How to Make a Kitchen Base Corner Cabinet
Building cabinets can be tricky, especially when it comes to the corners. The ideal corner cabinet serves as a place to store items that are seldom used. However, with continual advances being made in cabinetry amenities, building the corner cabinet in a particular shape can mean gaining access to shelf space that once equated with a black hole. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Two pieces of 23-by-34½-by- ¾-inch plywood
- Carpenter's square
- Framing square
- Wood glue
- Four pieces of the 4-by-19-by-¾-inch plywood
- 1d box nails
- Two pieces of 23-by-43½-by- ¾-inch plywood
- One piece of 4-by-43½-by-¾-inch plywood
- One piece of 4-by-11-by-¾-inch plywood
- One piece of 45-by-30-by-¼-inch plywood
- One piece of 2-by-32-by-¾-inch plywood
- One piece of 6-by-32-by-¾-inch plywood
- Two pieces of 2-by-17-by-¾-inch plywood
- One piece of 1½-by-17-by-¾-inch plywood
- 4d finish nails
- One piece of 2-by-23-by-¾-inch plywood
Instructions
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Build the box
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1
Place the two pieces of 23-by-34½-by-¾-inch plywood (end panels) on a worktable. Measure up from the bottom edge of the ends and make marks at 4 inches. Repeat that measurement from the front edge. Next, place the carpenter's square on the marks and draw lines that intersect to make a box in one corner. Cut this box out with the jigsaw.
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2
Measure up from the bottom of the ends and make a mark at 15 ¾ inches. Place the framing square on the mark and draw a line across the width of the end. Then apply glue to the area behind the cutout made in Step 1, place two of the 4-by-19-inch pieces on the glue and secure them with the box nails.
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3
Place the two 43½-inch shelves on the worktable. Place the ends at each end of the shelves. Drill pilot holes just above the cleat and just above the line drawn in Step 2. Apply glue just above the cleats, stand the ends up along with one of the shelves, put the shelf on top of the cleat and secure it to the ends with the finish nails. Repeat this process for the middle shelf using the line from Step 2 for the location of the shelf.
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4
Secure the last two cleats to each other with the box nails by applying glue to one long edge and placing one cleat on the other to form an "L." Place this in the center of the bottom shelf and secure them together with drywall screws. Next, place the 4-by-45-inch piece on the cleats and secure it with the finish nails.
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5
Turn the kitchen base corner cabinet over so the back of it is facing up. Apply glue to the ends of the 4-by-43½-inch piece, place it between the ends of the cabinet at the top and secure them together with the drywall screws. Next, apply glue to the ends of the 11-inch piece and place it between the bottom and middle shelves. Secure it with the box nails. Apply glue to the edge of the shelves and 4-inch nailer, place the ¼-inch back on it and secure it with the box nails.
Face frame
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6
Place the 2-by-32-by-¾-inch and the 6-by-32-by-¾-inch pieces on the worktable. Measure down from the top of these two pieces and make a mark at 6½ inches. Place the carpenter's square on the mark and draw a line across the width of the two pieces. The 6-inch piece goes on the end of the cabinet that fits into the corner. See illustration.
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7
Next, put the three 17-inch pieces between them. The 1½-inch piece goes on one end, and one of the 2-inch pieces goes on the top. The third 2-inch piece goes on the line drawn in Step 1 of this section. Hold them tightly against the end pieces and secure them with the corrugated fasteners.
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8
Place the frame on the cabinet and secure it with the 4d finish nails. Next, place the 2-by-23-inch piece between the top of the 6-inch piece and the inside back of the cabinet. Secure it with the finish nails.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Apply wood putty in the joints and nail holes of the face frame, allow it to dry and then sand. Clean up excess glue immediately with a damp cloth.
Do not leave power tools or nails unattended in the presence of children. Do not stain or paint the kitchen base corner cabinet without proper ventilation.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration: Michael Straessle
