Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The tray bottom passes the sag check.
- The top passes the sag check.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
- Each front tips out 25°, opening about 13 11/16″ at the top.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×2 pine board, 6′ (board) | $4.20 |
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 1 | 1/4″ plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $28.00 |
| 1 | 1/2″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $52.00 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 1″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $6.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 2 | 1 1/2″ no-mortise hinge with screws (pair) | $12.00 |
| 2 | Light brass chain, 12″, with two screw eyes (kit) | $10.00 |
| 2 | Magnetic cabinet catch (each) | $6.00 |
| 2 | Cabinet pull (each) | $8.00 |
| 8 | 2″ L-bracket with screws (each) | $16.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
About $253 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 36″ | 13 1/4″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Top and bottom | 2 | 28 11/16″ | 13″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Kick board | 1 | 28 11/16″ | 3 1/2″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| D | Back | 1 | 32 1/2″ | 28 11/16″ | 1/4″ plywood |
| E | Tilt-out front Edge-band all four edges. | 2 | 32 3/8″ | 14 15/16″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| F | Tray side | 4 | 11 3/4″ | 12″ | 1/2″ birch plywood |
| G | Tray bottom | 2 | 11 3/4″ | 12 1/2″ | 1/2″ birch plywood |
| H | Tray back rail | 2 | 12 1/2″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
| I | Divider Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 31 1/8″ | 13″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1/4″ plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1/2″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1×2 pine board, 72″ → H 12 1/2″ · H 12 1/2″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 14 15/16″, 13 1/4″, 13″, 3 1/2″, keep the rest.
- 1/4″ plywood: rip into strips 28 11/16″, keep the rest.
- 1/2″ birch plywood: rip into strips 11 3/4″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Hammer
- Stud finder
- Level
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Edge-band
Iron edge banding onto the front edge of each side and the divider, and all four edges of each tilt-out front (E). Trim flush and sand the corners.
✓ No banding overhangs a face anywhere.
4Build the case
Glue and screw the bottom (B) between the sides with its underside 3 1/2″ up, and the top flush with the top ends: 3 screws, 1 5/8″, per joint, 1/4″ in from the back edge.
Fit the divider (I) between the bottom and top, centred: its left face is 14 11/16″ from the left side's outside face. Screw down through the top and up through the bottom, 3 each.
Screw the kick board (C) under the bottom, 1/2″ back from the front edge.
Measure the diagonals, push the case square, and glue and brad the back (D) into the space behind the top and bottom.
✓ The diagonals match within 1/16″.
5Build the trays
Glue and brad each tray bottom (G) between two tray sides (F), flush at the bottom and at both ends. The tray is 12 1/2″ wide inside: 1/2″ wider than the bin.
Glue and brad a back rail (H) between the sides at the top back corner. It holds the bin upright as the front tips out.
✓ The bin drops into the tray without forcing and sits flat on the bottom.
6Fix each tray to its front
Lay a front (E) good face down. Stand a tray on it, open end against the front, centred side to side, with the tray bottom 7/8″ above the bottom edge of the front.
Screw 4 L-brackets inside the tray, one at each side near the top and bottom, joining tray sides to the front. Use 5/8″ screws into the front.
✓ The tray is square to the front: a square held in the corner touches both.
STOP. The screws into the front must be 5/8″ or shorter, or they come out through the face of the 3/4″ front.7Hang the tilt-outs
Set a front with its tray into its opening, bottom edge resting on a 1/16″ spacer on the kick-board line.
Join the bottom of the front to the cabinet bottom with 2 no-mortise hinges, 3″ in from each side of the tray: one leaf on top of the cabinet bottom at its front edge, the other on the inside face of the front, pins at the joint.
Tip it out and back by hand. It should swing without the tray rubbing the sides or the divider.
✓ Closed, the front is flush and its gaps are even; it swings freely.
8Add the stop chain, catch and pull
Screw an eye into the inside of the cabinet side, 10″ above the cabinet bottom and 1″ back from the front edge, and another into the outside of the tray side right next to it.
Join them with a 4 3/8″ length of chain. That stops the front at 25°, so it can't fall open onto your feet.
Screw a magnetic catch under the top and its plate on the front, and the pull 2″ below the top edge, centred.
✓ Open, the front stops at about 13 11/16″ from the cabinet at the top, and the bin lifts out without hitting anything.
STOP. Fit the chain before the first full bin goes in. Without it, a loaded front falls open.9Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.10Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.