WALL-MOUNTED

TOOL CABINET

© 2015 August Home Publishing Co.

storage
solutions

wall-mounted
Tool Cabinet
Store and display your favorite tools in a cabinet
that breaks the mold of traditional storage.
Some of my tools have been handed down through The cabinet features ample space for some of your
the generations. So when I design a cabinet to store favorite tools and the glass doors make it easy to see
and display them, I want it to share the same level the contents. Decorative details such as highly fig-
of detail and craftsmanship as the tools themselves. ured wood and gentle curves really make it stand
I think you’ll agree that this design fits the bill. out. Finally, unique joinery brings it all together.

1 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Exploded View Details
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 24"W x 30"H x 8"D
CABINET TOP
CAN BE USED
CURVED SIDES FOR ADDITIONAL CLEAT SYSTEM
REDUCE VISUAL STORAGE SECURES
WEIGHT OF CABINET CABINET
TO WALL
HALF-LAP JOINTS
IN DOORS ARE
SELF-SQUARING

PLYWOOD
BACK
PREVENTS
RACKING HINGES ARE
MORTISED IN
DOORS AND CASE

GLASS PANELS
GIVE CLEAR VIEW
OF CONTENTS

GLASS
STOP

ADJUSTABLE
SHELVES
ALLOW YOU TO
CUSTOMIZE
STORAGE FOR
YOUR NEEDS

MAGNETIC
CATCHES HOLD
DOORS IN PLACE

DECORATIVE WALNUT
PEGS ADD
CONTRASTING COLOR PEGS SECURE
NOTE: REFER TO PAGE SIDES TO TOP
7 FOR HANDS-ON NOTCH AND BOTTOM
AND TENON TECHNIQUE OF CASE SOLID CASE
CONSTRUCTION
USES NOTCH AND
TENON JOINERY

Materials & Hardware

A Top/Bottom (2) 3/ x 8 - 24 • (1) 1/4" - dia. x 36" Walnut Dowel
4
B Sides (2) 3/
4 x 8 - 30 • (4) 11⁄2" x 2" Hinges
C Back Panel (1) 223/4 x 25 - 1/4 Ply. • (2) 1" - dia. Knobs
D Rails (4) 3/ x 21/ - 11
4 4 • (2) 1⁄8" Glass Panel (77⁄16" x 205⁄16")
E Stiles (4) 3/ x 2 - 243/ • (2) Magnetic Catches w/Screws
4 8
F Glass Stop (1) 1/ x 1/ - 11' Rgh. • (8) 1/4" - dia. Shelf Pins
4 4
G Shelves (2) 3/ x 6 - 221⁄ • (32) Brads
4 8
H Hanging Cleats (2) 3/ x 2 - 221/
4 4

2 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 TOP
(8" x 24") !/8"-DEEP
1
OVERVIEW
A DADO
SIDE VIEW
8 SIDE
B
2
#/4 SHELF
PIN
#/4

B a. FRONT
CL
VIEW
C CL TOP/
BACK PANEL BOTTOM
(22#/4" x 25") !/4"-DIA.
x !/2"-DEEP
30 1!/4 !/8 BACK SHELF PIN
HOLES
SIDE #/4

1#/4 #/4

2
b. BACK PANEL
B BOTTOM
SIDE (8" x 24") #/4 SIDE
(8" x 30") A
30" RADIUS !/4
SIDE
9
VIEW !/4

NOTE: TOP, BOTTOM,

AND SIDES ARE MADE
FROM #/4"-THICK HARDWOOD; BOTTOM
!/4 " WALNUT
BACK IS !/4" PLYWOOD DOWEL

Case
making the
What I like most about this tool
cabinet are the details. They’re
subtle, but they really make it
a showpiece for some of your
favorite tools. The first thing you
may have noticed is the wood
selection. I chose ambrosia maple
because of its distinctive color
and figure characteristics.
Another detail worth noting is
the joinery used to assemble the
case. It begins with tenons cut on
the ends of the top and bottom.
As you can see in Figure 1, these
fit into notches cut in the sides.
This joinery not only makes for a
strong case, but adds visual inter-
est that you don’t see in a lot of
basic tool cabinets.
Chamfers. I started building
the case by cutting the sides,
top, and bottom to final size at
the table saw. Before making
the cuts for the joinery, notice in
Figure 1a that the end of each
tenon extends 1⁄8" proud of the
case sides. To create a more fin-
ished look, I softened these ends
by adding a chamfer around all
four edges. It’s easier to start this
three-step process before making
the cuts for the tenons.
Take a look at the box at the
bottom of the next page. You’ll
see that I started by routing a
chamfer on the ends of the pieces
that make up both the top and
bottom of the case. This takes care
of the chamfers on three sides of
each tenon. You’ll add the fourth
chamfer to the inside edges after
the tenons have been cut.
Joints. Now it’s time to get
started on the joinery. With a
dado blade in your table saw,
you begin by cutting the dadoes
and notches in the sides first.
With these cut, you can make the
tenons for the top and bottom.
Once you’ve made all the cuts,
c.
SIDE
1
VIEW
BOTTOM CL
WALNUT
SIDE DOWEL
use a sanding block to create the
chamfer on the inside edge of
the tenons. Making cuts while
standing a board on end can be
challenging, but I came up with
a straightforward technique that
will give you perfect results. Take
a look at page 7 for more details.
Curves. You can see in Figure
1 that the case sides extend above
the top. I designed the cabinet
this way because I wanted to use
the top of the cabinet as an addi-
tional shelf for open storage. And
I didn’t want to risk having a tool
fall off the sides. To balance the
look of the cabinet, I extended the
sides below the bottom as well.
This added a lot of visual weight

3 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 2 NOTE: ROUT GROOVE FOR BACK
PANEL BETWEEN NOTCHES
IN SIDES
3
!/4" BRAD-
POINT BIT

TOP

SIDE
a. WRAP TAPE
AROUND BIT AS SIDE
#/4
A DEPTH GAUGE
WHEN DRILLING
PEG HOLES
FENCE SIDE (FIGURE 1c)
!/4

to the cabinet though. To reduce
this weight and streamline the
look, I added a slight curve to the
top and bottom of each side.
Notice that the curve starts
from the back of the cabinet and
curves down towards the front.
The radius of the arc is 30", which
just happens to be the full length
of the sides. This makes it easy
to lay out the line using a beam
compass. Just adjust your com-
pass to extend the full length of
the side. To get the desired arc,
place the fixed end on the back
corner, then draw an arc from the
opposite back corner to the front
edge. Repeat this process for the
remaining three curves.
A band saw makes it easy to
cut the curves. When making the
cuts, be sure to stay just to the
waste side of your layout line.
When you’re done, a little work
with a sanding block and you’ll
have a nice smooth finish.
!/4" STRAIGHT
BIT
I included another technique
for making the curves on page
12. You’ll find that both methods
create great results.
Grooves. All that’s left to com-
plete the case is to cut grooves
in each piece for the back panel
(Figure 1b). Figure 2 above shows
you how to rout the groove
between the dadoes in the sides.
Drill holes for the shelf pins and
you’re ready for assembly. There
are details for a jig on page 11 to
help you with that.
Assembly. After you cut the
back panel to final size and
assemble the case, you can drill
a hole through each tenon for the
pegs. I used a handheld drill and
attached tape to my bit as a depth
guide, as illustrated in Figure 3.
The pegs in the tenons add a
decorative detail, but they also
a. NOTE:
TRIM PEG WITH FLUSH-
CUT SAW. CHISEL AND SAND
TO CREATE FINISHED
SURFACE
TOP
WALNUT
DOWEL
SIDE
help secure the top and bottom
to the sides of the case (Figure
1c). I used walnut dowels to cre-
ate contrast with the light color of
the maple used in the case.
With a mallet, drive the dow-
els into the holes until they seat
fully. A flush-cut saw allows
you to trim most of the excess
waste. Some work with a chisel
and sanding block will bring the
dowels flush and leave a nice
smooth surface.
While the glue dries on the
case, you can turn the page and
begin work constructing the
shelves and doors.

Chamfer Tenons a. TOP/BOTTOM

SHOP
#/4
USE SANDING
BLOCK TO
CREATE INSIDE
CHAMFER
< TIP
TOP/BOTTOM NOTE: SEE
PAGE 7 FOR
CUTTING
TECHNIQUE SANDING
TALL BLOCK
FENCE
NOTE: CHAMFER BOTH
ENDS OF TOP & BOTTOM
BEFORE CUTTING TENONS
TOP/BOTTOM

4 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 adding shelves & The goal here is to sneak up on the

Doors
Being able to display your favor-
ite tools is what this cabinet is
all about. That’s why the panels
in the doors are glass instead of
solid wood. And to keep the con-
struction simple, the door frame
is constructed using half-lap join-
ery. To tie the design of the doors
to the rest of the case, I used the
same walnut dowels as decora-
tive pegs in the door frames.
Rails & Stiles. Construction
of the doors starts by ripping the
rails and stiles to width and cut-
ting them to length. One thing to
make note of is that the rails are
1⁄ " wider than the stiles.
4
Next, you can install a dado
blade. Adjust the height of your
dado blade using test pieces the
same thickness as the door frame.
final height of the blade by slowly
raising it until both sides of the
joint fit flush. Once you have the
blade height dialed in, you can
set the rip fence to 2" and use it as
a stop while making the joinery
cuts. For more details on cutting
perfect half-lap joinery, refer to
Shop Short Cuts on page 12.
Finish the doors by cutting rab-
bets to secure the glass panels.
An auxiliary fence clamped to
your rip fence allows you to bury
the dado blade in the fence. This
lets you control the width of cut. {  Decorative Pegs. Dowels in
Assembly. Assembling the the case and doors enhance
frame is straightforward because the design of the cabinet.
the half laps help square up the
frame automatically (Figure 5). Unlike on the case, these pegs
You’ll want to use large clamps to are purely decorative. In other
pull the joints together across the words, they don’t go through
ends and smaller clamps directly both the stile and rail (Figure 5b).
across the half laps. The process is basically the same
After the glue dries, you can though. The only difference is the
add the pegs to the door frame. depth of the holes (3⁄8").

4 HINGE
OVERVIEW
(1!/2" x 2") RAIL
(2!/4" x 11") !/4"-DIA.
D PEGS

SHELF
a.
(6" x 22!/8")
G

!/4 GLASS
PANEL
!/4 (7&/16" x 20%/16")
GLASS
STOP

SIDE RAIL
VIEW KNOB
G (1" - DIA.)

CL

MAGNETIC
CATCH

b. SIDE FRONT VIEW

8 MAGNETIC
CATCH

TOP
GLASS STOP
#/8 (!/4" x !/4")
F
1%/8 !/16

3
#/8
RAIL
c. !/16
E
STILE
(2" x 24#/8")
!/16 NOTE: RAILS, SIDE
STILES, AND
SHELVES ARE MADE
STILE FROM #/4"-THICK
STOCK
HINGE
TOP VIEW
5 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 PEG

5
FIGURE STILE
Hinges. To attach the doors, RAIL
you need to cut mortises for the STILE
hinges. I find that it’s easiest to NOTE: RAILS ARE
2!/4" WIDE; STILES
start with the case first. I use the ARE ONLY 2" WIDE
hinges to mark the locations on
the case and a small palm router
a.
2
to remove most of the waste.
Clean up the corners with a LARGE GLUING
chisel and you’re ready to attach SURFACE FOR SOLID
CONSTRUCTION
the hinges. You can find addi- 2
tional information about locating
hinges on page 9. RAIL
Now you can transfer the hinge b. SIDE VIEW
location to the doors and cut the NOTE: INSIDE
VIEW SHOWN
mortises for the other side of the
hinges. Then attach the doors and
make adjustments as necessary to the table saw. The box at the bot-
get a good fit. What you’re look- tom of the page shows how it’s
!/4"-DIA. PEG
ing for is a consistent gap of 1⁄16" done. Now is also a good time to
around each door. Once the doors cut the shelves to fit.
are fit, you can drill holes for the Cleat. Fully loaded, the cabinet (I used 30º), just be sure to attach
knobs to attach later. is going to be fairly heavy. That’s each piece correctly. The cabinet
Glass Stops. You’ll install the why I secured the case to the hangs on the cleat and the sides
glass after you apply a finish, but wall with a two-part cleat. Fig- of the case keep it from sliding
go ahead and cut the stops used ure 6 shows that it’s made from sideways on the wall.
to secure the glass to the doors. two identical beveled strips. The Complete the case by install-
They’re just small strips cut on degree of the angle isn’t critical ing the glass panels and adding
the knobs. You’ll notice that the
6 TOP
WALL
knobs are attached low on the
door. So the magnetic catches are
TOP
STUD screwed to the bottom of the case
SIDE instead of at the top. I did this
ATTACH
CLEAT to reduce any racking that may
SECURELY
TO WALL occur when opening the door.
SIDE SIDE WITH
BACK VIEW SCREWS I finished the cabinet with two
coats of spray lacquer. That’s all it
H
needs to bring out the beauty of
CLEAT
(2" x 22!/4") a. the wood and complete a cabinet
you can be proud of.

Installing the Glass

END VIEW
NOTE: SAFELY SIDE
RIP GLASS STOP
FROM EXTRA-WIDE STILE RAIL
VIEW
!/4 RAIL
WORKPIECE
NAIL
SET
GLASS
PANEL
BRAD
GLASS
!/4 PANEL
SILICONE
CAULK
BRAD GLASS SILICONE
STOP GLASS CAULK
GLASS STOP STILE
STOP

{  Making the Stops. After cutting {  Add Silicone. Silicone caulk holds {  Secure Stops. Use a nail set to
grooves in the edges of a wide the glass panel secure while allowing install the brads that secure the stops
workpiece, cut the glass stop free. for easy replacement if necessary. to the rails and stiles.

6 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 notch & tenon
Joinery
Create this distinctive
joint with a few
simple techniques.
Cutting a workpiece while hold-
ing it on edge can be a real chal-
lenge. And making an accurate
cut while balancing it on end is
even trickier. The narrow edge
of the workpiece provides lim-
ited support. And the small face
on a standard miter gauge really
doesn’t help out all that much.
You’re faced with both these
tasks when cutting the notch and
tenon joints used to build the tool
cabinet. Notch and tenon join-
ery is used to connect the sides
of the case with the top and bot-
tom. The solution to the problem workpiece when making a cut. sandpaper to the face of the fence.
is simple — provide better sup- Plus, it backs up the cut to pre- It helps keep the workpiece from
port for the workpiece. All that’s vent chipout on the workpiece. shifting during a cut.
needed is a miter gauge and a tall This way, you can make your Setup. The workpieces that
}  Perfect Fit. auxiliary fence. cuts safely and accurately. make up the top and bottom of
The goal is tenons Tall Auxiliary Fence. Attach- The size of the auxiliary fence the case fit inside dadoes and
that fit snugly in ing a tall fence to the miter gauge is the key. It needs to be tall notches cut in the sides. You can
the notches. gives additional support to the enough to provide support for see what I mean in the photo on
the workpiece while on edge or the left. This makes for a strong
end. But it also needs to provide joint, but in order to have a tight
Side a place to securely grip the work- fit, the dadoes and notches need
Tenon piece. Since the sides of the case to line up perfectly. A simple
Notch are 8" wide, I made my fence 83⁄4" solution is to use the rip fence as
tall. You can use any straight, flat a stop to locate the cuts.
Dado piece of material. (I used 3⁄4" Baltic Since you won’t be cutting
birch plywood.) through the workpiece, this is
Since the fence also helps to safe and more accurate. And the
reduce chipout on the workpiece, great thing is that the dadoes and
it should extend beyond the right notches are the same distance
side of the blade (5⁄8" in my case). from both ends of each side, so
Top And although it’s not critical, I you only have to set your rip
like to attach adhesive-backed fence once. They’re also the same

7 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
width, so once you have your
dado blade installed to match
the thickness of your workpieces,
you can begin making the cuts.
Dadoes. I started by cutting the
dadoes first, since they’re only 1⁄8"
deep. Starting with the shallow
cuts and then progressing to the
deeper cuts helps minimize chi-
pout by ensuring that the top of
the cut is always supported by
the auxiliary fence. The photo at
right shows how it’s done. Once
all the dadoes are complete, you
can move on to the notches.
Notches. As I mentioned, the
dadoes and notches in the edge
are aligned, so there’s no need to
adjust the rip fence. All you have
to do is adjust the height of the
dado blade for the notches (3⁄4"
for the tool cabinet) and you’re
ready to make the next cuts.
This is where the tall auxil-
iary fence really starts to come
in handy. With the workpiece
on edge, you can hold it firmly
against the face of the tall fence.
If you look at the main photo
on the previous page, you’ll see
what I mean. Now you’re ready
to make the cuts. Just be sure
that the end of the workpiece is
against the face of the rip fence.
Tenons. With the notches cut,
the next step is to mark the layout
lines for the tenons. And that’s
pretty straightforward. If you
look at the photo at the upper
{  Remove Waste. Start near the middle and
remove waste towards one tenon. Flip the workpiece
around and work toward the other tenon.
8 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
{  Cut Dado. The rip fence acts as a stop when
making the cuts. This ensures that the dadoes
and notches line up perfectly.
right, you can see how I did this.
Simply lay the sides over the top
and bottom pieces and use the
notches in the sides to accurately
mark the inside edge of the ten-
ons. You’ll want to mark lines on
both sides of each workpiece. I’ll
explain why in a second.
Rather than cutting the cheeks
of the tenons first, I prefer to start
in the middle of the workpiece
and work my way out towards
the tenons. The photo below
shows you how. This lets me
sneak up on the fit of the tenons
in the notches. You don’t need the
rip fence for this, so move it out
of the way. Also, the design of the
tool cabinet calls for the tenons
to stand proud of the case sides.
{  Last Passes.
Use the rip
fence to fine-t
une the final
size of the tenon.
{  Mark Layout Lines. The
notches in the side help to mark
the layout lines for the tenons.
So I don’t have to adjust the height
of the dado blade for these cuts.
You’ll really appreciate the tall
fence when you set the work-
piece on end. A firm grip hold-
ing both edges of the workpiece
against the fence is all you need
to make the cuts safely. As I men-
tioned, start in the middle of the
workpiece and work towards
one of the tenons. Don’t cut to the
layout line just yet. Flip the work-
piece and use the layout line on
the other side as a reference mark
to cut towards the other tenon.
You’ll want to use the rip fence
to make the final skim cuts. This
ensures that the tenons are cen-
tered and identical in size. Check
the fit and adjust the fence as nec-
essary until the tenons fit snugly
in the notches. Once the fit is
secure, the joinery is complete.
Solid Joint.
A snug fit creates
a solid connection
between both workpieces.
 secrets to
Locating
Hinges
Selecting the right hinges
for your project is only
half the battle. Placing
them properly adds the
professional touch.
When I’m building a project, it’s
easy to get caught up in the nitty-
gritty construction techniques.
I want to make sure everything
}  Centered. works out right. Sometimes, it
Centering the pays to step back and figure out The right hardware can really Align With Rails. The real
hinges on the edge why and how one piece of furni- add to the look of a project. But trick is figuring out just what the
of the rails provides ture looks good and another can that’s only if it’s placed well on distance should be. For this, I use
a pleasing look on be a little “off.” This is especially the piece. One example of this is the design of the door as a guide.
small, square doors. true when it comes to hardware. the hinges on the doors. Know- Most of the doors I build are
ing the best location to place frame and panel assemblies with
hinges may seem like a mystery, either a wood or glass panel. So
but there are some secrets you I usually align the end of each
can use to solve the puzzle. hinge with the inside edge of the
rails. You can see this in the tool
BASIC GUIDELINES chest shown above. As your eye
Figuring out where to locate the follows along the horizontal edge
hinges on a door doesn’t have to of the rail, the hinge seems to be
be a guessing game. While these in a “natural” spot.
aren’t hard and fast rules, I have But that doesn’t mean it works
a few guidelines that I use as a for every door. For example, take a
starting point for placing hinges. look at the cabinet in the left photo.
Symmetrical Placement. The The doors are shorter and they’re
first rule of thumb is to place the nearly square in shape. Aligning
hinges the same distance from the hinges with the rails would
the top and bottom ends of the place them too close together.
door. To me, this gives the proj- And the resulting space between
ect a more balanced look. You the hinges would look too tight.
can see how this looks in all the Instead, I centered the hinges with
examples shown on these pages. the inside edge of the rails.

9 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 SPECIAL SITUATIONS
The previous guidelines work
well on uncomplicated doors.
When the doors are more com-
plex, I’ll use some variations to
the basic principles.
Decorative Details. One way
to dress up a door is to add deco-
rative details. The cabinet doors
on the right have contrasting
plugs. If the hinges were aligned
with the rails, both elements
would compete with each other.
The solution is to step the hinges
towards the center slightly. This
allows the plugs and hinges to
stand out on their own.
Different Rail Widths. There’s
no rule that says both rails on a
door need to be the same width,
as shown in the lower left photo.
Aligning the hinges with the rails
would result in an uneven hinge
placement top to bottom.
The answer is to choose one of
the rails as the guide for locating
both hinges. Since the upper rail
is relatively narrow, I used the
wider lower rail as my guide.
Large Doors. The doors on the
bookcase in the lower right photo
are highly detailed: uneven rails,
decorative plugs, divided lights,
and they’re pretty large. Locating
the hinges here is a challenge.
First, for more support, I added
a third pair of hinges centered
on the doors. Then I used the
narrower upper rail as the basis
for locating the top and bottom
hinges. This also centers the bot-
tom hinge on the lower rail.
Test Run. Before you commit
to the location of the hinges, it’s
a good idea to tape them to the
door temporarily. This way, you
can see for yourself how a given
approach will look. {  Avoid Clutter.
Locating hinges isn’t mysteri- In the design of this project,
ous. All it takes are some simple shifting the hinges away from the
principles and the flexibility to decorative plugs keeps the doors
bend them when necessary. from looking too busy.

{  Choose a Rail. When the rails aren’t the same {  Tall Doors. Larger doors like this need a combination of
width, select one rail as the guide for both hinges. solutions. First, an additional hinge provides extra support.
For this cabinet the lower rail worked best. Then, the hinge position is determined by the upper rail.

10 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 TOP VIE
END VIE
DRILLING SIDE VIE
GUIDE
TOP VIE
(CROSS SEC

1#/4"-WIDE
NOTE: FLIP
GUIDE OVER TO
STEP 1:
XXXXXXXXXX
DRILL FRONT

Shop
FENCE
HOLES
FIRST: XX
XXXXXXXXXX
2
2 NOTE: XX
XXXXXXXXXX
A B C D E F G H I J K

Short
3 "INCH MAR
1!/4"-WIDE N O P Q R S T U “QUOTE
CABINET V W X MY
FENCE
AA BB CSIDE C D D E E F F GG H

BACK EDGE
CL J J K K L L MM N N O O P P Q
SS T T UU V V WW X X Y Y Z
PATT

Cuts
A AA B BB C C C D DD E E E F F
TAPE USED AS DEPTH
GGG HHH
GAUGE I I I J J J KKK L L
!/4"-DIA.
BIT
MMM NNN OOO P P P Q QQ R R
NARROW DRILLINGS SS T T T U UU V V V WWW X X
FENCE GUIDE
YYY Z Z Z C#/8 L
BACK SIDE
FRONT
a. EDGE

Reversible EDGE 1#/4 EXPLODED VIEW

OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
(24!/2" x 24!/2" x 24!/2")
b.
Drilling Guide
NOTE: CLAMP
DRILLING GUIDE #8 x 1"
TO WORKPIECE PART NAME w/LETTER WOODSC
BEFORE DRILLING (first time used)
Getting shelf pins aligned so the This two-sided guide allows #8 x 1!/2
DRILLING WOODSC
shelves don’t rock and wiggle you to accurately locate the shelf GUIDE PART NAME
#8 x 2"
can be a challenge. For this rea- pin holes from both edges. As #/8 CALLOUT WOODSC
SIDE WIDE
son, I turn to a shop-made drill- you can see in details ‘a’ and ‘b,’ FENCE
ing guide. The guide helps make two hardboard fences locate the 1!/4
TOP
FRONT
EDGE
VIEW
sure all the holes are consistent. holes from the front or back edge
END VIEW
I used a guide to drill the of the cabinet side. The wide Using the jig is simple. Line up
holes in the cabinet sides for the fence is used when drilling the the centerlines of the jig and cabi- SIDE VIEW
tool cabinet. The problem is the holes along the front edge. A nar- net side (drawing above). After
holes are offset a different dis- row fence on the other side of the TOP VIEW
clamping the jig in place, you can (CROSS SECTION)
tance from the back edge and guide is used to located the holes drill the holes. Then just repeat the
the front edge. further in from the back edge. process for the other set of holes. STEP 1: XXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

FIRST: XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
NOTE: XXXXXXX
Flush Trim Template XXXXXXXXXXX

"INCH MARKS"
Sanding the large radius on the “QUOTE MARKS”
ends of the tool cabinet sides can a.
be time-consuming. And it can be
difficult to cut each end identi-
DOUBLE-SIDED
TAPE PATTERN
HARDBOARD
cal to the others. The solution to TEMPLATE
making a nice smooth cut that TEMPLATE
doesn’t require a lot of sanding FLUSH NOTE:
TRIM BIT RADIUS OF
is to use a hardboard template, TEMPLATE
IS 30"
your router, and a flush trim bit.
Getting a smooth layout and
curve is a lot easier on a piece of
1⁄ " hardboard. And once that’s BACK
4 FLUSH EDGE
TRIM BIT
done, you’re guaranteed identical
#8 x 1" Fh
curves on the ends of the cabinet sides. Just stick the template NOTE: FIRST ROUT SHORT
WOODSCREW
down with double-sided tape, use a band saw to remove (!/2") SECTION RIGHT TO LEFT TO PREVENT #8 x 1!/2" Fh
CHIPOUT, THEN REMOVE REMAINING WOODSCREW
most of the waste, and then trim it flush with the router. WASTE ROUTING LEFT TO RIGHT
#8 x 2" Fh 1!/4" 1!/2" 1#/4"
WOODSCREW

11 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 A B C D E F
N O P Q R S
AA BB C C DEX D
OV
J J K K L L M(2 M
SS T T UU AV VB
Cutting Half Laps }  Rock-Solid. Wide
shoulders and lots of A AA B BB CNCPA O
C
GGG HHH AA I I I
The broad, face grain gluing 1⁄ "shy of the final length. Then gluing surface make
16 MMM NNN O J OO
JPA
surface of half laps makes for a make your first pass on one a half lap a tough,
S SS T T T USS UU
solid joint. That’s why I chose workpiece, as shown in Figure all-purpose joint. Y Y Y Z Z Z A AA
CA

it for the tool cabinet doors. I 2a. Make multiple passes cutting GGG TO
WIDE
wanted joinery that would last away the waste from the end, as SHOULDERS MMM
as long as my tools. shown in Figure 2b. EXPLODED S SSEN V
OVERALL DIMEN
Creating tight-fitting half lap Since the fence isn’t set to cut Y Y Y
(24!/2" x 24!/2" xSI2A
joints is easy to do at the table the cheek to final length, the end
PART NAME w/LEN
saw. A wide dado blade makes won’t be flush. But now it’s easy LARGE CHEEK T
quick work of removing the see how far to cut back the shoul- SURFACE EXP
(first time used
(CRA
PART NAME
OVER J
waste. But there are a few tech- der for a perfect fit. Just sneak SS
(24!/2
XX
niques to point out that will help up on the final cheek length by CALLOUT
PARTA
you along the way. adjusting the fence away from F(
Blade Height. The key to the blade until the fit is flush. TOP VIEW XXG
M
getting joints that are flush is N
PART
END VIEW XXS
the depth of cut. The goal is to
remove exactly half the thickness
1 NOTE: USE
TEST PIECES TO
SET BLADE HEIGHT
ADJUST BLADE
HEIGHT UNTIL a. SIDE VIEW "IN
CALLY

of the workpiece, as you can see FACES ARE FLUSH TOP“Q

TOP VIEW E
in the drawings at right. END
To work toward this goal, I WIDE
(CROSS SECTION)
O P(
use test pieces that are the exact
DADO
BLADE
STEP 1: XXXX
SIDE
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
P
thickness of my workpieces to AUX.
FENCE FIRST: XXXXXXXTOP
adjust the blade height. Figure 1 XXXXXXXXXXX (CROS
P
shows how this works. NOTE: XXXXXXXSTE
TEST
Mark a “halfway point” on PIECE SAME
THICKNESSS AS WORKPIECE
a. XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXC
each piece and then set the dado RIP FIRST CUT "INCH MARKS"FIRS
blade height to be a little bit FENCE MADE SHY OF T
XXXXX
“QUOTE MARKS”
SHOULDER
below the mark. After you make
a cut across the end of each piece,
2 NOTE:
RIP FENCE PATTERN
XXXXX
NOTE

simply overlap them to check the

ACTS AS STOP
"INCH
S
result. Raise the blade slightly “QUO
and repeat the process until the
b.
(C
faces fit flush, as in Figure 1a. PAT
Length of Cut. With the blade START BY W
MAKING MULTIPLE
height set, all you need to do is PASSES FROM END
set the length of the cut. First, SNEAK UP
ON FINAL
set the rip fence so that the dis- SHOULDER
tance from the outside edge of CUT

the blade to the fence is about #8 x 1" Fh "

WOODSCREW
“
#8 x 1!/2" Fh
WOODSCREW

#8 x 2" Fh
P
WOODSCREW #
WO

#8
WO

#8
WO

12 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 wall-mounted
Tool Cabinet
Materials List
A Top/Bottom (2) 3/ x 8 - 24 • (1) 1/4"-dia. x 36" Walnut Dowel
4
B Sides (2) 3/ x
4 8 - 30 • (4) 11⁄2" x 2" Hinges
C Back Panel (1) 223/4 x 25 - 1/4 Ply. • (2) 1"-dia. Knobs
D Rails (4) 3/ x 21/ - 11
4 4 • (2) 1⁄8" Glass Panel (77⁄16" x 205⁄16")
E Stiles (4) 3/ x 2 - 243/ • (2) Magnetic Catches w/Screws
4 8
F Glass Stop (1) 1/ x 1/ - 132 • (8) 1/4"-dia. Shelf Pins
4 4
G Shelves (2) 3/ x 6 - 221⁄
4 8
H Hanging Cleats (2) 3/ x 2 - 221/
4 4

Cutting Diagram
#/4" x 10" - 96" MAPLE (6.7 Bd. Ft.)
D
B B A D
D
D

F
#/4" x 9" - 96" MAPLE (6 Bd. Ft.)
E
G G E
A
E
H H E

24" x 48" - !/4" PLYWOOD

NOTE: GRAIN
DIRECTION

13 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 MAIL Project Sources
ORDER
SOURCES • Horton Brasses
11⁄2" x 2" Hinges. . . . . . . . PB407B
Woodsmith Store
800-444-7527 1"-dia. Knobs. . . . . . . . . . K-12-1.00

Horton Brasses Manufacturers and retailers

800-754-9127 will periodically redesign or dis-
horton-brasses.com
continue some of their items.
So you’ll want to gather all the
hardware, supplies, and tools
you need before you get started.
It’s easy to adjust dimensions or
drill different-sized holes to suit
your hardware.

14 WoodsmithPlans.com SN11624 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.