Cheap Easy Garage Cabinets

[melliott28]

I needed some shallow cabinets (less than 12 inches deep) to put underneath my pegboard/versatrack wall and I didn't want to spend the money to buy some and I couldn't find the exact size I needed (48"W x 28"H x 12"D). So decided to build my own. I don't have any woodworking experience, but I figured I would just make a plan and go for it. I don't have a table saw, so I got my panels cut to size at Lowes, and I used my cordless Porter Cable 18v trim saw for any tweaks. I used 3 sheets of 4x8, 3/4 inch plywood, about 75-2 inch wood screws, some wood glue, almost a gallon of primer, and 1/2 quart of white paint. I used "Capita" legs from IKEA, non-mortise hinges, tie down anchors for pulls, and magnetic catches from Home Depot. They aren't perfect, but I think they turned out pretty well. All told, I spent about $180 for everything. I just realized that I didn't include the doors in the plans I made - their dimensions are 23W" x 28H". Here are some pics:

 

[LIVELY]

HEY--they look good -nice work project

 

[jktruck150]

Looks good. How strong are they? could they take a beating on top?

 

[melliott28]

Hi guys, thank you for the kind words. In terms of taking a beating, the cabinets themselves are glued and screwed together, so they are very strong (I can stand on them with no problem, I weigh about 220). But the IKEA legs are on the weak side, so just in case I screwed the cabinets to the wall with cabinet screws. I wouldn't beat on them as they are now. But, if I was going to use the top as a work surface, I would have built a frame of 2x4's and then either doubled up the plywood for the top or used edge glued 2x6's. Also, I would have used 4x4's for the legs.

 

[lowbucktruck]

That's a nice little project. Those cabinets came out pretty good. Other than 2x4s for legs, I suppose you could have used steel pipe or maybe those metal legs they make specifically for storage cabinets (I think I've seen them at Home Depot or Lowes).