So I accepted a commission from a friend to build him a somewhat unique, but basic in construction, entertainment center. Once I got to planning and getting supplies I started to feel like I’m in a bit over my head with this one. If anyone has advice building larger box style furniture or drawers I would appreciate it!
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Hey @AVMastro – could you elaborate on what’s giving you pause? For example, is it the joinery, order of operations, finishing, all of the above? There are some places where I would be useful more than others, but I can try to help out.
If I were doing this – and wanted to keep it simple & fast – I’d probably use 3/4" plywood for the cabinet(s), joined with pocket hole screws (you can borrow mine if you’d like), finished with edge banding. The drawers could vary a lot in terms of construction, but my pick would be 1/2" plywood (also edge-banded) with 1/4" drawer bottoms. I’d probably opt for side-mounted drawer slides for cost + ease of installation.
Shara from Woodshop Diaries has multiple videos on similar-looking pieces using that construction technique, so I’d suggest checking out her channel for general advice. There’s a series on drawers, plus a video on dog crates (if you do plan to build those).
Referring you to YouTube might not be all that helpful though, so let me know if there are specific topics you’d like to dive into. I’ll be in the shop this weekend in the afternoons as well.
I’m very happy to be corrected by someone with better ideas, btw 
Hey, thanks for the response! I think the biggest issue is order of operations. I have most of the material I think I need but. I want to make the frame and cabinet face from poplar and I have made the cabinet carcass from 3/4 ply. Instead of separating the cabinet from the kennels I will set the side panels into a larger sheet of ply with dados. My idea was to make the frame and route a groove to set the base into but I am concerned on how sturdy that might be. Also I’m having trouble thinking of a reliable way to drill the holes for the bars and installed them.
Just from a practical standpoint, a one piece unit is going to be difficult to move. That also seems to be more complex to build than three separate cabinets. And three cabinets gives the options of using them separately if needed.
Also, I have built a lot of cabinets with 1/4 x 3/4 solid trim instead of the veneer edge banding. I have a lot of it in birch if you’d like some. I’m guessing you are painting this rather than staining.
Drilling the holes for the bars is easy to do on a drill press. Just have to determine diameter and spacing between them. You can set a depth limitation on the drill press.
Because the cages have two sides with no diagonal support structure, the unit is going to be unstable and will rack and twist, unless you put a top piece in two lock them in place. Either a diagonal board or a solid piece of plywood. Not sure what you are using as a top for the finished product.
Do you have a 3D design you are working off of? I like to use Sketchup personally. A good plan helps the project run smoother.
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I’m going to second @Snestle’s suggestions, esp. on making it something that can be disassembled, as well as having a top to lock them together and provide lateral strength.
Also agreed on using the drill press to make consistent holes. Marking the hole locations with a punch and then using a Forstner bit should ensure good spacing as well.
The top will be 5 2"x6"x72" white oak boards. The base will be painted. Making 3 separate cabinets would be better but I’ve been trying to keep the cost down as much as possible so I was probably spending too much time trying to make it in as few cuts and pieces as possible. I will be in the space a lot this week working on it, so if you see me blankly staring into the abyss with a bunch of boards in front of me maybe stop by and drop some wisdom haha.
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I built something like this for my son-in-law. Even trying to keep material costs down, go 3 units. This will be heavier than you think, and god forbid they need to move it around a corner hallway. The only other thing I would suggest that I did on mine is I got some very thin cedar veneer and put it on the bottom. Most crawly things don’t like cedar but do like jumping on to dogs. It should help keep any “accidental” bugs that hitchhike inside from staying.