Build a Corner Base Cabinet With a Drawer

DIY Corner Base Cabinet with Drawer: Easy-to-Follow Tutorial

I made a HUGE mistake… I started building a corner base cabinet for my laundry room and was almost finished when I realized that I’d built the cabinet too short! I built it at a 30″ height rather than a 36″ height. I guess I was thinking about a table rather than a counter-height cabinet! To correct it, I could do one of two things: I could add a spacer or legs to the bottom and end up with wasted space underneath or I could take my time, use math skills and challenge myself to build a frame with a drawer for the top to make up the 6 inches. I chose to challenge myself and am now sharing how to build a corner base cabinet with a drawer that is functional and offers plenty of storage space!

Materials:

• 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws
• 1-1/4″ brad nails (with a pneumatic nailer)
• 2″ brad nails
• Wood glue
• Sandpaper (80, 150, 220 grits)
• One set of drawer slides – 18 to 24 inches long (<– affiliate link!)

Lumber:

• 8 – 1×2 at 8ft
• 1 – 2′ x 2′ square of 1/4″ plywood
• 2 sheets of 3/4″ x 4’t x 8’t sanded plywood

Cut List:

• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 22-1/8″ x 35-1/4″ – Sides
• 2 – 1×2 at 20-5/8″ – Upper Side Shelf Supports
• 2 – 1×2 at 18-3/8″ – Lower Side Shelf Supports
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 3-1/4″ x 35-1/4″ – Back Corner
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 2-1/2″ x 35-1/4″ – Back Corner
• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 6″ x 32″ – Upper Back Connector
• 4 – 3/4″ plywood at 2-1/2″ x 32″ – Mid and Lower Back Connectors
• 2 – 1×2 at 34-1/2″ – Back Shelf Supports
• 2 – 1×2 at 33-3/4″ – Back Shelf Supports
• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 34-1/2″ x 34-1/2″ – Shelves
• 2 – 1×2 at 25-1/8″ – Vertical Face Frame
• 3 – 1×2 at 12-3/8″ – Horizontal Face Frame
• 3 – 1×2 at 11-5/8″ – Horizontal Face Frame
• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 6″ x 30-1/4″ – Drawer Frame Sides
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 6″ x 18-9/16″ – Drawer Frame Back
• 1 – 1×2 at 18-9/16″ – Drawer Frame Stretcher
• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 4″ x 18″ or 24″ (depending on your drawer slides!) – Drawer Box Sides
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 4″ x 16-1/2″ – Drawer Box Back
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 5-3/8″ x 13-1/8″ – Drawer Front
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 5-3/8″ x 12-3/8″ – Drawer Front
• 2 – 1×2 (ripped to 3/4″ wide) at 6″ – Drawer Front Trim
• 1 – 1/4″ plywood cut to fit drawer bottom

Notes About the Project:

• The sides of the cabinet are to be cut as one piece, and noted in the cut list (not in two pieces like I made them and shown in the photos!)
• Sand the pieces for the shelves, face frame and drawer front before assembly
• I haven’t included instruction for a door because I haven’t made one yet. If I change my mind, I will revise the plan, but feel free to build one if you want it!
• This cabinet has an open back to save on materials, and you can easy cover the back if you’d like!

I also have plans to build corner cabinets without a drawer for more open storage! The plan includes instruction for both the upper and lower cabinets!

Step One

Cut the pieces for the sides. Cut the toe kick notch at the bottom using a jigsaw.

Step Two

Cut the pieces for the corner back, and secure them together, as shown in the drawing, using glue and 2 inch brad nails.

Step Three

Cut the connector pieces, and with a pocket hole jig set for 3/4″ material, drill pocket holes in each end of each piece. Secure the connectors to the corner back using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. See the drawing for placement.

Step Four

Cut the pieces for the shelf supports. Secure the shelf supports to the middle and lower connector pieces, bottom edges flush, using glue and 1-1/4″ brad nails.

Step Five

Cut the pieces for the side shelf supports, and secure them to the side panels, as shown, using glue and 1-1/4″ brad nails.

Step Six

Secure the connectors to the back edges of the sides, as shown in the drawing, using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step Seven

Cut the pieces for the shelves, and cut a 13-1/8″ square out of one corner of each piece. The shelves will rest on the supports, and can be secured with 2 inch bad nails, if desired. It’s a whole lot easier to install the bottom shelf first!

Step Eight

Cut the pieces for the drawer frame sides, and cut a 45° bevel in each end. the angles should face the outside of each board. Secure the drawer frame sides to the cabinet sides and upper back connector pieces using glue and 1-1/4″ brad nails. They’ll have to be toenailed in a little in order to hit the bevel at the thickest spot.

Step Nine

Cut the piece for the drawer frame back, and drill pocket holes in each end. Secure the back to the sides using 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step Ten

Cut the piece for the drawer frame stretcher. Secure the stretcher to the middle of the frame sides using 2″ brad nails.

Install the drawer slides to the inside of the drawer frame according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I located mine about 5/8″ back from the front edge.

Step Eleven

Cut the pieces for the drawer sides and back. Cut a 45° bevel in one end of each of the side pieces. Drill pocket holes in each end of the back piece. Secure the back piece to the sides using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. Install the other half of the drawer slides on the outside of the drawer box sides. Insert the assembly into the frame.

Step Twelve

Cut the pieces for the drawer front and drawer front trim. Secure the drawer front trim to the outside edges of the drawer front pieces, allowing 1/8 inch of clearance at the bottom. Drill pocket holes in one end of the shorter drawer front piece, then secure the short piece to the long piece to form an L using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Hold the drawer front up to the drawer opening to secure in place. The outside edge of the trim pieces should be flush with the outside faces of the sides and there should be at least 1/8″ clearance between the drawer front and the trim below. Secure the drawer front to the drawer box using 2″ brad nails through the front into the widest part of the angles on the drawer box sides.

Step Thirteen

Cut the pieces for the face frame. Install the vertical sides first, with the outside edges flush with the outside faces of the cabinet sides, using 2 inch brad nails.

Next, secure the face frame pieces to the cut out front of the shelves: the trim for the lower shelf will be flush with the bottom of the shelf, and the trim for the upper shelf will be flush with the top. Secure in place using 2 inch brad nails.

Finally, drill pocket holes in each end of the shorter face trim piece for the cabinet, and one end of the longer face trim piece. These pieces form the trim that will go under the drawer and will secure to the top of the vertical trim pieces. Secure the shorter trim piece to the longer piece (in the end without the pocket hole) using two 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws (they will form an L), then secure these pieces to the top of the vertical trim pieces.

Step Fourteen

Remove the drawer, and trace the outside edges onto a piece of 1/4″ plywood. Cut the plywood just inside the line, then secure the plywood to the bottom of the drawer using 1-1/4″ brad nails.

Finish the front of the cabinet as desired!

Here’s how my drawer extension looked – remember, I had to build a frame extension because I built my cabinet too short! This fit right over the top of the cabinet.

That’s a lot of steps for this plan but I promise you’ll be thrilled with the results! Refer to the drawings for each step and if you have questions about how to build a corner base cabinet with a drawer, leave a comment below!