Finishing Up a Car Caddy

Build the drawer and mount the fronts

Glue and nail the drawer fronts and backs to the sides. Before the glue sets, glue and nail on the bottom to square the drawer box. Then screw on the drawer slides and install the drawer. Make sure the drawer is flush with the cabinet front, then lock it into place by forcing shims between the drawer and the cabinet.

Reader's Digest Building the drawers

Cut the last sheet of laminated plywood into the drawer and door fronts, then center and drill the drawer pull holes in the drawer front. Space the drawer front down from the top with 1/4-in. spacers and screw it to the drawer box with temporary 1-1/4-in. screws. Pull out the drawer and screw the drawer box to the front from the back side with four 1-in. screws. Then remove the two temporary screws, finish drilling the drawer pull holes through the drawer box and install the pulls. Most drawer pulls come with screws that are too short to penetrate two layers of plywood. If that’s the case, drill a second clearance hole for the screw head from the back.

Use the hinge template (included with the hinges) to mark and predrill the hinge screw holes in the doors first. Mount the hinges, then mark and predrill the cabinet hinge holes and hang the doors, spacing them 1/4 in. down from the drawer front. Then add the door pulls.

Carefully mask off the laminate and apply two coats of polyurethane to the outside and one coat to the inside of the cabinet.

1. Assemble the cabinet box quickly with glue and brad nails. Then add screws for extra strength.

2. Screw the drawer slides and shelf standards to the cabinet. A self-centering drill bit makes both jobs easier. Position the standards with a spacer.

3. Add the base and casters to the cabinet. Position the casters 1 in. from the edges of the base.

4. Cement plastic laminate to the drawer and door blank and to the top. Cut off the excess with a flush-trim router bit.

5. Clamp the top in place and fasten it with screws from inside the cabinet. Don’t drive the screws too deep or they’ll break through the laminate.

6. Glue and nail the back to the box. Measure the box diagonally to make sure it’s square before you drive any nails.

Reader's Digest Adding the back of the cabinet

7. Screw the rack to the top from below. Clamp it in place or have a helper hold it while you drive the screws.

8. Build the drawer box and screw on the slides. Make sure the slides are flush with the front of the box.

9. Position the drawer front perfectly: First drill the drawer pull holes. Then position the front and drive temporary screws through the holes and into the drawer box. Open the drawer and drive the screws from the inside.

10. Draw center lines on the doors and mark screw positions using the

Reader's Digest Screwing in the hinges

template. Drill pilot holes and screw on the hinges.

11. Screw the hinges to the cabinet. Fas-ten each hinge with one screw and close the doors to be sure they’re positioned right. Then add the remaining screws.

Tip: You only need 1-1/2 sheets of 3/4-in. plywood for this project, but you’ll pay a premium price per foot for a half sheet of plywood. Get a second full sheet instead and save the rest for your next project.

More help online

For more help with this project, search for “laminate tabletop,” “brad nailer,” “cut plywood” and “polyurethane finish.” thefamilyhandyman.com