Assembly

Reader's Digest Assembling the cabinet

Lay out the sides face down. Now, slip the shelves with the mounting strips attached into the dadoes and make sure they fit snugly. Drill pilot holes for the screws (3/4 in. from the front and back of A) through the sides into the
shelves. Use 1-1/4 in. wood screws with finish washers to secure the shelves to the sides.

To finish the assembly, flip the shelves and sides face-up. Cut the
1/4-in. x 3/4-in. front rails (D) to length, drill pilot holes and fasten them to the front of the sides. I chose to put the lower rail 2 in. up from the bottom shelf and the upper rail 1-1/2 in. up from the upper shelf. These heights work fine for most products and allow you to pull things out instead of lifting them each time. You can always add a second rail just above if needed.

Mounting to the Door

Reader's Digest Mounting the cabinet

Before mounting the unit to the door, apply masking tape to the inside of the door. Close the door and mark the cabinet opening on the tape with a pencil from the inside. This will guide you when you’re mounting the shelf to the door. Mount the shelf 1/4 in. from the top mark you made on the tape, and align the ear of the mounting strip 1/4 in. from the opening mark on the door. Mark the holes from the mounting strips onto the door and drill pilot holes for the screws. Be careful not to drill through the door! Screw the assembly to the door using No. 8 x 1-in. screws and finish washers.

Because of the added weight of the shelf and the products, some doors with self-closing hinges may not snap closed as easily as before. To remedy this, you may need to install an extra hinge centered between the other two, or add a magnetic catch at the top of the door.

Remove the shelf from the door, sand it with 150-grit sandpaper, then apply varnish. We used several coats of a clear lacquer spray available at hardware stores. Always apply lacquer in a well-ventilated area away from any pilot flames.

NOTE: If you have small children, be sure that cabinets containing cleaning products have child-proof latches attached.

Reader's Digest Finished sink cabinet shelf

2. CUT the sides (A) to length, then cut the dadoes in the sides and back of each side. See text for dimensions.

WARNING: GUARD MUST BE REMOVED FOR THIS STEP—USE CARE!

You could make the dado cut in one pass with a special dado blade, but repeated cuts with a standard blade are just as easy for a small project.

3. RIP the mounting strips (C) and the rails (D) from 1x4.

4. GLUE the mounting strips (C) to the backside of the shelves. Drill holes in the mounting strips before assembling.

5. SLIP the shelves into the dado cuts. Then drill pilot holes into the sides of A and screw the shelves in place with 1-1/4 in. wood screws and finish washers.

6. FASTEN the rails (D) to the front of the shelf assembly. Drill pilot holes and use 1-1/4 in. wood screws and finish washers.

You can also modify this design to work in other cabinets for holding spices, canned goods or craft supplies.

7. Clamp and screw the assembly to the door stiles using 1-in. wood screws and finish washers.