How to Build Cabinets with Cushions or Shelves

Crosscut the top rails (H), bottom rails (I), stiles (J), and middle dividers (K) to length from poplar. The top rails and stiles are cut from 1x2s, and the middle dividers and bottom rails are cut from 1x4s. Rip middle dividers to 3 inches wide.

On the faces that won't show, make a mark at the center of both ends of each middle divider and the midpoint of its width. Make a mark halfway along the length of the top rail. Lay a bottom rail next to it, ends flush, and use a square to draw the centerline across both pieces. Do this for all rail pairs.

You can use dowels or biscuits to join the face frame parts, but pocket-hole joinery is the easiest because you don't need clamps. Align the center marks on the middle dividers with the marks on the rails and join the parts with two screws.

Make sure the frames are flush with the top and sides of the carcase. Use glue and 4d nails to attach the face frames to the carcases. Predrill the nail holes with a 1/16-inch-diameter bit so you won't bend the nails when you drive them in.

When you have several pieces to cut to the same length, such as for the face frames and doors in this project, using a stop block is not only faster than measuring, it is a more accurate way to make sure like pieces are the same length. If you are using a crosscutting jig with your circular saw, screw the block right to the base. Or you can clamp a stop block to a miter gauge extension on your tablesaw.

Screw a 3x24-inch extension of 3/4-inch plywood onto the miter gauge. Measure and cut the first (master) piece to length. Look closely at the teeth on the saw blade -- one juts slightly left, the next slightly right. Put the master piece against the miter gauge, one end against a tooth that juts to the miter gauge side.

Put a stop block against the opposite end of the master piece and secure it in place with a spring clamp. Now you are ready to cut all the like pieces to length by butting them against the stop block.