Covid Cabinet With No Workshop

Like many others I have had to adjust to working at home for the last year due to the pandemic. For me that involved adding a second screen and a laser printer on my cramped desk in my 600sf condo. Initially I had to put the printer on floor but I wanted a more permanent solution as well as the need for extra storage for thing like paper.

The layout of my condo has a vertical "bulkhead" with an inset against the wall when my desk sits, making a 17" x 22" nook perfect for a cabinet. There are also 8" baseboards so the cabinet will need to accommodate that height as well.

With the Covid lockdown I needed to build / finish the complete cabinet inside of my condo. I am not going to include plans with dimensions as this is very custom to the space I had but I have included assembly diagrams.

Please enjoy!
(and Vote for me in the Woodworking contest!)

• 2 sheets 2'x4'x 1/2" Oak Plywood
• 7 - 6' x 3/4" x 1.5" Oak Boards
• Piano Hinge
• Cable Management Cap
• Magnetic closure
• Drill
• Miter Saw
• Sander
• Circular Saw
• Nail Gun (optional)
• 90 degree Clamps
• Glue
• Tung Oil

The plywood needed to be cut accurately as possible for building a cabinet and I needed to cut this in my condo. I figured it would be easier to cut straight lines with a table saw than to try to cut it by hand with a circular saw. Using an old square sheet of laminated chipboard as the "table", I screwed the circular saw to the bottom. To make the blade come through the top I just plugged it in and sawed through. I controlled the saw "On/Off" using a power bar with a external switch that was easily activated and I taped the saws trigger "on". Adding a few legs finished my temporary table saw.
(If this was to be used long term I would have added additional safety features but I just needed to make 6 cuts and then the saw would be dismantled.)

I cut the oak plywood into 4 pieces - top, bottom, left side (and an interior shelf) to the size of the cabinet space (17" l x 22" w x 24" h). A height of 24" was chosen as with the extra height of the baseboard it would make it just slightly higher than my desk. I did not need a back or a right side cut from plywood as these sides would be against the walls. (I am also planning in the future to get an electrician to add an electrical outlet on the wall behind the cabinet so that would be easier with no back panel.)

For the interior bracing (#2 from diagram) I used some 1.5"x.75" Poplar that I had from a previous project and cut it to length with my Miter Saw. These were clamped (I used the 90 degree clamps to make sure everything was square) and glued afterwards I added a few small finishing nails with my battery operated nail gun for strength.

With the four sides complete the base unit was then glued and clamped (#3 from diagram). Once dry, cross members were added at the back on the top and bottom as well as the upper front for strength as well as a shelf brace on the left side. The nail gun was again used to add strength.

There are many reasons I decided on making the door as I did:
1) I needed air flow as it would be housing my printer,
2) I needed a style where I could hide any nail holes,
3) The hinge needed to be inset as the right side of the cabinet is directly against the wall,
4) I wanted visual interest as it is in the dead center of my condo (and I liked the 70's vibe!).

The design involves a "fixed" slat on the right of the cabinet against the wall on which the piano hinge is attached (#4 from diagram). A corresponding slat of the same size was places on the left side of the door so that the door was symmetrical. At the top and bottom there was horizontals slats to complete the frame (#5 from diagram). Under the top slat there was another slat placed on its side which serves two purposes: 1) to act as a handle to easily open the door & 2) to be able to nail in the slats from the top and have them hidden by the top rail (#6 from diagram).

Once the outer frame is built it is glued and nailed, then the slats are cut to length and placed into the frame. I used an old wooden coat hanger I cut into spacers between the slats. The slats are then glued and nailed from the top using the nail gun through the "handle". The top slat is then glued in with hidden pins (#6 from diagram). Once dry, screws are put in from the bottom by drilling holes on the bottom rail and putting screws in those holes, to hide the screw heads (#7 from diagram).

I added a leg under the middle of the cabinet for stability as I was worried about the weight when it would be full (#9/10 from diagram). I used the plywood slug that was sawed out (for cable management) attached to the bottom of the cabinet so that I could screw in the leg without drilling another hole in the cabinet. The leg was stained a color similar to the floor so that it would be as invisible as possible to make the cabinet seem to be floating.

The door is attached the final slat with a piano hinge (#11 from diagram). This process is tricky as you need to line-up the door and the hinge so that it will easily open without rubbing on the base cabinet and also be square top and bottom. I attached the hinge before I added the fixed slat to ensure everything was lined up (I actually had to remake the fixed slat as the first time I screwed the hinge on the wrong side of the center line I drew).

In order to secure the door I used a magnetic cabinet latch. It is strong enough to hold the door closed but it is still easy enough to open the door with one finger.

Lastly the entire cabinet was finished in Tung Oil. Tung Oil is a hard drying wood oil that provides an even and beautiful finish. It resists scratches, penetrates well, and is environmentally friendly. Once dry the cabinet was fastened to the wall with a few dry wall screws through the back and side side braces.

The cabinet turned out better than I thought and holds more than I expected. Even though the slats have gaps between them you cannot see inside the cabinet easily unless your are looking straight onto the door.

My only wish was that I had a shop to do the work (as it did create quite a bit of sawdust :-) )...

Next Steps:
1) I am planning on getting an electrician to add an outlet on the wall behind the cabinet,
2) Adding some glass shelves above and a light similar to the attached picture,
3) Do some cable management and attach the computer cables under the desk.

If you liked this project please vote for me in the woodworking contest!
Thank You!