Make a sliding-door garage or shop cabinet
Storage Cabinet
Naturally, since I’ve been cleaning out my shop and freeing up a lot of space, I needed to build a storage cabinet for the inevitable incoming stuff that will need to be disposed of in a few years. The cycle of life will continue!
One thing I want to do is avoid rushing into filling up my new-found wall space. I kind of like reveling in the minimalism. (Well, comparatively speaking.) But I did want to build this cabinet immediately to alleviate some of my workbench clutter.
This sliding door cabinet is a good size for most garages. It’s deep enough to store all sorts of things, but the shelves aren’t so deep that it builds up layers of stuff you can’t get to because it’s hiding behind other stuff. You can easily adjust the size of this cabinet to fit your space, but I would keep its depth under 12″. The shelves in mine are 10.5″.
The construction is very simple and utilitarian. There are no fancy joints or techniques. You can make it out of a single sheet of 3/4″ plywood. I used solid wood for the face frame and shelf supports, but plywood would be fine, and there is enough in that single sheet. You will also need 1/4″ plywood for the doors.
I picked up the plastic door runners at my local hardware store. If you can’t find them, here’s an Amazon link.
Check in tomorrow as I further discuss my organization efforts and my philosophy behind them.
January 3, 2014 @ 12:21 pm
That’s the wrong shade of blue for something that’s bigger on the inside.
January 3, 2014 @ 1:00 pm
Agreed!
January 3, 2014 @ 12:36 pm
I know the sliders don’t cost much but would probably just cut dadoes on my tablesaw straight into the top and bottom
January 3, 2014 @ 1:01 pm
I considered that, but I was afraid that the narrow divider between both slots might break unless I used maple or something.
January 3, 2014 @ 1:23 pm
True, and the wood might not slide as well as plastic so….
January 3, 2014 @ 1:44 pm
So what do you listen to through your headphones/hearing protection. Always looking forward to your videos.
January 3, 2014 @ 2:30 pm
Those aren’t French cleats; they’re Scottish cleats!
January 4, 2014 @ 7:37 am
Sure their not Irish cleats?
January 3, 2014 @ 8:40 pm
I know about Ted’s woodworking plans, They are crappola.
I got them and I had to get refund as they were lacking a lot.
Don’t get them.
Nice job on the cabinet Steve
January 4, 2014 @ 2:36 am
I don’t quite get french cleats, if you’re hanging something that’s not to be moved why not just screw it in place; if it’s to be moved I can think of many better ways than french cleats
January 4, 2014 @ 6:29 am
It’s a lot easier to hold up a small board and get it level and securely anchored to the studs than it is a complete cabinet.
January 4, 2014 @ 7:34 am
The French (Scottish) cleat idea is GREAT. I’ve used them in my garage shop and they allow me to QUICKLY reorganize my entire storage system and not just parts of it. I am planning to move my workshop out of my 2-1/2 car garage into a separate conditioned building this summer and I plan to use French cleats for everything possible. I know that starting from my initial setup/layout I will later discover a better organization and the French cleat idea allows me to move shelves and cabinets with the greatest of ease.
January 4, 2014 @ 1:06 pm
Great wall cabinet.
Love your use of paint colors.
And moving the bench out to access all sides was smart.
January 4, 2014 @ 5:56 pm
Hi Steve, I like the new image of your shop. Here’s a tip: drill two more holes in these sliding doors, you won’t have a left/right problem. 🙂 If you don’t want to spoil the looks, drill an extra hole just in the back piece, it won’t be visible when properly left-right closed.
January 17, 2014 @ 9:58 am
hi steve your shop is looking good. were did you get the tracks?
January 17, 2014 @ 10:00 am
me again just found the link to the taracks
January 31, 2014 @ 2:41 am
hay steve chris here was wondering if you are going to put more cabnets on that wall
February 4, 2014 @ 8:46 pm
Hi Steve, I liked the video and used it as motivation to build a shop book cabinet. I used swinging doors and left a space at the bottom for organizing my pens, pencils and markers. Thanks for the videos, humor and forum.
BRuce
April 14, 2014 @ 8:03 pm
simple but very useful cabinet. don’t know about that color though lol
April 15, 2014 @ 8:59 pm
Can you give ideas on redoing an old trailer vacation home? I need help , Thanks
September 9, 2014 @ 8:52 pm
Thanks for the plans. I built a modified version as needed for my space. Added pegboard on one side. Good stuff. Thanks again.
March 3, 2018 @ 4:59 am
I made 1 level shelf for under pegboard, 8′ long, 6″ deep, 10″ tall; used two dados in the top and bottom pieces of 1x pine boards with luan sliding doors, a center vertical divider to work out any warp lengthwise. Worked well. Made a two level set for the laundry room. Have learned that slightly undersized luan doors, waxed along edges, would be an improvement, prevent any binding of the sliding doors.
I have plastic storage cabinets (6.5′ tall, 30″ wide) in my shop, I want to replace them with sliding door cabinets, your design will work well, stack two on the wall with space underneath for floor items. Thanks for the design!!