Children's Workbench Plans

One evening a friend of my daughter's was talking about some workbench plans he had percolating in his head. He asked if I could get him a few pieces of scrap wood from work. However, as we discussed his ideas for how to build a workbench, I realized that this would be a great project to develop for Totally Free Woodworking Plans.

His idea was to build a workbench that actually doubled as a giant toolbox. The storage tray beneath the top, the hinged door, and the a-frame style legs were his idea. I refined the dimensions a bit and added the peg holes for hanging tools. What you see here are children's workbench plans that came straight from the mind of a kid!

The funny part about this being a children's workbench is that it would really work great as an adult's workbench too. The 32" height is too short for my comfort, but increasing the height would be a pretty simple matter. I'm 6 feet tall but someone shorter may find it comfortable to work at a 32" high workbench. So don't be scared away from building it just because it was designed with kids in mind.

Material Since the whole discussion of these workbench plans began as a request for scrap wood, my first inclination was to build it out of 3/4" melamine. By now you probably know how much I love the stuff, but the real motivation was the fact that we have tons of scrap 3/4" melamine at work. The problem with using melamine started to become apparent when I discovered that my son and the inventor's little brother also wanted to build the same workbench.

As I imagined three rough eight to ten-year-old boys pounding on their new workbenches, I realized that particle board simply wouldn't hold up. A couple of good smacks with a hammer and the corners of the workbench would be a mess. So 3/4" plywood was my choice due it's durability. Any shop grade of plywood will work fine, or even AC plywood sheathing. I happened to find four leftover sheets of plywood that had been faced with plastic laminate, so the boys' workbenches turned out pretty fancy when all was said and done.

Hardware There are a couple of simple pieces of hardware you will need to complete the workbench. The workbench plans show a piano (or continous) hinge for the door. This is my preference for durability, but a piano hinge is about three times the price of a pair of simple butt hinges. At the last minute (meaning the checkout line at the hardware store), I changed to butt hinges and they worked great. We used only two per door, but three would hold up better.

The other thing you'll need is some sort of catch at the top of the door. We used a heavy duty magnetic touch-latch that only cost a couple of dollars. Another alternative would be to use a magnetic or roller catch with some sort of handle to pull the door open.

Cutting The Parts The only really complex pieces to cut are the legs. Once you lay out the lines for the angles, they can be cut with a circular saw, a jigsaw, or a table saw with an angle jig. I sort of cheated and cut all the parts on a CNC router at work. Which brings up a good point about all the holes that need to be drilled (I think there are about seven thousand of them).

The 1/4" holes aren't completely necessary. I had a bunch of 1/4" dowel laying around and thought it would be cool to make a sort of peg board to hang tools on the outside of the workbench. The workbench plans show the peg holes on the outside of the bench, but a couple of the boys turned the back around so they could hang their tools on the inside of the tool storage tray.

I used a CNC machine to drill all the holes, but I'm not too sure I would have drilled them all if I had to do it by hand. So drill as many as you think you'll need, or don't drill any at all. They really are just an option.

The 3/16" thru holes aren't really optional. Those are there for assembly with 1-5/8" wood screws. If you lay them out according to the drawings you'll have a much easier time lining things up. So I encourage you to drill them, even if you opt not to drill the peg holes.

Assembly Start by attaching the front and the back to the bottom using glue and 1-5/8" wood screws. Next, using the section view in the workbench plans as a guide, mark the locations of the back, bottom, and front on the inside of both legs. Attach the legs to the back/front/bottom assembly using glue and screws.

Hinging the door is easiest if done while the top is off. Attach the hinges to the door first, then fasten the hinged door to the front. For mounting hinges I suggest that you use a Vix Bit. For those who aren't familiar with Vix Bits, they are self-centering drill bits. The ingenious little tool makes drilling perfectly centered holes an absolute breeze.

Mounting the top is pretty straightforward. Just make sure it overhangs the legs evenly all around. Depending on what method you use for holding the door shut, you may want to attach the catch to the underside of the top before attaching the top to the legs. That's what we did and it eliminated the need to crawl inside the tool compartment upside down to install catch hardware.

Drawing File With a bit of help from us dads, the boys did almost all of the assembly themselves. So whether you build one of these workbenches for your kids, with your kids, or even for yourself, be sure to check out the plans. Just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Workbench Plans"

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Cabinet Plans - 2 Door Wall

These cabinet plans simply add doors to the open wall cabinet. The beauty of building cabinets using the 32mm system is that the box (or cabinet carcass) is the same whether the cabinet is open, has drawers, doors, or any combination thereof. And just like the open wall cabinet, the size can be adjusted to fit your room perfectly.
Doors As usual, I don't stray from my general affinity to melamine. In this free kitchen cabinet plan, the box and doors are listed as white melamine with PVC edge banding. This is a durable combination, but doesn't contribute much character to your finished cabinets.

Here's where your basic cabinet can take on it's own personality and really show off your creativity. There are nearly an infinite number of ways to customize your cabinet doors.

They can utilize simple plywood slabs, raised or recessed panels, carved solid wood, super durable thermofoil, inlaid veneers, varied grain directions, and paints or different colored stains. Cabinet doors styles are only limited by your imagination, so experiment and make them truly your own creation.

There are a few things to watch out for if you choose something other than a slab door with 0.5mm thick edge banding for your cabinet plans. First, the cutlist shows dimensions for the door before edge banding is applied. If you aren't using 0.5mm thick edge banding, then you need to use the dimensions from the door layout elevation.

Basically, allow a 3/8" (10mm) gap (called a reveal) at the top, 1/16" (1.5mm) reveal at the outside edges of the cabinet box, and 1/8" (3mm) reveal between the two doors. The doors fit flush to the bottom of the cabinet. This will keep the door at the correct size for proper hinge clearance.

Next, try to stick with a door that is pretty close to 3/4" (19mm) thick. Most concealed euro-style hinges are designed to fit a 3/4" thick door panel. If you go much thinner or thicker than that, you may have trouble with the hinges fitting and problems with the door opening and closing properly.

Finally, when using five-piece (raised or recessed panel) doors, the stiles (vertical pieces of solid wood) need to be wide enough for the hinge to fit. It's okay to make the stiles narrow, but then you will need to use a smaller hinge like the Blum Mini Hinge.
Hinges I can't say enough good things about using three-way adjustable, concealed, euro-style hinges. They make door hanging and adjustment very easy. Because of their opening geometry, they also allow two cabinets to butt directly together without the doors binding. The gap between the hinge edge of two doors on adjacent cabinets really does only need to be 1/8" (3mm).

When buying hinges, be sure to get both the hinge and the mounting plate, since they are often sold separately. If you're using full system holes, then an Expando dowel mounting plate is a great way to go.

The Expando dowels are very strong, fit into 5mm system holes, and don't damage the system holes like euro screws do...just in case you make a mistake. If you aren't using full system holes, then a screw-on mounting plate is your best bet.

For the hinge itself, the cabinet plans show a pair of 5/16" (8mm) holes in addition to the 1 3/8" (35mm) hinge cup hole. This design is for a press-in hinge arm. The press-in style uses a dowel that is similar to the Expando dowel, but is actually designed to be pressed in by machine.

It can also be easily tapped in with a hammer and small block of wood. The hinge can then be removed and reinstalled several times without damaging the door. This is a nice feature if you want to fit the hinges first, then remove them to finish the door with paint or lacquer.

Another good way to mount the hinge is to use a screw-on hinge arm. In this case, omit the extra 5/16" (8mm) holes on the door and just drill pilot holes for #6 wood screws. I actually prefer the press-in style for the ability to remove and reattach the hinge several times.

Repeatedly removing and reinstalling wood screws tends to weaken the wood fibers in the door. If you only plan to do it once or twice (say for finishing), then it's okay. Otherwise you might be better off sticking with the press-in hinges.

Buying Hardware Online Some of the links on this site take you to product pages on Amazon.com, so just a quick note about buying cabinet hardware from Amazon. There are two or three major internet cabinet hardware suppliers that sell their products on Amazon. They all have similar offerings, good reputations, reasonable prices, and decent shipping rates.

If you want to save a bit of money, try to find one supplier that has everything you're shopping for, and place your entire order with them.

The listed shipping rates are often not just for a single piece of hardware. It might cover everything in an entire order, up to a certain dollar amount. So you may be able to get a great deal on shipping by combining your whole order under one supplier.

Drawing File For a more in-depth discussion of euro-style hinges, take a look at the notes on the 2 door base cabinet plans. Otherwise, just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "2 Door Wall Cabinet 30W x 12D x 30.5T"

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Cabinet Plans - 2 Door Wall

These cabinet plans simply add doors to the open wall cabinet. The beauty of building cabinets using the 32mm system is that the box (or cabinet carcass) is the same whether the cabinet is open, has drawers, doors, or any combination thereof. And just like the open wall cabinet, the size can be adjusted to fit your room perfectly.
Doors As usual, I don't stray from my general affinity to melamine. In this free kitchen cabinet plan, the box and doors are listed as white melamine with PVC edge banding. This is a durable combination, but doesn't contribute much character to your finished cabinets.

Here's where your basic cabinet can take on it's own personality and really show off your creativity. There are nearly an infinite number of ways to customize your cabinet doors.

They can utilize simple plywood slabs, raised or recessed panels, carved solid wood, super durable thermofoil, inlaid veneers, varied grain directions, and paints or different colored stains. Cabinet doors styles are only limited by your imagination, so experiment and make them truly your own creation.

There are a few things to watch out for if you choose something other than a slab door with 0.5mm thick edge banding for your cabinet plans. First, the cutlist shows dimensions for the door before edge banding is applied. If you aren't using 0.5mm thick edge banding, then you need to use the dimensions from the door layout elevation.

Basically, allow a 3/8" (10mm) gap (called a reveal) at the top, 1/16" (1.5mm) reveal at the outside edges of the cabinet box, and 1/8" (3mm) reveal between the two doors. The doors fit flush to the bottom of the cabinet. This will keep the door at the correct size for proper hinge clearance.

Next, try to stick with a door that is pretty close to 3/4" (19mm) thick. Most concealed euro-style hinges are designed to fit a 3/4" thick door panel. If you go much thinner or thicker than that, you may have trouble with the hinges fitting and problems with the door opening and closing properly.

Finally, when using five-piece (raised or recessed panel) doors, the stiles (vertical pieces of solid wood) need to be wide enough for the hinge to fit. It's okay to make the stiles narrow, but then you will need to use a smaller hinge like the Blum Mini Hinge.
Hinges I can't say enough good things about using three-way adjustable, concealed, euro-style hinges. They make door hanging and adjustment very easy. Because of their opening geometry, they also allow two cabinets to butt directly together without the doors binding. The gap between the hinge edge of two doors on adjacent cabinets really does only need to be 1/8" (3mm).

When buying hinges, be sure to get both the hinge and the mounting plate, since they are often sold separately. If you're using full system holes, then an Expando dowel mounting plate is a great way to go.

The Expando dowels are very strong, fit into 5mm system holes, and don't damage the system holes like euro screws do...just in case you make a mistake. If you aren't using full system holes, then a screw-on mounting plate is your best bet.

For the hinge itself, the cabinet plans show a pair of 5/16" (8mm) holes in addition to the 1 3/8" (35mm) hinge cup hole. This design is for a press-in hinge arm. The press-in style uses a dowel that is similar to the Expando dowel, but is actually designed to be pressed in by machine.

It can also be easily tapped in with a hammer and small block of wood. The hinge can then be removed and reinstalled several times without damaging the door. This is a nice feature if you want to fit the hinges first, then remove them to finish the door with paint or lacquer.

Another good way to mount the hinge is to use a screw-on hinge arm. In this case, omit the extra 5/16" (8mm) holes on the door and just drill pilot holes for #6 wood screws. I actually prefer the press-in style for the ability to remove and reattach the hinge several times.

Repeatedly removing and reinstalling wood screws tends to weaken the wood fibers in the door. If you only plan to do it once or twice (say for finishing), then it's okay. Otherwise you might be better off sticking with the press-in hinges.

Buying Hardware Online Some of the links on this site take you to product pages on Amazon.com, so just a quick note about buying cabinet hardware from Amazon. There are two or three major internet cabinet hardware suppliers that sell their products on Amazon. They all have similar offerings, good reputations, reasonable prices, and decent shipping rates.

If you want to save a bit of money, try to find one supplier that has everything you're shopping for, and place your entire order with them.

The listed shipping rates are often not just for a single piece of hardware. It might cover everything in an entire order, up to a certain dollar amount. So you may be able to get a great deal on shipping by combining your whole order under one supplier.

Drawing File For a more in-depth discussion of euro-style hinges, take a look at the notes on the 2 door base cabinet plans. Otherwise, just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "2 Door Wall Cabinet 30W x 12D x 30.5T"

Return from 2 Door Wall Cabinet Plans
to Kitchen Cabinet Plans

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Children's Workbench Plans

One evening a friend of my daughter's was talking about some workbench plans he had percolating in his head. He asked if I could get him a few pieces of scrap wood from work. However, as we discussed his ideas for how to build a workbench, I realized that this would be a great project to develop for Totally Free Woodworking Plans.

His idea was to build a workbench that actually doubled as a giant toolbox. The storage tray beneath the top, the hinged door, and the a-frame style legs were his idea. I refined the dimensions a bit and added the peg holes for hanging tools. What you see here are children's workbench plans that came straight from the mind of a kid!

The funny part about this being a children's workbench is that it would really work great as an adult's workbench too. The 32" height is too short for my comfort, but increasing the height would be a pretty simple matter. I'm 6 feet tall but someone shorter may find it comfortable to work at a 32" high workbench. So don't be scared away from building it just because it was designed with kids in mind.

Material Since the whole discussion of these workbench plans began as a request for scrap wood, my first inclination was to build it out of 3/4" melamine. By now you probably know how much I love the stuff, but the real motivation was the fact that we have tons of scrap 3/4" melamine at work. The problem with using melamine started to become apparent when I discovered that my son and the inventor's little brother also wanted to build the same workbench.

As I imagined three rough eight to ten-year-old boys pounding on their new workbenches, I realized that particle board simply wouldn't hold up. A couple of good smacks with a hammer and the corners of the workbench would be a mess. So 3/4" plywood was my choice due it's durability. Any shop grade of plywood will work fine, or even AC plywood sheathing. I happened to find four leftover sheets of plywood that had been faced with plastic laminate, so the boys' workbenches turned out pretty fancy when all was said and done.

Hardware There are a couple of simple pieces of hardware you will need to complete the workbench. The workbench plans show a piano (or continous) hinge for the door. This is my preference for durability, but a piano hinge is about three times the price of a pair of simple butt hinges. At the last minute (meaning the checkout line at the hardware store), I changed to butt hinges and they worked great. We used only two per door, but three would hold up better.

The other thing you'll need is some sort of catch at the top of the door. We used a heavy duty magnetic touch-latch that only cost a couple of dollars. Another alternative would be to use a magnetic or roller catch with some sort of handle to pull the door open.

Cutting The Parts The only really complex pieces to cut are the legs. Once you lay out the lines for the angles, they can be cut with a circular saw, a jigsaw, or a table saw with an angle jig. I sort of cheated and cut all the parts on a CNC router at work. Which brings up a good point about all the holes that need to be drilled (I think there are about seven thousand of them).

The 1/4" holes aren't completely necessary. I had a bunch of 1/4" dowel laying around and thought it would be cool to make a sort of peg board to hang tools on the outside of the workbench. The workbench plans show the peg holes on the outside of the bench, but a couple of the boys turned the back around so they could hang their tools on the inside of the tool storage tray.

I used a CNC machine to drill all the holes, but I'm not too sure I would have drilled them all if I had to do it by hand. So drill as many as you think you'll need, or don't drill any at all. They really are just an option.

The 3/16" thru holes aren't really optional. Those are there for assembly with 1-5/8" wood screws. If you lay them out according to the drawings you'll have a much easier time lining things up. So I encourage you to drill them, even if you opt not to drill the peg holes.

Assembly Start by attaching the front and the back to the bottom using glue and 1-5/8" wood screws. Next, using the section view in the workbench plans as a guide, mark the locations of the back, bottom, and front on the inside of both legs. Attach the legs to the back/front/bottom assembly using glue and screws.

Hinging the door is easiest if done while the top is off. Attach the hinges to the door first, then fasten the hinged door to the front. For mounting hinges I suggest that you use a Vix Bit. For those who aren't familiar with Vix Bits, they are self-centering drill bits. The ingenious little tool makes drilling perfectly centered holes an absolute breeze.

Mounting the top is pretty straightforward. Just make sure it overhangs the legs evenly all around. Depending on what method you use for holding the door shut, you may want to attach the catch to the underside of the top before attaching the top to the legs. That's what we did and it eliminated the need to crawl inside the tool compartment upside down to install catch hardware.

Drawing File With a bit of help from us dads, the boys did almost all of the assembly themselves. So whether you build one of these workbenches for your kids, with your kids, or even for yourself, be sure to check out the plans. Just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Workbench Plans"

Return from Workbench Plans
to Woodworking Projects For Kids

Click Here and Start WoodWorking

Laminate Countertop Plans

No kitchen installation is complete without countertops. So here I give you plastic laminate countertop plans. Plastic laminate is a durable, inexpensive counter surface that comes in hundreds of different colors.

Probably the most commonly known brand is Formica. In fact, plastic laminate is often referred to generically as Formica. However, there are numerous other plastic laminate manufacturers out there. They include Pionite, LaminArt, Abet Laminati, Nevamar, Wilsonart, and others.
Laminate Grades Laminate comes in three basic thicknesses: standard grade, post-form grade, and vertical grade. Until recently, standard grade laminate was used for countertops because it is the thickest of the three grades and wears better under heavy use. However, most manufacturers have moved toward only stocking post-form grade.

Post-form grade is slightly thinner than standard grade, and was originally intended for a technique called postforming. This is where the laminate is heated as it is applied to the substrate to form integral splashes, coves, and bullnose and no-drip edges.

Vertical grade laminate is the thinnest and is only suitable for low-wear vertical surfaces such as cabinet doors and finished cabinet ends.

Substrate Material The substrate is the foundation for a quality laminated countertop. Industrial grade particle board or even MDF can be used for dry areas such as offices and many garage cabinet installations.

Wet areas (any place that has a sink in it) such as kitchen and bathroom counters should be made with a plywood substrate. The plywood itself doesn't need to be waterproof, but it DOES need to have a surface that is clean, smooth, flat, and free from voids.

Gluing Plastic Laminate Plastic laminate is attached to the plywood or particle board substrate using contact cement. The cement is brushed, sprayed, or rolled (make sure to read the instructions for the particular contact cement you are using) onto both the laminate AND the substrate and allowed to dry.

After the contact cement has dried, the two pieces are carefully aligned and pressed together. The laminate countertop is then rolled firmly to produce a strong bond between the two different materials.

Sizing The Laminate The laminate should be cut about 1/2" larger than the substrate, then trimmed to fit after gluing it to the substrate. This is best accomplished with a flush trim router bit.

When trimming laminate to a wood surface, such as the top and bottom of the self-edge, I like to trim it first with a router. Then gently belt sand the edge of the plastic and the surface of the substrate at the same time. This makes a nice smooth surface for attaching the top laminate.

Belt sanders are pretty aggressive, so you need to be careful to sand lightly to prevent creating dips in the laminate countertop. Also, only sand with the belt direction moving towards the center of the top. Otherwise the sander can actually pull off the laminate self-edge.

Filing The Laminate After the final trim of the top laminate, the edge will have small chatter marks from the router and a sharp edge. Many people simply file out the chatter marks and file the sharp edge smooth. I prefer to make a second pass over the edge with a bearing-guided bevel bit in the router. After this extra step, I only have to lightly file the chatter marks and the sharp edge.

There are even "no-file" router bits for this purpose, but I have never personally tried one. The point is to make a heavy trim pass to size the laminate, then make a lighter finish pass to "soften" the edge. It may take a little bit more effort to set up the router a second time, but the result is a professional looking laminate countertop edge.

Using the bevel bit also requires much less filing. The hard work is done by the router, with only minor hand work with the file. Incidentally, sandpaper should never be used to finish the edge of laminate. Sandpaper actually scratches the laminate, whereas a file will scrape or cut the laminate smooth.

Assembling The Sub-Top There are many ways to assemble the substrate for a laminate countertop. At the most basic, a single piece of plywood or particle board can be laminated as-is. Traditionally, countertops are between 1 and 2 inches thick. Plywood or particle board that thick is generally pretty expensive and VERY heavy.

A single thickness of 3/4" or 1/2" could be used. However, most material this thickness will tend to warp over time. Besides, thin countertops aren't very visually appealing.

A second method that is commonly used for countertops that are laminated in place, is to nail or screw two layers of plywood or particle board (or a combination of the two) directly to the cabinets. I don't particularly care for this method because it makes a mess wherever you install the laminate countertop. It also makes it more difficult to later replace the counters if needed.

My preference is to build the laminate countertop in the shop using 3/4" substrate with a 1/2" or 3/4" built-up self-edge. The build-up can simply be 2" to 4" wide strips glued and nailed to the bottom of the substrate.

Several years ago, one of the guys I worked with showed me a great variation on this method. This is the technique I have used in these plans. It adds the extra step of gluing and nailing a trim strip wherever plastic laminate self-edge will be applied. The trim strip is the same width as the thickness of the countertop, and extends past the counter substrate 1/4" wherever the counter hits the wall.

Why The Extra Work? First, gluing laminate to the edge of two pieces of plywood or particle board stacked on top of each other can be a bit tricky. The edges don't always line up perfectly, and sanding them can easily put them out of square. This way you always have a nice flat surface to attach your edge laminate.

After gluing the edge laminate and trimming it with the router, you can belt sand the laminate edge and the wood edge together to fit flush with the face of the substrate. You'll then have a perfect surface for attaching your top laminate.

(As a small side note, the edge laminate should always be attached before the top laminate. If done the other way around, the edge laminate will eventually peel off from things being dragged off the edge of the counter. It also looks rather unprofessional because the dark brown core of the laminate is much more visible.)

The second reason for adding the extra wood edge is to simplify installing the countertop. Very often you will find that your walls are not perfectly straight, plumb, or square. This can cause the edges of the laminate countertop to not meet the wall, leaving a visible gap. Scribing (marking and cutting) the counter to fit the wall is the typical solution, but this can be difficult and time consuming.

In this design, only the counter edges that show will actually contact the wall. Everywhere else that the counter meets the wall will have a slight gap. If the walls are perfect, then the gap will be a uniform 1/4". Otherwise it will vary according to the imperfections in the wall.

This technique should save you lots of time and headache when installing the counter, but will only work if you are applying a backsplash that will cover the gap. If you don't plan to use backsplash, then you may need to scribe the counter to fit any irregularities in the wall.

Backsplash For these plans, I didn't provide any details for the backsplash other than an overall size. You can use matching laminate for the backsplash, wood, tile, stone, metal, glass, or nearly anything you want.

You will notice that I stop the splash 1/4" from the edge of the counter. This makes it easier to caulk the joint between the splash and the counter surface, a necessary step if you're installing the top in a wet area such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Drawing File Well, that's quite a lot to say about building a laminate countertop. It may seem complicated, but it's definitely within the capabilities of the average woodworker.

I encourage you to dive in and give it a try by clicking on the link to the plans below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Laminate Countertop"

Return from Laminate Countertop Plans
to Kitchen Cabinet Plans

Click Here and Start WoodWorking

Children's Workbench Plans

One evening a friend of my daughter's was talking about some workbench plans he had percolating in his head. He asked if I could get him a few pieces of scrap wood from work. However, as we discussed his ideas for how to build a workbench, I realized that this would be a great project to develop for Totally Free Woodworking Plans.

His idea was to build a workbench that actually doubled as a giant toolbox. The storage tray beneath the top, the hinged door, and the a-frame style legs were his idea. I refined the dimensions a bit and added the peg holes for hanging tools. What you see here are children's workbench plans that came straight from the mind of a kid!

The funny part about this being a children's workbench is that it would really work great as an adult's workbench too. The 32" height is too short for my comfort, but increasing the height would be a pretty simple matter. I'm 6 feet tall but someone shorter may find it comfortable to work at a 32" high workbench. So don't be scared away from building it just because it was designed with kids in mind.

Material Since the whole discussion of these workbench plans began as a request for scrap wood, my first inclination was to build it out of 3/4" melamine. By now you probably know how much I love the stuff, but the real motivation was the fact that we have tons of scrap 3/4" melamine at work. The problem with using melamine started to become apparent when I discovered that my son and the inventor's little brother also wanted to build the same workbench.

As I imagined three rough eight to ten-year-old boys pounding on their new workbenches, I realized that particle board simply wouldn't hold up. A couple of good smacks with a hammer and the corners of the workbench would be a mess. So 3/4" plywood was my choice due it's durability. Any shop grade of plywood will work fine, or even AC plywood sheathing. I happened to find four leftover sheets of plywood that had been faced with plastic laminate, so the boys' workbenches turned out pretty fancy when all was said and done.

Hardware There are a couple of simple pieces of hardware you will need to complete the workbench. The workbench plans show a piano (or continous) hinge for the door. This is my preference for durability, but a piano hinge is about three times the price of a pair of simple butt hinges. At the last minute (meaning the checkout line at the hardware store), I changed to butt hinges and they worked great. We used only two per door, but three would hold up better.

The other thing you'll need is some sort of catch at the top of the door. We used a heavy duty magnetic touch-latch that only cost a couple of dollars. Another alternative would be to use a magnetic or roller catch with some sort of handle to pull the door open.

Cutting The Parts The only really complex pieces to cut are the legs. Once you lay out the lines for the angles, they can be cut with a circular saw, a jigsaw, or a table saw with an angle jig. I sort of cheated and cut all the parts on a CNC router at work. Which brings up a good point about all the holes that need to be drilled (I think there are about seven thousand of them).

The 1/4" holes aren't completely necessary. I had a bunch of 1/4" dowel laying around and thought it would be cool to make a sort of peg board to hang tools on the outside of the workbench. The workbench plans show the peg holes on the outside of the bench, but a couple of the boys turned the back around so they could hang their tools on the inside of the tool storage tray.

I used a CNC machine to drill all the holes, but I'm not too sure I would have drilled them all if I had to do it by hand. So drill as many as you think you'll need, or don't drill any at all. They really are just an option.

The 3/16" thru holes aren't really optional. Those are there for assembly with 1-5/8" wood screws. If you lay them out according to the drawings you'll have a much easier time lining things up. So I encourage you to drill them, even if you opt not to drill the peg holes.

Assembly Start by attaching the front and the back to the bottom using glue and 1-5/8" wood screws. Next, using the section view in the workbench plans as a guide, mark the locations of the back, bottom, and front on the inside of both legs. Attach the legs to the back/front/bottom assembly using glue and screws.

Hinging the door is easiest if done while the top is off. Attach the hinges to the door first, then fasten the hinged door to the front. For mounting hinges I suggest that you use a Vix Bit. For those who aren't familiar with Vix Bits, they are self-centering drill bits. The ingenious little tool makes drilling perfectly centered holes an absolute breeze.

Mounting the top is pretty straightforward. Just make sure it overhangs the legs evenly all around. Depending on what method you use for holding the door shut, you may want to attach the catch to the underside of the top before attaching the top to the legs. That's what we did and it eliminated the need to crawl inside the tool compartment upside down to install catch hardware.

Drawing File With a bit of help from us dads, the boys did almost all of the assembly themselves. So whether you build one of these workbenches for your kids, with your kids, or even for yourself, be sure to check out the plans. Just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

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Laminate Countertop Plans

No kitchen installation is complete without countertops. So here I give you plastic laminate countertop plans. Plastic laminate is a durable, inexpensive counter surface that comes in hundreds of different colors.

Probably the most commonly known brand is Formica. In fact, plastic laminate is often referred to generically as Formica. However, there are numerous other plastic laminate manufacturers out there. They include Pionite, LaminArt, Abet Laminati, Nevamar, Wilsonart, and others.
Laminate Grades Laminate comes in three basic thicknesses: standard grade, post-form grade, and vertical grade. Until recently, standard grade laminate was used for countertops because it is the thickest of the three grades and wears better under heavy use. However, most manufacturers have moved toward only stocking post-form grade.

Post-form grade is slightly thinner than standard grade, and was originally intended for a technique called postforming. This is where the laminate is heated as it is applied to the substrate to form integral splashes, coves, and bullnose and no-drip edges.

Vertical grade laminate is the thinnest and is only suitable for low-wear vertical surfaces such as cabinet doors and finished cabinet ends.

Substrate Material The substrate is the foundation for a quality laminated countertop. Industrial grade particle board or even MDF can be used for dry areas such as offices and many garage cabinet installations.

Wet areas (any place that has a sink in it) such as kitchen and bathroom counters should be made with a plywood substrate. The plywood itself doesn't need to be waterproof, but it DOES need to have a surface that is clean, smooth, flat, and free from voids.

Gluing Plastic Laminate Plastic laminate is attached to the plywood or particle board substrate using contact cement. The cement is brushed, sprayed, or rolled (make sure to read the instructions for the particular contact cement you are using) onto both the laminate AND the substrate and allowed to dry.

After the contact cement has dried, the two pieces are carefully aligned and pressed together. The laminate countertop is then rolled firmly to produce a strong bond between the two different materials.

Sizing The Laminate The laminate should be cut about 1/2" larger than the substrate, then trimmed to fit after gluing it to the substrate. This is best accomplished with a flush trim router bit.

When trimming laminate to a wood surface, such as the top and bottom of the self-edge, I like to trim it first with a router. Then gently belt sand the edge of the plastic and the surface of the substrate at the same time. This makes a nice smooth surface for attaching the top laminate.

Belt sanders are pretty aggressive, so you need to be careful to sand lightly to prevent creating dips in the laminate countertop. Also, only sand with the belt direction moving towards the center of the top. Otherwise the sander can actually pull off the laminate self-edge.

Filing The Laminate After the final trim of the top laminate, the edge will have small chatter marks from the router and a sharp edge. Many people simply file out the chatter marks and file the sharp edge smooth. I prefer to make a second pass over the edge with a bearing-guided bevel bit in the router. After this extra step, I only have to lightly file the chatter marks and the sharp edge.

There are even "no-file" router bits for this purpose, but I have never personally tried one. The point is to make a heavy trim pass to size the laminate, then make a lighter finish pass to "soften" the edge. It may take a little bit more effort to set up the router a second time, but the result is a professional looking laminate countertop edge.

Using the bevel bit also requires much less filing. The hard work is done by the router, with only minor hand work with the file. Incidentally, sandpaper should never be used to finish the edge of laminate. Sandpaper actually scratches the laminate, whereas a file will scrape or cut the laminate smooth.

Assembling The Sub-Top There are many ways to assemble the substrate for a laminate countertop. At the most basic, a single piece of plywood or particle board can be laminated as-is. Traditionally, countertops are between 1 and 2 inches thick. Plywood or particle board that thick is generally pretty expensive and VERY heavy.

A single thickness of 3/4" or 1/2" could be used. However, most material this thickness will tend to warp over time. Besides, thin countertops aren't very visually appealing.

A second method that is commonly used for countertops that are laminated in place, is to nail or screw two layers of plywood or particle board (or a combination of the two) directly to the cabinets. I don't particularly care for this method because it makes a mess wherever you install the laminate countertop. It also makes it more difficult to later replace the counters if needed.

My preference is to build the laminate countertop in the shop using 3/4" substrate with a 1/2" or 3/4" built-up self-edge. The build-up can simply be 2" to 4" wide strips glued and nailed to the bottom of the substrate.

Several years ago, one of the guys I worked with showed me a great variation on this method. This is the technique I have used in these plans. It adds the extra step of gluing and nailing a trim strip wherever plastic laminate self-edge will be applied. The trim strip is the same width as the thickness of the countertop, and extends past the counter substrate 1/4" wherever the counter hits the wall.

Why The Extra Work? First, gluing laminate to the edge of two pieces of plywood or particle board stacked on top of each other can be a bit tricky. The edges don't always line up perfectly, and sanding them can easily put them out of square. This way you always have a nice flat surface to attach your edge laminate.

After gluing the edge laminate and trimming it with the router, you can belt sand the laminate edge and the wood edge together to fit flush with the face of the substrate. You'll then have a perfect surface for attaching your top laminate.

(As a small side note, the edge laminate should always be attached before the top laminate. If done the other way around, the edge laminate will eventually peel off from things being dragged off the edge of the counter. It also looks rather unprofessional because the dark brown core of the laminate is much more visible.)

The second reason for adding the extra wood edge is to simplify installing the countertop. Very often you will find that your walls are not perfectly straight, plumb, or square. This can cause the edges of the laminate countertop to not meet the wall, leaving a visible gap. Scribing (marking and cutting) the counter to fit the wall is the typical solution, but this can be difficult and time consuming.

In this design, only the counter edges that show will actually contact the wall. Everywhere else that the counter meets the wall will have a slight gap. If the walls are perfect, then the gap will be a uniform 1/4". Otherwise it will vary according to the imperfections in the wall.

This technique should save you lots of time and headache when installing the counter, but will only work if you are applying a backsplash that will cover the gap. If you don't plan to use backsplash, then you may need to scribe the counter to fit any irregularities in the wall.

Backsplash For these plans, I didn't provide any details for the backsplash other than an overall size. You can use matching laminate for the backsplash, wood, tile, stone, metal, glass, or nearly anything you want.

You will notice that I stop the splash 1/4" from the edge of the counter. This makes it easier to caulk the joint between the splash and the counter surface, a necessary step if you're installing the top in a wet area such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Drawing File Well, that's quite a lot to say about building a laminate countertop. It may seem complicated, but it's definitely within the capabilities of the average woodworker.

I encourage you to dive in and give it a try by clicking on the link to the plans below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Laminate Countertop"

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Bookcase Plans

This set of free bookcase plans stems from a furniture project that went into my home office. My wife needed a bookshelf to store some of the kid's school things, but it needed to fit on a certain wall in the room. It also needed to be pretty tall to maximize the amount of storage space available.

As I was developing the bookshelf plans, I tried to make it simple to build. But I also wanted it to have a little more character than just a box with a bunch of 3/4" shelves in it. The result is now sitting in my office, packed full of stuff, and I think it fits the bill pretty well.
Size As I mentioned, the bookshelf needed to fit a certain wall in my office and be as large as possible. An overall width of 28" and height of 82" worked great.

Often, bookcase plans call for a depth of only 12". This seemed too small to me. I extended the depth to 14" to accommodate even the largest of books. The plans can be adjusted to nearly any size you like, as long as the shelves don't become too long to support their load without sagging.

Normally I suggest avoiding shelves that are more than 36" long. In this case however, you should be safe extending them to 48". The addition of a panel (or valance) along the front edge of the shelves serves to stiffen them. It also gives the bookshelf a bit more character than plain old 3/4" shelving.

Design A common practice with simple furniture designs, like bookcases and dressers, is to extend the wall ends to the floor. Then, a slightly recessed toekick is installed just below the bottom shelf, between the wall ends.

I like this look and it helps prevent the unit from tipping forward. So, I included it in the bookcase plans.

This bookcase could easily have been built as a simple box, much like a cabinet. But the recessed toekick gave me the idea to add the same detail to the top and to the adjustable shelves. You can leave off the valances, but they do add a nice detail without a lot of extra effort.

By adding the valances to the adjustable shelves, you also add a great deal of rigidity to the shelves. This allows you to build a bookcase with longer shelves and they won't sag under the heavy weight of books.

In this case, the extra strength is not needed. So the added valances are really just for looks.

Materials If you're at all familiar with any of my other plans, you won't be surprised to learn that I built the bookcase out of white Melamine. It's durable and easy to work with, but any 3/4" panel will work just fine.

If you choose a wood veneer plywood or particle board, the valance panels at the toekick, top, and adjustable shelves can be made from solid stock to match the veneer.

Something I discovered as I was assembling the bookcase was that I had failed to edge band the top edges of the wall ends. For an 82" tall bookcase it's not a big deal since you won't ever see that edge. If you shorten the bookcase plans so that the top is below eye level, then the top edges really should be finished.

Assembly I'm kind of in love with my Kreg jig, so that's what I used to assemble the bookcase. If you're not familiar with pocket hole joinery, I encourage you to check out these videos. They do a pretty good job of demonstrating the basics.

In this case, pocket hole screws are particularly useful for joining the valances to the top, shelves, and bottom. I also used them, along with Melamine glue, for attaching the top and bottom to the wall ends. An alternative would be to screw through the wall ends into the top and bottom, but I didn't want visible fasteners in the wall ends.

The "nailers" are sort of a throw back to cabinet construction that serve to help keep the unit straight and square. They're glued and screwed to the wall ends, top, and bottom.

Drawing File Overall, it's a pretty simple project. With the addition of the valances, and the right material, it will be equally at home in a casual office setting or the front room of your home.

Wherever you decide to put it, to view the plans just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Bookcase Plans"

Return from Bookcase Plans
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Bookcase Plans

This set of free bookcase plans stems from a furniture project that went into my home office. My wife needed a bookshelf to store some of the kid's school things, but it needed to fit on a certain wall in the room. It also needed to be pretty tall to maximize the amount of storage space available.

As I was developing the bookshelf plans, I tried to make it simple to build. But I also wanted it to have a little more character than just a box with a bunch of 3/4" shelves in it. The result is now sitting in my office, packed full of stuff, and I think it fits the bill pretty well.
Size As I mentioned, the bookshelf needed to fit a certain wall in my office and be as large as possible. An overall width of 28" and height of 82" worked great.

Often, bookcase plans call for a depth of only 12". This seemed too small to me. I extended the depth to 14" to accommodate even the largest of books. The plans can be adjusted to nearly any size you like, as long as the shelves don't become too long to support their load without sagging.

Normally I suggest avoiding shelves that are more than 36" long. In this case however, you should be safe extending them to 48". The addition of a panel (or valance) along the front edge of the shelves serves to stiffen them. It also gives the bookshelf a bit more character than plain old 3/4" shelving.

Design A common practice with simple furniture designs, like bookcases and dressers, is to extend the wall ends to the floor. Then, a slightly recessed toekick is installed just below the bottom shelf, between the wall ends.

I like this look and it helps prevent the unit from tipping forward. So, I included it in the bookcase plans.

This bookcase could easily have been built as a simple box, much like a cabinet. But the recessed toekick gave me the idea to add the same detail to the top and to the adjustable shelves. You can leave off the valances, but they do add a nice detail without a lot of extra effort.

By adding the valances to the adjustable shelves, you also add a great deal of rigidity to the shelves. This allows you to build a bookcase with longer shelves and they won't sag under the heavy weight of books.

In this case, the extra strength is not needed. So the added valances are really just for looks.

Materials If you're at all familiar with any of my other plans, you won't be surprised to learn that I built the bookcase out of white Melamine. It's durable and easy to work with, but any 3/4" panel will work just fine.

If you choose a wood veneer plywood or particle board, the valance panels at the toekick, top, and adjustable shelves can be made from solid stock to match the veneer.

Something I discovered as I was assembling the bookcase was that I had failed to edge band the top edges of the wall ends. For an 82" tall bookcase it's not a big deal since you won't ever see that edge. If you shorten the bookcase plans so that the top is below eye level, then the top edges really should be finished.

Assembly I'm kind of in love with my Kreg jig, so that's what I used to assemble the bookcase. If you're not familiar with pocket hole joinery, I encourage you to check out these videos. They do a pretty good job of demonstrating the basics.

In this case, pocket hole screws are particularly useful for joining the valances to the top, shelves, and bottom. I also used them, along with Melamine glue, for attaching the top and bottom to the wall ends. An alternative would be to screw through the wall ends into the top and bottom, but I didn't want visible fasteners in the wall ends.

The "nailers" are sort of a throw back to cabinet construction that serve to help keep the unit straight and square. They're glued and screwed to the wall ends, top, and bottom.

Drawing File Overall, it's a pretty simple project. With the addition of the valances, and the right material, it will be equally at home in a casual office setting or the front room of your home.

Wherever you decide to put it, to view the plans just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

View or Download "Bookcase Plans"

Return from Bookcase Plans
to Furniture Plans

Click Here and Start WoodWorking

Bookcase Plans

This set of free bookcase plans stems from a furniture project that went into my home office. My wife needed a bookshelf to store some of the kid's school things, but it needed to fit on a certain wall in the room. It also needed to be pretty tall to maximize the amount of storage space available.
As I was developing the bookshelf plans, I tried to make it simple to build. But I also wanted it to have a little more character than just a box with a bunch of 3/4" shelves in it. The result is now sitting in my office, packed full of stuff, and I think it fits the bill pretty well.
Size As I mentioned, the bookshelf needed to fit a certain wall in my office and be as large as possible. An overall width of 28" and height of 82" worked great.
Often, bookcase plans call for a depth of only 12". This seemed too small to me. I extended the depth to 14" to accommodate even the largest of books. The plans can be adjusted to nearly any size you like, as long as the shelves don't become too long to support their load without sagging.
Normally I suggest avoiding shelves that are more than 36" long. In this case however, you should be safe extending them to 48". The addition of a panel (or valance) along the front edge of the shelves serves to stiffen them. It also gives the bookshelf a bit more character than plain old 3/4" shelving.
Design A common practice with simple furniture designs, like bookcases and dressers, is to extend the wall ends to the floor. Then, a slightly recessed toekick is installed just below the bottom shelf, between the wall ends.
I like this look and it helps prevent the unit from tipping forward. So, I included it in the bookcase plans.
This bookcase could easily have been built as a simple box, much like a cabinet. But the recessed toekick gave me the idea to add the same detail to the top and to the adjustable shelves. You can leave off the valances, but they do add a nice detail without a lot of extra effort.
By adding the valances to the adjustable shelves, you also add a great deal of rigidity to the shelves. This allows you to build a bookcase with longer shelves and they won't sag under the heavy weight of books.
In this case, the extra strength is not needed. So the added valances are really just for looks.
Materials If you're at all familiar with any of my other plans, you won't be surprised to learn that I built the bookcase out of white Melamine. It's durable and easy to work with, but any 3/4" panel will work just fine.
If you choose a wood veneer plywood or particle board, the valance panels at the toekick, top, and adjustable shelves can be made from solid stock to match the veneer.
Something I discovered as I was assembling the bookcase was that I had failed to edge band the top edges of the wall ends. For an 82" tall bookcase it's not a big deal since you won't ever see that edge. If you shorten the bookcase plans so that the top is below eye level, then the top edges really should be finished.
Assembly I'm kind of in love with my Kreg jig, so that's what I used to assemble the bookcase. If you're not familiar with pocket hole joinery, I encourage you to check out these videos. They do a pretty good job of demonstrating the basics.
In this case, pocket hole screws are particularly useful for joining the valances to the top, shelves, and bottom. I also used them, along with Melamine glue, for attaching the top and bottom to the wall ends. An alternative would be to screw through the wall ends into the top and bottom, but I didn't want visible fasteners in the wall ends.
The "nailers" are sort of a throw back to cabinet construction that serve to help keep the unit straight and square. They're glued and screwed to the wall ends, top, and bottom.
Drawing File Overall, it's a pretty simple project. With the addition of the valances, and the right material, it will be equally at home in a casual office setting or the front room of your home.
Wherever you decide to put it, to view the plans just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.
View or Download "Bookcase Plans"
Return from Bookcase Plans
to Furniture Plans
Click Here and Start WoodWorking

Suet Bird Feeder Plans

Several years ago, I developed a set of suet bird feeder plans that were based on some free bird feeder plans I had found on the internet. My son and I built a bird feeder for my wife, my mom, and my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. The problem is that we built them out of inexpensive whitewood. They worked great and looked great, but only lasted a couple of years outside in the wet, winter weather.
Design My son had been bugging me for several months to build new ones, but another problem cropped up. I had lost my original bird feeder plans! So, it was back to the drawing board for a new bird feeder design. We like using suet because it seems to make less of a mess than loose bird seed and doesn't attract rodents.
For the originals we made our own suet, so the feeders weren't very large. This time around, I picked up a brick of commercial suet at the store. It was much bigger than the suet we made. So, the bird feeder needed to be big enough to fit a store-bought block of suet.
Material This time, I also wanted them to last longer than only a couple of years. I probably could have done better on the price if I'd taken the time to shop, but I picked up a decent piece of 1x6x8' Cedar trim for about ten dollars. The Cedar board was planed smooth on one side only, so we sanded it with 60-grit sandpaper before cutting out the parts.
In the bird feeder plans, I have included a layout for cutting the board. If you follow the layout, you should be able to get two suet feeders out of one 8' board.
Cutting The Parts My brother had borrowed my chop saw and I couldn't find a big enough miter box to cut it by hand. So, I made all my cross-cuts using the miter attachment on my table saw. Since a 1x6 is actually 5 1/2" wide, the back can just be cut to length.
Next, I cut the top to length and then ripped it to the correct width on the table saw. I then ripped the remaining length of wood to 1 1/2" for the bottom and two front pieces.
They were each cut to length and then I moved on to the more difficult end pieces. At this point there should be one piece of wood left that needs to be ripped to 2 1/4" for the ends.


I always have difficulty cutting an angle on the end of a board, while simultaneously cutting the board to a specific length. In this case, I cut the angle such that both end pieces were left a little bit longer than necessary.
Then, I measured from the tip of the angled cut and marked the desired length of the part. I cut to this line and the length came out perfect.
There is a 3/8" hole drilled in the back to hang the feeder on a post or fence. However, we decided to hang our bird feeder from a tree branch. So, we didn't really need the hole.
Assembly Either way, lightly sand all the parts with 100 or 120-grit sandpaper before assembly. We used glue and screws for assembly, but glue and nails will work just as well. If the board is really dry, be sure to drill pilot holes to prevent the wood from splitting.
The order of assembly isn't particularly important, but we found the following helped simplify aligning the parts properly.
First, we attached the back to the bottom with glue and two screws. Next, the ends were attached to the back with glue and two screws each, and to the bottom with only glue.
The lower front piece was attached to the ends with glue and one screw per end. Next, the the upper front piece was attached the same way. This was the only piece we had to measure for during assembly.
Finally, the top was attached to the ends with a couple of screws into each end piece. That's it. Pretty straightforward.
Drawing File To make some birds in your neighborhood happy, click on the link to the bird feeder plans below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.
View or Download "Suet Bird Feeder"
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Cabinet Plans - 2 Door Wall

  These cabinet plans simply add doors to the open wall cabinet. The beauty of building cabinets using the 32mm system is that the box (or cabinet carcass) is the same whether the cabinet is open, has drawers, doors, or any combination thereof. And just like the open wall cabinet, the size can be adjusted to fit your room perfectly.

  Doors As usual, I don't stray from my general affinity to melamine. In this free kitchen cabinet plan, the box and doors are listed as white melamine with PVC edge banding. This is a durable combination, but doesn't contribute much character to your finished cabinets.

  Here's where your basic cabinet can take on it's own personality and really show off your creativity. There are nearly an infinite number of ways to customize your cabinet doors.
They can utilize simple plywood slabs, raised or recessed panels, carved solid wood, super durable thermofoil, inlaid veneers, varied grain directions, and paints or different colored stains. Cabinet doors styles are only limited by your imagination, so experiment and make them truly your own creation.
There are a few things to watch out for if you choose something other than a slab door with 0.5mm thick edge banding for your cabinet plans. First, the cutlist shows dimensions for the door before edge banding is applied. If you aren't using 0.5mm thick edge banding, then you need to use the dimensions from the door layout elevation.

  Basically, allow a 3/8" (10mm) gap (called a reveal) at the top, 1/16" (1.5mm) reveal at the outside edges of the cabinet box, and 1/8" (3mm) reveal between the two doors. The doors fit flush to the bottom of the cabinet. This will keep the door at the correct size for proper hinge clearance.
Next, try to stick with a door that is pretty close to 3/4" (19mm) thick. Most concealed euro-style hinges are designed to fit a 3/4" thick door panel. If you go much thinner or thicker than that, you may have trouble with the hinges fitting and problems with the door opening and closing properly.
Finally, when using five-piece (raised or recessed panel) doors, the stiles (vertical pieces of solid wood) need to be wide enough for the hinge to fit. It's okay to make the stiles narrow, but then you will need to use a smaller hinge like the Blum Mini Hinge.

  Hinges I can't say enough good things about using three-way adjustable, concealed, euro-style hinges. They make door hanging and adjustment very easy. Because of their opening geometry, they also allow two cabinets to butt directly together without the doors binding. The gap between the hinge edge of two doors on adjacent cabinets really does only need to be 1/8" (3mm).
When buying hinges, be sure to get both the hinge and the mounting plate, since they are often sold separately. If you're using full system holes, then an Expando dowel mounting plate is a great way to go.

  The Expando dowels are very strong, fit into 5mm system holes, and don't damage the system holes like euro screws do...just in case you make a mistake. If you aren't using full system holes, then a screw-on mounting plate is your best bet.
For the hinge itself, the cabinet plans show a pair of 5/16" (8mm) holes in addition to the 1 3/8" (35mm) hinge cup hole. This design is for a press-in hinge arm. The press-in style uses a dowel that is similar to the Expando dowel, but is actually designed to be pressed in by machine.
It can also be easily tapped in with a hammer and small block of wood. The hinge can then be removed and reinstalled several times without damaging the door. This is a nice feature if you want to fit the hinges first, then remove them to finish the door with paint or lacquer.

  Another good way to mount the hinge is to use a screw-on hinge arm. In this case, omit the extra 5/16" (8mm) holes on the door and just drill pilot holes for #6 wood screws. I actually prefer the press-in style for the ability to remove and reattach the hinge several times.
Repeatedly removing and reinstalling wood screws tends to weaken the wood fibers in the door. If you only plan to do it once or twice (say for finishing), then it's okay. Otherwise you might be better off sticking with the press-in hinges.

  Buying Hardware Online Some of the links on this site take you to product pages on Amazon.com, so just a quick note about buying cabinet hardware from Amazon. There are two or three major internet cabinet hardware suppliers that sell their products on Amazon. They all have similar offerings, good reputations, reasonable prices, and decent shipping rates.
If you want to save a bit of money, try to find one supplier that has everything you're shopping for, and place your entire order with them.

  The listed shipping rates are often not just for a single piece of hardware. It might cover everything in an entire order, up to a certain dollar amount. So you may be able to get a great deal on shipping by combining your whole order under one supplier.

  Drawing File For a more in-depth discussion of euro-style hinges, take a look at the notes on the 2 door base cabinet plans. Otherwise, just click on the link below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.
View or Download "2 Door Wall Cabinet 30W x 12D x 30.5T"
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Laminate Countertop Plans

No kitchen installation is complete without countertops. So here I give you plastic laminate countertop plans. Plastic laminate is a durable, inexpensive counter surface that comes in hundreds of different colors.
Probably the most commonly known brand is Formica. In fact, plastic laminate is often referred to generically as Formica. However, there are numerous other plastic laminate manufacturers out there. They include Pionite, LaminArt, Abet Laminati, Nevamar, Wilsonart, and others.
Laminate Grades Laminate comes in three basic thicknesses: standard grade, post-form grade, and vertical grade. Until recently, standard grade laminate was used for countertops because it is the thickest of the three grades and wears better under heavy use. However, most manufacturers have moved toward only stocking post-form grade.
Post-form grade is slightly thinner than standard grade, and was originally intended for a technique called postforming. This is where the laminate is heated as it is applied to the substrate to form integral splashes, coves, and bullnose and no-drip edges.
Vertical grade laminate is the thinnest and is only suitable for low-wear vertical surfaces such as cabinet doors and finished cabinet ends.
Substrate Material The substrate is the foundation for a quality laminated countertop. Industrial grade particle board or even MDF can be used for dry areas such as offices and many garage cabinet installations.
Wet areas (any place that has a sink in it) such as kitchen and bathroom counters should be made with a plywood substrate. The plywood itself doesn't need to be waterproof, but it DOES need to have a surface that is clean, smooth, flat, and free from voids.
Gluing Plastic Laminate Plastic laminate is attached to the plywood or particle board substrate using contact cement. The cement is brushed, sprayed, or rolled (make sure to read the instructions for the particular contact cement you are using) onto both the laminate AND the substrate and allowed to dry.
After the contact cement has dried, the two pieces are carefully aligned and pressed together. The laminate countertop is then rolled firmly to produce a strong bond between the two different materials.
Sizing The Laminate The laminate should be cut about 1/2" larger than the substrate, then trimmed to fit after gluing it to the substrate. This is best accomplished with a flush trim router bit.
When trimming laminate to a wood surface, such as the top and bottom of the self-edge, I like to trim it first with a router. Then gently belt sand the edge of the plastic and the surface of the substrate at the same time. This makes a nice smooth surface for attaching the top laminate.
Belt sanders are pretty aggressive, so you need to be careful to sand lightly to prevent creating dips in the laminate countertop. Also, only sand with the belt direction moving towards the center of the top. Otherwise the sander can actually pull off the laminate self-edge.
Filing The Laminate After the final trim of the top laminate, the edge will have small chatter marks from the router and a sharp edge. Many people simply file out the chatter marks and file the sharp edge smooth. I prefer to make a second pass over the edge with a bearing-guided bevel bit in the router. After this extra step, I only have to lightly file the chatter marks and the sharp edge.
There are even "no-file" router bits for this purpose, but I have never personally tried one. The point is to make a heavy trim pass to size the laminate, then make a lighter finish pass to "soften" the edge. It may take a little bit more effort to set up the router a second time, but the result is a professional looking laminate countertop edge.
Using the bevel bit also requires much less filing. The hard work is done by the router, with only minor hand work with the file. Incidentally, sandpaper should never be used to finish the edge of laminate. Sandpaper actually scratches the laminate, whereas a file will scrape or cut the laminate smooth.
Assembling The Sub-Top There are many ways to assemble the substrate for a laminate countertop. At the most basic, a single piece of plywood or particle board can be laminated as-is. Traditionally, countertops are between 1 and 2 inches thick. Plywood or particle board that thick is generally pretty expensive and VERY heavy.
A single thickness of 3/4" or 1/2" could be used. However, most material this thickness will tend to warp over time. Besides, thin countertops aren't very visually appealing.
A second method that is commonly used for countertops that are laminated in place, is to nail or screw two layers of plywood or particle board (or a combination of the two) directly to the cabinets. I don't particularly care for this method because it makes a mess wherever you install the laminate countertop. It also makes it more difficult to later replace the counters if needed.
My preference is to build the laminate countertop in the shop using 3/4" substrate with a 1/2" or 3/4" built-up self-edge. The build-up can simply be 2" to 4" wide strips glued and nailed to the bottom of the substrate.
Several years ago, one of the guys I worked with showed me a great variation on this method. This is the technique I have used in these plans. It adds the extra step of gluing and nailing a trim strip wherever plastic laminate self-edge will be applied. The trim strip is the same width as the thickness of the countertop, and extends past the counter substrate 1/4" wherever the counter hits the wall.
Why The Extra Work? First, gluing laminate to the edge of two pieces of plywood or particle board stacked on top of each other can be a bit tricky. The edges don't always line up perfectly, and sanding them can easily put them out of square. This way you always have a nice flat surface to attach your edge laminate.
After gluing the edge laminate and trimming it with the router, you can belt sand the laminate edge and the wood edge together to fit flush with the face of the substrate. You'll then have a perfect surface for attaching your top laminate.
(As a small side note, the edge laminate should always be attached before the top laminate. If done the other way around, the edge laminate will eventually peel off from things being dragged off the edge of the counter. It also looks rather unprofessional because the dark brown core of the laminate is much more visible.)
The second reason for adding the extra wood edge is to simplify installing the countertop. Very often you will find that your walls are not perfectly straight, plumb, or square. This can cause the edges of the laminate countertop to not meet the wall, leaving a visible gap. Scribing (marking and cutting) the counter to fit the wall is the typical solution, but this can be difficult and time consuming.
In this design, only the counter edges that show will actually contact the wall. Everywhere else that the counter meets the wall will have a slight gap. If the walls are perfect, then the gap will be a uniform 1/4". Otherwise it will vary according to the imperfections in the wall.
This technique should save you lots of time and headache when installing the counter, but will only work if you are applying a backsplash that will cover the gap. If you don't plan to use backsplash, then you may need to scribe the counter to fit any irregularities in the wall.
Backsplash For these plans, I didn't provide any details for the backsplash other than an overall size. You can use matching laminate for the backsplash, wood, tile, stone, metal, glass, or nearly anything you want.
You will notice that I stop the splash 1/4" from the edge of the counter. This makes it easier to caulk the joint between the splash and the counter surface, a necessary step if you're installing the top in a wet area such as a kitchen or bathroom.
Drawing File Well, that's quite a lot to say about building a laminate countertop. It may seem complicated, but it's definitely within the capabilities of the average woodworker.
I encourage you to dive in and give it a try by clicking on the link to the plans below. If you'd like to download a copy to your computer, right click then "save-as". Either way, you'll need the Adobe reader to view the file.

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