Build the Leia Storage Cabinet

A Fabulous Storage Cabinet with Drawers and a Door

The plans to build the Leia storage cabinet are super-easy and straightforward. The majority of the pieces are plywood, and the remaining pieces are cut from off-the-shelf lumber. This is a great piece for any room and has plenty of storage!

Materials:

• 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws
• 1-1/4″ brad nails
• 2″ brad nails
• Edge banding (<– affiliate link!)
• One set of hinges
• Three sets of 12″ drawer slides (<– affiliate link!)
• Cabinet pulls
• Wood glue
• Sandpaper (80, 120, 220 grits)
• Finishing supplies

Lumber:

• 1 – 1×2 at 4′
• 2 – 1×6 at 8′
• 2 – 2×2 at 6′
• 2 – 4′ x 8′ sheets of 3/4″ plywood

Cut List:

• 4 – 2×2 at 31-1/4″ – Legs
• 2 – 3/4″ plywood at 12″ x 27-3/16″ – Sides
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 29″ x 27-3/16″ – Back
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 12-3/4″ x 29″ – Bottom
• 1 – 1×2 at 29″ – Upper Stretcher
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 12-3/4″ x 26-7/16″ – Divider
• 4 – 3/4″ plywood at 12-3/4″ x 14-1/8″ – Shelves
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 15″ x 32″ – Top
• 6 – 1×6 at 12″ – Drawer Box
• 6 – 1×6 at 12-1/2″ – Drawer Box
• 3 – 1/4″ plywood at 12″ x 14″ – Drawer Box Bottoms
• 1 – 3/4″ plywood at 13-7/16″ x 16-1/8″ – Door
• 3 – 3/4″ plywood at 7-9/16″ x 13-7/16″ – Drawer Fronts

Notes About the Project:

• Apply edge banding to the exposed edges of the plywood
• Sand all pieces prior to assembly
• I have a couple of great tutorials on installing drawer slides and installing drawer fronts that may be quite helpful!

Step One

Cut the pieces for the legs and the sides. With the pocket hole jig set for 3/4″ material, drill pocket holes in each long edge of the side panels. Secure the sides to the legs using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. The back face (with the pocket holes) will be flush with the inside faces of the legs.

Step Two

Cut the piece for the back and drill pocket holes in the shorter edges. Secure the back to the side assemblies using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. The back face (with the pocket holes) will be flush with the inside faces of the legs.

Step Three

Cut the piece for the bottom. Drill pocket holes in each shorter edge, as well as one long edge. Secure the bottom to the sides and back using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. The front edge of the bottom will overlap the front legs by 3/4″.

Step Four

Cut the piece for the upper stretcher and drill pocket holes in each end. Secure the upper stretcher to the upper front legs using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws. Note that the piece will be set back 3/4″ from the front face of the legs.

Step Five

Cut the piece for the divider and cut the notch using a jigsaw. Drill pocket holes in the bottom and back edges, preferably on the side that will face the drawer boxes. Secure the divider to the back and bottom using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step Six

Cut the pieces for the shelves and drill pocket holes in the side and back edges. Secure the shelves to the sides, back and divider as shown in the drawing using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step Seven

Cut the piece for the top. Secure the top to the legs, sides, back and upper stretcher using glue and 2″ brad nails.

Step Eight

Cut the pieces for the drawer boxes. Drill pocket holes in each end of the longer pieces, then assemble the boxes using glue and 1-1/4″ pocket hole screws.

Step Eight

Cut the pieces for the drawer bottoms. Secure the bottoms to the boxes using glue and 1-1/4″ brad nails.

Install the drawer slides according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Step Nine

Cut the piece for the door to fit the opening with a 1/8″ gap around all sides. Install the hinges on the door, then install the door in the cabinet.

Cut the pieces for the drawer fronts to fit the openings with a 1/8″ gap around all sides. See the tutorial listed in the Notes section for fool-proof installation!

 

Finish the cabinet as desired.

Have questions about the plans to build a Leia storage cabinet? Leave a comment below!