Cabinet for Dad

For about six months now I’ve wanted to make a cabinet for my father’s office. His stereor was sitting on top of his trash can at an angle so he could get his trash through. His cd’s were also strewn all over his shelves. Our relationship for a while now has been rocky. I think he’s having a hard time making the transition from father to friend. I wanted to make him something so he still knows that I care.

The cabinet is made from birch ply with a pine faceframe and luan(sp?) backer. The door is made from pine and luan. The top is oak ply with oak edging. Finish is barn red paint from walmart’s craft section with Arm-r-Seal. Used a rare earth magnet as the closure.

The cabinet was built so the trash can would sit inside and papers can be placed in through the slit in the door. Larger items can be placed in the can by opening the door. I almost went for cd case shelves, but not putting them in give dad greater flexibility for future use of the cabinet whenever he retires.

Lessons Learned: I can make a cabinet, which means hopefully I can make a whole kitchen full of better cabinets. I really like cup pulls but this one seams a little large. Not sure whether it was the paint or the Arm-r-Seal, but something was deteriorating the t-shirt material I was using to apply the finish. I really like using my pocket hole jig, this thing probably has double the amount of screws I needed. Pocket holes strip out easily. Once the glue cured the door really stiffened up, I was amazed.