/4-inch back into a shallow rabbet or fasten it over the rear edges. The back is not just a dust cover: if it is out of square, the slides can end up twisted and the drawers will bind. Let the case dry flat, then confirm it remains square.

Build simple rabbeted drawers

Measure each drawer opening after the case is assembled. For typical side-mount slides, subtract the clearance stated by the slide maker from the opening width; many require 1/2 inch total, or 1/4 inch per side. Do not assume every slide uses the same clearance. Drawer depth should match the slide length and fit inside the cabinet with room at the back.

Cut the drawer front and back to the drawer’s outside width, and cut the sides to its outside depth. At the ends of the front and back, cut 1/2-inch-wide by 1/4-inch-deep rabbets. The sides fit between these rabbets, giving a simple, glue-friendly corner. Dry-fit the box and check that it is square before adding glue. Clamp gently: excessive pressure can bow the sides or squeeze the joint out of alignment.

Cut a 1/4-inch groove near the bottom inside edge of each drawer part. Make the groove wide enough for the plywood bottom, usually just over 1/4 inch. Slide the bottom into the grooves during assembly; do not glue all four edges if you want to allow a little seasonal movement. A bottom that is too thin or poorly supported can sag under file weight. For deeper drawers, use a thicker bottom or add a support strip beneath it.

Install slides and fronts

Mount cabinet slide members at matching heights, parallel to the cabinet bottom. Use spacers to repeat the position for the second drawer, and check each rail with a level. Attach the drawer members to the drawer sides according to the hardware instructions. Test each empty drawer before fitting the fronts. If it sticks, check for a case that is out of square, rails that are not parallel, or a drawer that is too wide; forcing the slide can damage its bearings.

Cut the decorative fronts slightly larger than the openings so they overlap the case edges. Center each front with even gaps, then hold it in place with double-sided tape or clamps while driving screws from inside the drawer. Leave about 1/8 inch between fronts and adjacent case edges. This overlap hides small fitting errors, but it will not fix a crooked drawer box.

Choose a finish

Sand exposed edges and faces through 150 or 180 grit. Ease sharp corners so paint or finish does not build into a brittle ridge. For paint, prime plywood edges, which absorb finish unevenly. Keep finish off slide tracks and drawer contact points. Apply thin coats rather than one heavy coat, and let each coat dry as directed before reinstalling the drawers.

Final checks before loading files

Install handles, then open and close both drawers several times. Look for rubbing at the fronts, loose screws, and any change in the gaps as a drawer moves. Load files gradually and check for sagging or a sudden increase in operating effort. If the cabinet will stand on carpet or hold heavy records, secure it to a wall stud with an anti-tip bracket. Paper is heavier than it looks, and an open, loaded drawer can pull a narrow cabinet forward.