DIY Filing Cabinet With Hanging Files

Case Construction

• 1

  Mark the dimensions of the sides, top and bottom of the cabinet’s case on sheets of 3/4-inch hardwood plywood. To build a standard two-drawer vertical filing cabinet, each of these four pieces should measure 14 3/4 inches wide by 29 inches high. Use a circular saw to cut out each piece.

• 2

  Mark a sheet of 1/2-inch hardwood plywood with the dimensions of the back of the cabinet’s case, which measures 16 1/4 inches wide by 28 1/4 inches high. Cut it to size with the saw.

• 3

  Use a dado blade to cut 1/4-inch deep by 3/4-inch high rabbets along the top and bottom inside edges of each side piece. The top and bottom pieces of the case will fit into these cuts.

• 4

  Cut 1/2-inch deep by 3/4-inch high rabbets along the rear edges of the case’s side, top and bottom pieces. The back of the case fits into these cuts.

• 5

  Dry-assemble the case to ensure the pieces fit tightly together. Break the case back down into its component pieces.

• 6

  Apply wood glue to both halves of each joint between the sides, top and bottom. Reassemble the case without the back, using large clamps to apply pressure across the joints. The clamp screw should align with the top and bottom pieces to prevent the sides from bowing.

• 7

  Set the back piece, unglued, into its rabbets to help hold the case square as the glue dries.

• 8

  Make the cabinet’s face frame from 3/4-inch solid wood stock. Cut the two stiles, or vertical pieces, to 1 17/32 inches wide by 29 1/4 inches high. Cut two of the three rails, or horizontal pieces, to 1 1/2 inches high by 14 1/4 inches long. Cut the third rail to 2 1/4 inches high by 14 1/4 inches long.

• 9

  Apply wood glue to both halves of each joint between the stiles and rails. Assemble the face pieces on a flat surface, placing the wide rail at the bottom of the frame. Each drawer opening should be 12 inches high.

• 10

  Clamp the frame together to keep the surfaces flush as you secure each joint with pocket screws.

• 11

  Sand both sides of the face frame. To ensure a strong joint with the cabinet case, the frame’s back side should be very flat.

• 12

  Cut the four drawer slide shims from 3/4-inch solid wood stock. Each shim measures 2 1/2 inches high by 14 1/8 inches long. Glue and screw the shims into place on the inside surface of the case’s sides. The shims’ top edges should align with the bottom edges of the frame’s drawer openings.

• 13

  Glue the face frame to the cabinet case. Hold it in place with wood clamps until the glue cures.

Drawer Construction

• 14

  Mark the dimensions of the front, back, side and bottom pieces for the two drawers on 1/2-inch hardwood plywood. The two bottom pieces measure 13 1/2 inches long and 12 3/4 inches wide. The four side pieces measure 9 1/2 inches high and 14 inches long, and the front and back pieces of each drawer measure 9 1/2 inches high and 12 3/4 inches wide.

• 15

  Use your circular saw to cut each piece to size. Cut as accurately as possible to ensure the pieces will be flush and the drawers will fit their openings.

• 16

  Mark each part for orientation, then sand the inside surface of each piece to ensure flush joints.

• 17

  Use a dado blade to cut 1/4-inch deep by 1/4-inch wide rabbets 1/4-inch in from the vertical edges of the side pieces. Make 1/4-inch deep by 1/4-inch wide rabbet cuts along the vertical edges of the front and back pieces. These opposing cuts allow the pieces to fit together while creating tight joints.

• 18

  Saw 1/4-inch deep by 1/4-inch wide rabbets along all four edges of each drawer bottom. Dado-cut a 1/4-inch deep by 1/4-inch high groove along the bottom edge of the four side pieces of each drawer. This groove will allow you to slide each bottom into place during drawer assembly.

• 19

  Dry-assemble each drawer to make sure each joint has a flush fit. Break the drawers back down. Apply wood glue to both halves of each joint, then reassemble the drawers and hold them together with clamps until the glue dries.

• 20

  Sand the front of each drawer until the joints are flush.

• 21

  Mark the dimensions of two drawer faces on 3/4-inch hardwood plywood. Each face measures 11 7/8 inches high and 14 1/8 inches wide. Cut the pieces to size with a circular saw.

Drawer Installation

• 22

  Screw the over-travel sliding rail assemblies to the door shims. Ensure the sliding rails are squarely installed and set back 1/8 inch from the face frame.

• 23

  Screw the rails to the drawer sides, using a tape measure or a spacer to locate the proper position from the bottom edge.

• 24

  Install each drawer into its assembly. If necessary, adjust the slides so that the front of each drawer box is flush with the inside surface of the case’s face frame. Remove the drawer boxes from the case to attach the face pieces.

• 25

  Bore four 3/16-inch-diameter holes through the front of each box near each corner, drilling outward from the inside of the box. Countersink each hole. Reinstall the drawers.

• 26

  Place pieces of double-sided tape on the front side of the drawer boxes at each corner. Set 1/16-inch wood shims between the bottom of each drawer box and its opening to center it.

• 27

  Position the face pieces on the front of the drawer boxes, pressing them firmly into the tape. Without shifting the face pieces, remove the drawers from the case.

• 28

  Drill 1-inch drywall screws through the pilot holes in the boxes to secure the face pieces.

• 29

  Cut four lengths of plastic hanging file rail to size and snap them into place along the top edge of the sides of each drawer.

• 30

  Lightly sand the filing cabinets joints and exposed surfaces. Finish the cabinet as desired before installing drawer pulls.