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No frills Red Oak tool cabinet

Here's the tool cabinet I made a while ago. I wanted something simple, mobile and could be split into two parts if I ever moved house. The materials used are veneered red oak ply from Bunnings, birch ply, solid red oak (Bunnings) for the doors and all the edge banding was done using iron on white oak. All joinery is tongue & groove / dowels.

If theres enough interest I'll upload the construction.

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EricL

Hello @PeakyBlinder71

Thank you very much for sharing pictures of your Oak tool cabinet project. The craftsmanship on the finish is superb, it looks like it has no frills, but the cabinet is professionally finished. The drawer gaps are all in alignment and the joins on the doors are excellent. Did you put in some sort of locking mechanism for the two cabinets when joined together?

Any other information you can share about the cabinet's assembly would be highly appreciated.

Again, thank you for sharing your beautiful Oak tool cabinet project.

Eric

PeakyBlinder71

Hi Eric,

Thanks for the kind comments mate. The two parts are just screwed into each other, I don't suspect there will be much wear as I wont be moving that much 🙂

I like the 18mm solid red oak project panels Bunnings are stocking now, it saves me having to mill the boards myself. Do you know if they can get any white oak or maybe even walnut/Jarrah?.

edit: I'll try and post my construction photo's this evening 🙂

EricL

Hi @PeakyBlinder71

Thank you very much for answering my question. I'm sure our members will find that extra bit of detail quite handy.

We look forward to seeing your construction photos.

Eric

PeakyBlinder71

So I started out with a plan using sketchup, I wanted something simple, mobile and could be split into two parts if I ever moved house. The materials used are veneered red oak ply, birch ply, solid red oak for the doors and all the edge banding was done using iron on white oak.

Sketchup Plan....

01 The Design.jpg

Some of the plywood cut to size...

03 Cut Parts.jpg 04 Cut Parts.jpg

The base complete. Eventually a strip of veneered red oak will be glued to the front to hide the screws.

05 Base Complete.jpg 06 Base Complete.jpg

The back panel & mid support glue up, using dowel joinery. The most accurate doweling jig is one you make yourself, I've tried many and they're all not accurate enough for me.

07 Back Glueup.jpg 08 Support Glueup.jpg

Here's my doweling jig...

The supports, back's & base all complete.

. 09 Back - Base & SUpports Complete.jpg

Veneered red oak glue up to hide the front base screws.

10 Front Red Oak Glueup.jpg

After assembling the carcass I went ahead and started gluing the rails and stiles to the sides which hid all the scews!, I left a few mils around the edge so I could flush trim them using the router.

11 Fake Rails & Stiles Glueup.jpg 12 Fake Rails & Stiles Glueup.jpg

Carcass complete & checked for squareness!.

13 Carcass Complete.jpg 14 Carcass Complete.jpg

The top and wheels added.

15 Top and Wheels attached.jpg

Close up of some of the veneer.

16 Side Top Panel Grain.jpg

The drawers were constructed using tongue & groove, everything went together pretty well however at this point I started to get tennis elbow!, something I've never suffered with until now!.I was going to make my own runners but opted to buy some cheap ones for the small drawers and some soft close for the bottoms.

17 Drawers Cut.jpg 18 Drawer Assembly.jpg 19 Drawers Complete.jpg

Attaching the veneered plywood fronts.

20 Drawer Fronts.jpg 21 Drawer Fronts Complete.jpg

Door assembly using solid red oak for the rail & stiles. I've never worked with red oak before &
suddenly realised during cutting the stuff, it has a very distinct smell that I can't quite put my finger on!.

22 Door Assembly.jpg 23 Door Glueup.jpg

Shellac time!. 3 coats of the hard stuff, lovely.... dry's quick, and you can cut it back to whatever sheen you want!, you just can't beat the traditional finishes. I cut the sheen back using 0000 steel wool to create a nice even satin finish which still shows the grain, just how I wanted it!. I also added a little dark oak tint to the first coat of shellac to make the grain pop abit more...

EricL

Hi @PeakyBlinder71

Thank you very much for posting those construction photos. Those panels are so precisely cut and the shellac coating is amazing. It's so wonderful seeing it all come together piece by piece. I'm sure our members will find this cabinet assembly truly inspirational.

Eric

DIYScientist

This looks absolutely amazing! I am very impressed with this and your joinery.

I love the drawer pulls which has space for labels. How long did it take for you to construct this cabinet? I can see a lot of planning went into this project.

I was thinking of doing something similar in my garage. I too was thinking of building a cabinet which can partially disassemble if/when I need to move house. Your post has inspired me. Thanks!

theparlourroom

@PeakyBlinder71 bookmarking this for when I finally have a property with a garage!! Super practical, but also absolutely stunning.

EricL

Hello @DIYScientist

Let me tag @PeakyBlinder71 to make them aware of your very kind words. I totally agree the tool cabinet is a master class in timber joinery. The care and precision with which this cabinet was assembled are truly outstanding. The overall finish is just superb, I can see it providing many years of service.

When the time comes for you to build your tool cabinet, please keep us updated. I'm sure our members would be keen to see your version of the tool cabinet.

Eric

PeakyBlinder71

@DIYScientist Hi, Thanks for your kind comments. The plan originally started out as a drawing, then I transferred the idea to a 3D rendering program (sketchup). From start to finish I think it took about 3 months on and off. The drawer pulls I got off Amazon. For small garages and if you rent its a good idea to keep everything mobile by putting wheels on everything.

PeakyBlinder71

@theparlourroom Thanks, I hope it inspires.

Gunner2056

I am amazed at the top quality you have used on it, I am not that good but it is an idea for my Men's Shed I'm with, so if you decide to upload the construction I would be grateful.

PeakyBlinder71

@Gunner2056I have the sketchup plans if you want them, as for the construction its all on here.

Thurlo90

Would love some help on how you did the design using sketch up

MitchellMc

@Thurlo90,

If you're looking for advice on how to use Sketchup, you'll find plenty of online tutorials to follow. It's a fairly complex tool that allows you to create 3D objects. Once you've learned the basics, you'll be able to start creating 3D renderings like what @PeakyBlinder71 has put together.

Mitchell

PeakyBlinder71

@Thurlo90Like @MitchellMc said Sketchup has lots of tutorials, some really good ones on youtube so you might want to start there with your search. 3D rendering programs are great tools to learn and well worth the effort. Good luck.

Missgee

@PeakyBlinder71

Just wondering where you got the veneer sheets? I’ve only been able to find veneer available online but would definitely prefer a local source so I can see what I’m buying before I buy🙂

PeakyBlinder71

Hi @Missgee , Everything is purchased from Bunnings. Red Oak plywood sheets, here's the link:

Red Oak Plywood

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Missgee. It's brilliant to have you join us, and great to see you jump into the discussion.

I trust @PeakyBlinder71's answer is helpful. You'll note that these are plywood panels with a Redwood veneer already applied. Are you after just the veneer itself? Unfortunately, we don't stock any veneers in-store, but you might like to speak with one of our helpful Special Orders team members to see what is available for order in your area.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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