• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Woodshop Diaries
  • About
    • Work With Me
  • DIY Projects
    • DIY Furniture Plans
      • DIY Bed Plans
      • DIY Dresser Plans
      • DIY Nightstand Plans
      • DIY Desk Plans
      • DIY TV Stand Plans
      • Coffee and Side Table Plans
      • Tables
      • Shelves and Bookcase Plans
      • DIY Storage Trunk Plans
      • DIY Bench Plans
      • DIY Storage Cabinet Plans
      • DIY Bathroom Vanity Plans
      • Kids Projects and Furniture
    • DIY Scrap Wood Projects
    • DIY Workshop Projects
    • DIY Home Decor Projects
  • Shop
  • DIY Basics–Tips & Tools
    • Cabinet Building
    • Woodworking Basics
    • Furniture Finishing Tips
    • Tool Guides & Reviews
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • DIY Furniture Projects
  • Easy DIY Projects
  • Shop
  • Browse Projects by Category
  • Woodworking Tips
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Furniture

    DIY Entryway Cabinet–And A Giveaway!!

    March 7, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

    When I was in college, x years ago (x=more that I care to think about), I got a degree in math.

    .

    I’m convinced that if you are good at college math, you would probably also make a decent lawyer. College math classes are basically writing long explanations about how this random fact is somehow related to this random fact and that somehow proves this statement (they’re called “theorems”).   SO. MUCH. FUN.

    .

    Anyway, I feel like that’s what’s going on today. I need to explain how getting a new watch meant I needed a new cabinet.  I promise this all makes sense.  Stay with me.

    .

    When Jord Wood Watches sent me this awesome new watch, I was ecstatic! I mean, what better watch for a woodworker than a WOOD WATCH?!

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    But, I’m not a big jewelry and accessories wearer. So I don’t have a big collection with a fancy storage box.  I literally only have a wedding ring.  And now a watch haha.  Usually, my wedding ring stays on my nightstand in its original box, but when I put this pretty wood watch storage box (that comes with the watch!!) there too, it seemed way too crowded.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Luckily, I have this random space in my bedroom that’s almost like a “bedroom foyer” that was begging for SOMETHING pretty to cover that boring wall. Plus, it would be nice to have a designated spot (that wasn’t my crowded nightstand) for my glasses, ring, and watch.

    .

    So that’s how getting a new watch inspired me to build this:

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    So if you need a cool place to put your awesome new watch (because I’ve partnered with Jord to host a giveaway at the bottom of this post!), I’ve got you covered with the how to 🙂

    .

    PS, about that giveaway…here’s the deets: You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.  Everyone who enters will receive a code for $25 towards the purchase of a new super awesome wood watch, but one lucky winner will get a $100 code!  The giveaway ends at midnight on March 26th.  All codes will expire May 31st.

    .

    Now, onto the building stuff!

    .

    This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Please see disclosure policy for more details.  Thanks for supporting this site and the brands that support this site!

    Materials needed:

    (3) 2x2x8

    (2) 1x2x8

    2x8x8

    ¾” plywood

    ¼” plywood or other backing material

    1 ¼” pocket hole screws

    2 ½” pocket hole screws

    4 small hinges

    Knobs/pulls as desired

    Wood glue

    Wood putty

    Tools needed:

    Circular saw (or table saw) to cut down plywood

    Miter Saw

    Kreg Jig for pocket holes

    Scroll or jig saw (optional)

    Drill

    Staple gun

    Step 1: Build the sides of the cabinet

    I cut 2×2 legs at 38 ½” long and tapered two of them using my miter saw. I also ripped ¾” plywood to a 9” wide strip and cut two pieces at 33” long.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Then I cut four 1x2s at 9” long and drilled pocket holes into each and attached two legs together with them and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws like the picture below.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Then I drilled pocket holes on the sides of the ¾” plywood panels like shown below.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    I placed these between the 2×2 legs and attached to the legs with 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Step 2: Attach the two sides of the cabinet

    When I ripped the 9” strip of plywood from step one, and cut two pieces of 33” from it, it left me with a 30” piece. I drilled pocket holes in the ends of it and attached it ¾” from the bottom of the side panels.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Then I cut 30” pieces of 1×2 and attached at the top front and back using pocket holes and screws.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    I cut another 1×2 and attached at the bottom in the back using pocket holes and screws.  And finally, added a 2×2 on the front at the bottom like the picture below.

    Step 3: Add the drawer

    I cut one more piece of 1×2 and attached it between the two front legs using pocket holes and screws. You can make your drawer as deep or as shallow as you want.  Just attach this about ¼” further down than you want your drawer height to be.

    You can see my post here about how to make a drawer.

    .

    Because this cabinet is so narrow, I didn’t use metal drawer slides. I screwed some scrap 1x pieces into the sides for the drawer to slide on.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Step 4: Make doors

    I wanted a little different design on these doors.  I cut a piece of ¾″ plywood slightly smaller (¼” shorter and about ⅜” narrower) than the opening for the doors.  Then I ripped it in half.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    I used ¼” plywood and a scroll saw to cut out a ring for the middle of the design. Then I ripped ¼” pieces of 2x material.  You could cut off a piece of the 2×8 you will use for the top and do this.  In hindsight, you could also have ripped 1 ½” wide strips of the plywood as well.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Then I laid it out on the door and pieced it all together and cut to fit on the door. DON’T ATTACH ANYTHING YET. I marked where I needed to trim the pieces that meet the circle and cut the curve on the scroll saw.  Trust me, this won’t be perfect (that’s what putty is for), but I tried to get it to fit as best I could.

    .

    Once it was dry fitted together and fit the size of the door, I glued all the joints then stapled them (NOT TO THE DOOR YET).  I clamped them, too, until the glue dried.  Then I puttied the crap out of them and sanded.

    .

    Once the ¾″ plywood was stained and the design piece was painted (see step 7), I glued the two together and attached them to the cabinet with small brass hinges.

    Step 5: Add a backing

    This part is easy. Just cut a piece of ¼” plywood to fit on the back and staple it on.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Step 6: Make a top

    I don’t have pictures of this (OOPS), but you can see how I make tops here.

    .

    I made my top 13×30. You can make this from two 30” pieces of 2×8 and trim it down to 13” wide.  Once everything was finished, I attached the top by screwing 2 ½” screws through the front top 1×2 into the top and 1 ¼” screws through the back top 1×2 into the top.

    Step 7: Finish

    I stained the top, drawer front, and back of doors with Minwax Puritan Pine, and painted the cabinet and door design in SW Naval.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    I really liked how my new watch matched the cabinet colors.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    I’m super into navy and light toned wood. You can find the same color scheme in my latest bathroom vanity build and my office redo from last year.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    So, it’s no surprise I wanted a navy and wood watch, right?

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    And, now I’ve got a super cute place to house it, too!

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Hey, fun fact…when I got my watch, I saw that it was made ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! WHAT?!  Danny told me I was the only one that thought this was THE coolest thing ever.  But, for reals…it is.

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    What do you guys think??

    DIY Entryway Cabinet or Shoe Cabinet with a super cool door design!

    Don’t forget to enter the giveaway here ->>(GIVEAWAY!!)!! A huge thank you to Jord Wood Watches for providing me with my new watch and for hosting this awesome giveaway!! Don’t forget, either way, you get a $25 credit just for entering, so be sure to get in on that!

    .

    Until next time, happy building 🙂


    Watch Gift Ideas

    « DIY Baby Gift Idea–Ultrasound Picture Frame
    DIY Ballard Designs Knock Off Pantry Cabinet »

    Related Posts

    Bathroom Remodel Update–The Point of No Return
    The South Wing Project Part 3–DIY Mid Century Dresser
    How to build a Gorgeous DIY Console Cabinet
    DIY Console Cabinet with Open Shelf

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kraig Elliott

      March 09, 2017 at 10:36 am

      Love your work! Really impressed with your ideas and measurements. I was wondering since you mentioned it several times in your post, what type of putty do you use to fill crack, nail holes, etc.? I have tried wood filler, caulk and drywall caulk filler. Do you have a favorite brand? Thank you and keep up the wonderful work! You are a great inspiration.

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        March 09, 2017 at 11:09 am

        Hi Kraig! Thank you! I don’t use one particular brand over the other when it comes to putty. I normally just use whatever I can find at the local big box store. Elmers paintable wood filler is cheaper, so I used it for a while and it worked fine, but when I started staining a lot of my projects, I got 3M brand stainable wood filler and really liked it. It’s what I’m currently using, but I’m almost out. I may switch it up again, who knows haha. Just a tip, the squeezable tubes of stainable wood filler are terrible to use. Get the tub. Also (I’m sorry, this is a lot of information) on projects I’m going to paint, I usually putty nail holes and large cracks, but then use acrylic/latex caulk (DAP brand) on corner joints and if there is anywhere the putty didn’t cover or sand well. I use caulk a lot around trim pieces too…like moldings, etc. Caulking just makes the paint job look a little better. I’ve heard of a lot of people using drywall filler, but I’ve never used it on wood. Seems like it would be brittle, but I don’t know.

    2. joanna ling

      March 08, 2017 at 4:22 pm

      I really like your projects especially you gave the dimention of the material and how many need .
      I always want to be able to do some little projects like stool, cabinet…
      I never operate electric tool before. Can you recommand me some basic tools that I might need to start a very basic project.

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        March 09, 2017 at 8:02 am

        Thank you! You can check out my post here on what tools I recommend to get started:
        https://www.woodshopdiaries.com/2016/07/18/5-tools-need-get-started-woodworking-less-500/

    3. abby

      March 08, 2017 at 12:23 pm

      This is amazing! I love that blue in the watch & the cabinet! How many coats did you put of the SW naval on the cabinet? It

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        March 08, 2017 at 1:29 pm

        Hi Abby! Thank you! I always prime raw wood before painting. Sometimes I do two coats of primer sometimes one…just depends on how well the first coat covers (and how big of a hurry I’m in haha). For this cabinet, I used one coat of primer and two coats of paint. Sherwin Williams paint has SUPER awesome coverage (and I don’t get paid to say that), so I rarely ever use more than two coats.

    4. Mary @ The Cofran Home

      March 08, 2017 at 10:52 am

      OBSESSED with the cabinet and the watch! They are both SO gorgeous. Great job, Shara! xo

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        March 08, 2017 at 1:29 pm

        Thanks so much, Mary!!

    5. Ashley

      March 08, 2017 at 9:36 am

      Absolutely love the cabinet! But that watch, its amazing! I bought one several years ago and have worn it every single day since and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. Great post Shara

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        March 08, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        Thanks Ashley!! Yes, I’m obsessed with this watch!! How cool is it that it’s made with wood?! Thanks again for checking out the post 🙂

    Trackbacks

    1. Two Tone DIY Modern Wood Clock says:
      August 6, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      […] never look to my wall clocks when I want to know the time.  I’m also the person who will wear a watch but when asked the time, I’ll spend five minutes digging my phone out of my purse to find […]

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Shara, the designer, maker, and videographer behind Woodshop Diaries. Let's get building, friends :)

    Learn more →

    Woodworking Tips & Guides

    • DIY Simple Shaker Cabinet Doors
    • 5 Tools To Get Started Woodworking
    • DIY Kitchen Cabinets–From Only Plywood
    • Woodworking Tips: How to Square Board Edges and Make Your Own 2x2s

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Tips to Take Your Projects to the Next Level

    --5 Secrets to Professional Looking DIY Furniture

    --How to Properly Finish Raw Wood Furniture {Without a Sprayer!}

    --How to EASILY Cover Plywood Edges

    --4 Ways to Fill a Pocket Hole

    --10 Must Have Tools for Furniture and Cabinet Building

    Printable Building Plans

    Check out our shop to browse printable PDF building plans!

    Website Policies

    This website is for entertainment purposes. Using any information provided is to be at your own risk.

    This site uses cookies to provide you with a better experience.

    All images and text on this site are property of Woodshop Diaries, LLC. Please be respectful and don't steal this content.

    See policies page on this site for more information.

    Want to get in touch? Contact Us Here

    Copyright © 2022