Corner Cabinet Help

Figure what shape it will be. Is it triangle with 3 sides, or us it going to have 5 sides. Let’s say you want 5 sides. Of those 5 sides, 2 adjoining sides are backs at 42” each, then 2 sides would be the visible “sides” that bookend the back portions, and you can decide to make your “sides” whatever dimension you want so long as they are equal (just to keep it simple). So let’s say u have 2 backs at 42” and 2 sides at 18”, then your remaining side is the “front” of the cabinet and its dimension is the balance. Once you have decided the shape of the cabinet, and all dimensions along with proper angles such as 90 degree or 45 degree, depending on your preference, then you have established the foot print and ultimately you bottom part which becomes the road map to building the entire cabinet. Of course you need to be mindfull of the thickness of your side parts, what joinery u will use such as dado or simple butt joint. Considering joinery will help u refine your bottom part dimensions. Then I just cut my bottom part and begin building around it. Not sure if this helps.

-- Jerry Nettrour, San Antonio, www.topqualitycabinets.net

A 5 sided corner cabinet that has 42” on the 2 wall sides can be a nightmare to get through doorways. The 5 sides look like a cross section of a diamond . 2 wall sides, 2 sides that are 90 degrees to the walls, and a diagonal face for your doors. I add a 6 th side by cutting the back corner parallel to the diagonal face. Measure all the doorways you have to go through from your shop to the final location, then build the parallel thickness an inch or 2 under the smallest doorway.
The lower case might fit thru doors when you turn it on edge, so it could have a square corner in the back. The upper case being taller benefits from the back corner being clipped off at 45 degrees. 42” Corner cabinet shelfs eat up plywood pretty quick and the back corner can be out of reach. The shelf’s for the clipped back corner come out of a narrower strip of plywood allowing you to get more shelves per sheet.

-- Fine Custom Woodwork since 1978

I agree with Wdwerker,
PLAN! for it to fit thru the doors first, clip the back, min 6” flat (this helps you get it tighter to the wall) you may have to adjust the 42” to make it work
Extend the face frame a 1/2” beyond the cabinet sides (normally 1/4”)
It takes some planning to get it to fit together right, normally I wouldn’t recommend this style of cabinet for a beginner.

-- Doug...

Thanks for all the help, I started on the cabinet today and I will let everyone know how it turns out. This is the first corner cabinet that I have built and I have only been working with wood a little while. I am used to working with steel because I am a tool and die machinist. One thing I have learned is its hard to hold a .0001 tolerance on wood. I recently just completed my first project which is a black walnut coffee table with a mable and cocobolo checkerboard inlay.