Particleboard Curio Cabinet

I needed a way to clear up some space on my kitchen counter, while finding space to keep the many little objects that people have given me over the years. Instead of driving around or shopping online, I decided to use some of the particleboard that I had lying around for precisely uses such as this.

Materials:

Particleboard (from abandoned furniture)

L-brackets (8x, 2x2 screw pattern, Home Depot)

Wood Screws for L-brackets (at least 32x, Home Depot)

Mending Plates (4x, Home Depot)

Longer Wood Screws (4x, Home Depot)

Tools:

Drill

Phillips head screwdriver bit

Larger drill bit (say, 1/2" or so)

Drill press

Table saw

90-degree angle plate

C-clamps (2x)

As you can see, I used four boards, 2 of each size. I also ensured that no board was shorter than the working length of a drill, because I would later use one to drive screws into the L-brackets that will brace the cabinet together.

Tips:

1. Use safety glasses while working on the table saw.

2. Always push towards the fence, on the inside of the cut. Your extra board MUST be on the outside, not getting pushed.

3. Keep the blade just a little higher than your board.

4. Be careful and focused. The table saw is not to be trifled with.

I used mending plates on the back of the cabinet, to hang it up on the wall. However, I found that the diameter of the head of the screw was larger than the opening of the hole in the plate. So, I enlarged the hole, using a drill press (recommended).

This step is simple, but takes the longest time. I used angle plate and clamps to brace the boards, while using the drill to screw in 32 screws [4 (per bracket) x 4 (brackets per side) x 2 (sides)]. I had to be a little creative in the clamping, alternating clamping sides to allow the phillips drill to go through and do their work.

Remember how we made no board shorter than the working length of a drill? Here's where it comes in handy.

Measure the mending plates, and mark off the four spots where you will mount them. Find out where the wall-mounting holes will be, and drill larger holes at those locations. Now, put the mending plates in place and screw them into the cabinet using long screws.

I like how this has turned out. Clearly I'm no interior designer, but this is functional and does at least three things, really well! I got the plants from Home Depot, and the paper towel rack from Walmart.