Building the Nightstand Cabinets

This article contains instructions for the nightstand project.  A general overview of the cabinet trade is available here.

The set of nightstands which I built on the show should give you a good feel for the process of building a cabinet.  This is a very simple cabinetmaking project but I took my time and broke it into four videos because there were several fine points I wanted to mention.

I thought about building a standard kitchen or bathroom cabinet unit but I decided to do these instead for two reasons.  First, this was the only cabinet job that I happened to do while we were shooting the series.  Second, this sort of non-standard, one-off cabinet is actually a more common project for a working handyman.  Most of the time, it makes better financial sense for us to buy standard cabinets and install them than to make our own from scratch...unless we are doing a special cabinet to match existing built-ins.  Customers who are remodeling a kitchen or bathroom are more likely to hire a general contractor or full time cabinetmaker than a handyman.  That being said, the process and tools are the same for any kind of cabinet.  If you can build these nightstands you will have little trouble building an entire kitchen. 

One of the Finished Nightstands

Measured Drawings

The dimensions on the drawings are for the set of nightstands I built.  If you build this project, you will probably need to tweak the measurements to fit your own bedroom.

Carcass Pieces

Drawer Pieces

Final Details

High resolution .pdf drawings, suitable for plotting, are available at this link.

Step By Step

1. Cut out the panel pieces using either a table saw or a circular saw with a straight edge.
2. Cut the dados in the side pieces.   
3. Cut a rabbet in the back of each side panel.  On non-finish sides, the rabbet should be as wide as the thickness of your back panel.  On finish sides it should be as wide as the back panel plus 1/4" for a scribe. 






4. Assemble the bottom shelf into the dados of the side panels.  Use wood glue and small finish nails.  Be sure to square everything up before the glue dries.
5. Measure the back of the cabinet and cut two nailers out of 1x stock.  Attach with glue and either pocket screws or finish nails.
6. Measure the space under the bottom shelf and cut a toe piece.  Attach it with glue and finish nails.  
7. Measure the front of the cabinet and cut a drawer front 1/8" shorter.  Set the draw front aside.
8. Measure the back for a back panel.  Cut it out and set aside.
9. Sand the front of the cabinet flush. 
10. Use a router to put the round-over detail around the inside edge of cabinet and on the outside corners.  Be sure to mark which edges get the round-over so you don't rout the wrong edge.  Also, be sure to stop the inside round-over before it hits the drawer area.
11. Install the cabinet-side half of the drawer guides. Make sure that they are square to the front face of the cabinet and lined up identically on both sides.
12. Cut the round-overs on the tops.  
13. Install the tops with glue and small finish nails.






14. Cut out drawer box pieces from 1/2" stock.  If only 3/4" stock is available you will need to reduce its thickness either be using a stationary planer (preferred) or by resawing on a band saw or table saw.
15. Plow a groove around in the fronts and sides of the drawer boxes to receive the bottom panel.
16. Cut the dovetail joints in the drawer boxes using your preferred method.
17. Glue and clamp the dovetail joints.  While the glue is still wet, insert the bottom panel and rack the drawers square.  Do not glue the panel.
18. Nail in the back of the drawer box.  Glue is optional.
19. When the glue dries, clamp the drawer box to the workbench and flush all of the joints using a belt sander (preferred) or low-angle hand plane.
20. Install the other half of the drawer guides on the drawer boxes.
21. Test fit the drawers.  Adjust hardware as needed.
22. Cut the round-over detail on the bottom of the drawer front.






23. Completely sand the cabinet, drawer front, and drawer box starting at 100 grit and working up to at least 220 grit.  
24. Install the back panel in the cabinet using small panel nails or fine pneumatic staples.
25. Prime the cabinet and drawer front using good quality oil or alcohol based primer.
26. Lightly sand the cabinet and drawer fronts.  Carefully scrape out any drips or runs in the primer.  
27. Attach the drawer fronts to the drawer boxes.  Apply masking tape to protect the drawer boxes.
28. Paint the cabinet and drawer fronts with two coats of enamel to match the existing trim in the house.
29. Install the knob on the drawer.
30. Locate the studs in the wall where the cabinet will be installed.  Put a strip of masking tape along the all an inch or two higher than the cabinet and mark stud locations for easy reference while you work.
31. Put the cabinet in place against the wall and level the top.  A few scraps of plastic laminate under the cabinet are often a good way to level it.  
32. Set your scribe (carpenter's compass) the the maximum distance between the wall and the cabinet and mark the material to be removed.  Cut this off with a slow-moving orbital jigsaw, cleaning up with a block plane or sanding block as necessary. 
33. Push the cabinet against the wall.  There should be no gap wider than the thickness of a piece of typing paper.
34. Drill pilot holes and attach the cabinet to the wall with at least two heavy duty screws into the studs.  3" deck screws are fine for nightstands but use structural screws or 1/4" lag bolts for uppers or larger base cabinets. 
35. Clean up the work site. 
36. Touch up any scratched paint.
37. Put in the drawers. 

Replacing an Interior Door

When you do handyman work for property managers, there are some jobs that seem to come up again and again.  The toilet fill valve that we replaced last week is one of them.  Replacing an interior door is another.  Some time soon I will show you how to snake drains and patch fist-shaped holes in drywall, and you will just about be ready to set up practice as a handyman.

Hanging a door slab is super easy but, as I go into apartment units and "flipped" houses, I usually see a lot of examples of people who got it wrong:  the bevel points the wrong way (or isn't there at all), the door sticks, or there isn't enough air gap at the bottom.  Watch my video, and you won't have to worry about any of this.

Tools Needed

• Circular Saw.  I suppose you could cut the slab with a hand saw.  I've done it, but it takes a miserably long time.  Use a circular saw with a fine-tooth plywood blade if you have one.
• Router with a 1/2" straight bit or a butt chisel.  The router is faster, especially if you have a hinge jig, but a chisel will do perfectly well. 
• Portable power plane or bench plane.  Use the powered version if you have it, but a regular #4 or #5 hand plane will work fine. 
• Tape Measure
• Screw Driver
• Hammer
• Electric Drill w/ door knob drilling kit.  There are various kits out there and which one you use is largely personal preference. 
  
• Super Wonder Bar or panel jack.  This is optional for lightweight doors, but almost essential for heavy solid doors. 

Tools for Hanging Doors (Not Shown: Super Wonder Bar)

Step By Step

1. Measure the door opening.  Buy a door slab that is at least as big as your opening.  Standard door slabs are usually 80 inches high and come in width increments of 2".  If you are working in a rental you should buy the cheapest one you can find since the tenants will just destroy it again.
2. Determine which end is "up" on your door slab.  The bottom usually has thicker wood inside it than the top (knock on it to find out).  Draw an arrow or other mark in pencil so you don't flip the slab by mistake.  
3.  Cut the bottom to adjust the door slab height.  The height of the slab should be the same as the height of the door opening, minus enough space to easily clear any carpet, minus another inch if the unit has central heat or AC.  
4. Cut the door to the correct width by cutting a 1/2 degree bevel (approximately).  The width of the long side of the bevel should be about 1/6" narrower than the door opening. 
   
   
   

   

   Bevel on Edge of Door (Not to Scale)

   
   
5. Clean up the beveled edge with your plane.  The edge should be nice and straight with no visible saw marks.  At this point the maximum width of the door slab will be about 1/8" less than the width of the door opening.
6. Mark the tops of the hinge gains on the door by measuring the location of the hinges in the door frame from the top of the door opening.
7. Measure the distance between the edge of the hinges and the door stop.  Mark this distance plus a smidge on the door slab. 
   
   

   

   Transfer These Measurements to the Door

   
   
8. Hold your hinges against the edge of the door, lining them up with the marks you made, and trace around them in pencil.
9. Use either a router or chisel to cut the gains, making sure that the depth of the gains is the same as the thickness of your hinges.  
10. Screw the hinges to the door.  Use an awl or a fine drill bit to create a pilot hole so the door won't split.  If you don't have a fine drill bit you can chuck a finish nail in your drill and it will work just as well. 
11. Optional: Prime and paint the door.
12. Hang the door in the opening, using your Super Wonder Bar or panel jack to support it while you slip in the hinge pins.  Make sure the door closes without binding, knocking off any high points with your plane as necessary. 
13. Follow the instructions that came with your door-knob drilling jig to drill the large hole for the doorknob and the smaller hole for the latch barrel.  Keep in mind that latch sets can have either a 2 3/8" or 2 3/4" backset (the distance between the edge of the door and the center line of the knob) and you need to adjust the jig accordingly.
14. Shove the latch barrel into the hole as far as it will go and mark around the latch plate in pencil.
15. Use either a chisel or router to excavate the gain for the latch plate.  
16. Install the door latch and knob assembly.  
17. Test the door and make any final adjustments to the hinges or latch hardware.

Installing Trim on a Door Opening

In ordinary maintenance work, you will rarely find yourself re-trimming a door.  It is a fairly common finish carpentry task in general remodeling work, however.   I plan to do some videos in the future about trim carpentry because it is a subject with many tricks and subtleties.  For now, however, I will give you a quick sketch of the process.

Interior trim is made up of three different components:  jambs, casing, and stops.  The jambs are usually 1x boards which have been ripped to a width equal to the thickness of the walls (studs plus drywall).  They form the finish opening of the door.  Casing is the molding frame that goes around each side of the door like a three-sided picture frame. Stops are the moldings which go around the inside of the jambs, which the door closes against.

Cross Section of Interior Door Trim

Every time you trim a door you have two options.  1) Buy a pre-hung door  2) Trim out and hang the door yourself.  If you have a shop, of course, you can make your own pre-hung door units and bring them to the job site.  I have done it both ways, and I think it basically comes down to personal preference.

Installing a Pre-Hung Door

The jambs come preassembled with the stops installed and the door already hung.  All you need to do is put the unit in the rough opening, shim the sides and top until everything is plumb and level, then drive enough 9d finish nails to make sure it stays in place.  You still need to install casing, though, as described below.

Trimming Out a Door Opening from Scratch

1. Cut one piece of jamb which is 1/2" shorter than the rough opening is wide.  Cut two pieces of jamb which are 1" shorter than the rough opening is tall.  
2. Cut hinge gains in one of the long pieces of jamb.  The proper locations aren't really standardized, but these measurements should work for most interior doors:
   
   

   

   Placement of Hinge Gains on a Door Jamb

   
   
3. On the floor, assemble these three pieces into a three sided rectangle using 9d finish nails.  Square up the top corners and tack scraps of wood on to hold everything in place.
   
    

   

   Preassemble Door Jambs on the Floor

   
   
4. Place your assembled jambs in the rough opening.  Put wooden shims between the jambs and the rough opening to hold the jambs plumb and level.  
   
   
   
   
   
5. Once the jambs are in place, drive 9d finish nails though to shims to hold them in place.
6. Saw off the pieces of shim which are sticking out.  You can also just snap them off, but they don't always break cleanly.  
7. Measure the width at the top of the finish opening.  Cut a piece of stop that is just a hair longer than this measurement.  Bend this piece slightly to spring it into the top of the opening.  The flat edge of the stopshould be the same distance from the edge of the jamb as the thickness of your door.  When you have this piece positioned correctly, nail it in with finish nails.  
8. Measure from the face of this top piece of casing to the floor.  If there is not final flooring in place then subtract 1" from this measurement to leave room for the flooring guy to do his thing.  Cut the two side pieces of stop to length and nail them in.  Be extra sure that they are a uniform distance from the edge of the jambs (it helps to use a combo square set to the right distance to position them).   Nail them off.  
9. For generic "picture frame" style casing, start by cutting the top piece.  Cut one end at 45 degrees (preferably using an electric miter saw) then mark and cut the other end.  You want the bottom edge of the casing to be 1/4" from the edge of the jamb and 1/2" longer then the width of the finish opening, so as to leave a 1/4" reveal after the molding is installed.  
10. Nail up the top piece of casing, being sure that the reveal (the gap between the opening an the edge of the molding) is a constant 1/4" all the way around.  Again, a combo square is very helpful.  
11. Make the 45 degree cuts on the ends of the vertical pieces of casing.  Then return your saw to 90 degrees.  Measure the distance from the top of the top casing to the floor.  Subtract 1/2" if the finish floor is not in place yet.  Cut the pieces to this length.  
12. Nail up the vertical casings.  Always start nailing up near the miter so it holds together and does not gap.  Then four or five more finish nails at regular intervals, making sure your reveal stays constant.  
13. Repeat steps 9-12 to case the other side of the door.
14. Hang your door as described at the start of this article.

Cutting in a New Door

Don't do this at all unless you either:  1) Are absolutely sure that this is not a bearing wall.  2)  Are comfortable enough with remodeling carpentry that you know how to build a false wall and properly size load bearing lintels. 

This is actually a fairly common task that people ask handymen to do, and I promise I will do a video on it in the future (as soon as I find someone who needs to add a door and doesn't mind me filming myself do it).  In the mean time, this Fawlty Towers Episode will give you an idea of how these things sometimes play out.

-HK

Sawhorses

Sawhorses are useful things.  There should be at least one pair in every handyman's pickup.  Pull them out, and they become your temporary work surface in a client's driveway or back yard.  If you need a workbench, then throw a board over them and you're ready to go.  Make some waist-high ones and clamp your miter saw to them.  Better yet, make three (one a few inches taller than the others) and use the third as a support for long pieces.

Make a couple of short ones, put a piece of 2x12 across them, and you have the perfect little bench to stand on when you are hanging or finishing ceiling drywall.

Did you get stuck helping with your church's (school's/lodge's) pancake breakfast?  A couple of tall sawhorses and piece of plywood make a great table, and you can still use the plywood afterwards.  Trestle tables have been in use since at least the dark ages, because they are so handy to break down.

Ever drive on a freeway and see a granite counter-top or window guy's pickup? He probably has a big wooden trestle in the back that he clamps his counter tops or windows to so they won't get damaged in transit.  It would be handy to know how to build one of these, if you ever need to transport a counter slab or a window.  Luckily, it is constructed exactly like a sawhorse, except for a couple of extra boards nailed on for clamping surface.

Now, if you just need a couple of sawhorses, I guess you could got to your local home center and buy a couple of the plastic jobbies.  I guess I should come clean; I've bought them before myself.  Plastic sawhorses get the job done, but they have their drawbacks.  First of all, they aren't cheap.  You'll pay at least twice as much as you would for the lumber and nails to build your own.  Second, they only come in one size.  Third, they don't weigh much, so as soon as the wind picks up, they are going to go flying.  Fourth, they just aren't sturdy enough to trust your weight to.  If I am going to dedicate space in my truck to sawhorses, then I want to be able to use them with a plank for scaffolding when I am painting, finishing drywall, or any other task that has me working just a couple feet too high for comfort. 

The first time you make a sawhorse, it will take you at least half an hour.  By the third time, you'll have that down to 15 minutes.  When I make large batch of them, I can turn one out every 10 minutes without too much trouble.  Building sawhorses is a valuable skill and, once you master it, you will never run out of uses for the things.

In the video I made a sawhorse the same height as my tables saw to use as an out-feed support when I cut long pieces.   I have included a few critical dimensions in the sketch below.  These may not be too useful to you, unless you have the same model of saw I do.  Incidentally, I've been pretty happy with the Rigid saw, so you might want to consider it if you're in the market.

 

Most of the time, you will want to use some sort of 2x stock for the top piece and some sort of 1x stock for the legs.  In practice, most of them get built out of whatever wood was left over from the last job.

I went over the general process in the video, but here it is again.  I think I am slightly indebted to Fine Homebuilding Magazine for this technique, because I believe that is where the guy who taught me learned it, back the '80s.

1. Cut a piece of 2x4 or 2x6 to length for the top piece.  Sawhorses are usually between 2 and 3 feet long.
2. Cut the legs out of 1x4 or 1x6.  Run them about 6" long at this point, so you will have plenty of room to angle the ends.  
3. Mark and cut the gains in the top piece.   Remember that the legs splay outward in two dimensions.  This step will be much easier of you set your bevel to the approximate angle, mark it, and then use your combination square to mark the gains.  Frankly, the exact angle isn't critical, as long as you have the same angle for all the legs in a set of sawhorses.
4. Nail the legs into the gains, letting them run long at the top.  Use 6d or 8d nails, and add a dab of wood glue it it's handy.
5. Use a hand saw to cut the tops of the legs level with the top of the sawhorse.
6. Nail gussets (made of 1x, OSB, or plywood) to the legs to keep them at the proper angle.  It usually helps to gut out one gusset, then use it to mark the other side.  
7. Cut the compound angle on the ends of the legs.  If you are trying to make the sawhorses a certain height, the you want to turn the sawhorse upside down and use a straight edge to transfer the dimension.  Otherwise, you can measure to an arbitrary length and use your bevel to mark.  

That's all there is to it.  With a little practice, you will be able to crank out as many sawhorses as you need in no time flat.  At some point, you will probably even be able to do it with the camera rolling while trying to explain yourself.

-HK