Home Cabinet

A wall cabinet from one sheet of birch plywood

One 1525×1525 mm sheet of 18 mm birch plywood is enough for a 900 mm wide wall cabinet with two doors and adjustable shelves. The trick is planning the cut list so the grain runs the same way on both doors.

I used pocket screws for the carcass and a simple French cleat to hang it — the cleat makes it easy to level and to take down when moving.

Shelf pins vs. fixed shelves

Adjustable shelves are flexible, but a single fixed shelf in the middle stiffens a tall cabinet a lot. For anything over 1.2 m I now always add one dadoed fixed shelf.

Finishing: hardwax oil over lacquer

For kitchen and hallway pieces hardwax oil wins: easy to repair locally, no visible film, and it keeps the plywood edge looking warm. Two thin coats, buffed after fifteen minutes.