Modular Garage Workshop Cabinets

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This workshop has been a long time coming, so I’m pretty excited to finally have a space that actually functions the way I need it to. Now that the epoxy floors have fully cured, we’ve started moving some of our things back into the garage, and this is what I’m working with.

And if you remember from the last post, this is the plan I came up with for the left side of the garage. I taped everything out on the wall with painter’s tape first so I could actually see the layout and make sure the sizing felt right before building anything.

We decided to start with the space to the right of the garage freezer. The plan was to build a tall cabinet that could hold all of our motorcycle gear so we can finally move it out of the guest bedroom and keep it in the garage where it belongs. It’s basically going to function like a closet, a full-height cabinet for jackets and gear, with a shorter cabinet on top that will store the helmets.

I started by breaking down a bunch of sanded plywood out in the driveway. I usually lay the sheets on a couple of 2x4s so I can cut them safely without worrying about hitting the ground. For years I used a circular saw with either a straight edge or a long board clamped in place as my guide, but I recently upgraded to a track saw and I’m honestly obsessed. It makes clean, straight cuts so much easier.

You’ll notice in the photos I had my foot on the track while I was cutting because I was convinced it was going to slide. Eventually I realized the track has a rubber grip on the bottom that keeps it from moving, so it definitely didn’t need my “extra safety measure.”

The track saw did take a minute to figure out, so I had Tyler handle the set up and walk me through how it worked. I’m not exactly known for reading instructions, which drives him a little crazy, but he’s a very patient teacher, and honestly a great assistant.

Once all the pieces were cut to size, I drilled pocket holes using my Kreg Foreman so everything would be ready to assemble.

After that, I gave all the pieces a light sanding and primed them before assembly.

I primed one side, let it dry, and then flipped everything over to prime the other. A little trick I like between coats is wrapping the roller in foil or a ziplock bag. If you won’t be using it again for a few days, you can even stick it in the fridge and it won’t dry out.

Since this cabinet is pretty large, Tyler helped me with the assembly. I ran a bead of Gorilla wood glue along the edges, had him hold the panels in place, and used my brad nailer to tack everything together. After that, I drove in the pocket hole screws to secure it permanently, the brad nails just keep the pieces from shifting while you’re fastening it.

I assembled the sides and back first, then added the top and bottom. The bottom panel is set a little higher instead of sitting flush with the floor, so the cabinet won’t rest directly on the floor. It’s mostly for the finished look, it gives the cabinet a built-in style base instead of just looking like a box sitting on the floor.

Once it was assembled, we stood it up and moved it into place. One of the reasons I built this in two separate pieces is because a full floor-to-ceiling cabinet often can’t be lifted upright, the angle needed to tilt it up would hit the ceiling. Splitting it into sections makes it much easier to maneuver and actually get installed. We screwed this cabinet into the studs to hold it in place.

Then I built the smaller upper cabinet and set it on top. This one doesn’t have a full bottom panel because I ran out of plywood, but I added a front support piece so I’d have something solid to fasten it to the cabinet below.

Next I built the face frame. I used 1×2 primed pine, cut each piece to size, drilled pocket holes, and assembled the frame first before attaching it to the cabinet.

I attached the face frame to the cabinet using 1.25-inch brad nails. I handled the lower sections, and Tyler took care of the higher parts.

Tyler couldn’t wait to get his clothes hung up in this little closet! He mounted the clothes rod brackets and trimmed down a wooden rod to fit the size and then got it filled!

Then it was time to make the doors. Normally for interior cabinets I build a frame out of 1x3s and use a thin hardboard panel in the center, but since these are going in the garage I wanted them to be a lot sturdier. Instead, I made the doors from 3/4-inch sanded plywood, the same material I used for the cabinet boxes. Side note: this track saw hardly puts out any saw dust unless the collection bag gets full!

Since these doors are plywood, I added edge banding to cover the exposed plywood edges. I only did it on the cabinets around the freezer though. On the next set of cabinets I skipped that step and just painted them to see how they’d look, and honestly they turned out totally fine for a garage workshop. If this were a kitchen, I would absolutely take the time to edge band everything. Actually, I’d make the doors completely different if this were a kitchen!

I did fill any small gaps along the plywood edges with spackle before painting so they’d smooth out and not stand out. Once painted, you really can’t tell unless you’re right up close looking for it. If I was staining the cabinets though, it would be a completely different story.

Side note, this is basically the only time I ever use an iron. The edge banding already has adhesive on the back, so you just iron it on and the heat activates the glue. After it cools, you trim the excess with a razor knife or an edge banding cutter.

You can really see the difference here between the raw plywood edge and the edge-banded edge. This is before it was cleaned up, and by cleaned up I mean I sand it a little to make the edges smooth.

Then I primed and painted the doors. I’m using the color Alabaster by SW in Semi-gloss, but using the BEHR cabinet and trim enamel.

After that, Tyler helped me get them installed.

But then we ran into a problem, the doors were overlapping, and no amount of adjusting the soft-close hinges was fixing it. We eventually realized the wall wasn’t plumb, which was slightly twisting the cabinet when it was tightened to the wall. We had to back off a few of the mounting screws to relieve the pressure and let the cabinet sit naturally and that worked!

Then I repeated the same cabinet-building process for the next unit, which will sit above the garage freezer.

Luckily our neighbor’s very tall kid came over and helped Tyler lift the cabinet into place so they could get it installed. And yes, he played basketball!

Then I built the face frame and installed it on the cabinet using my brad nailer.

I got the cabinets built, but when I drilled the hinge cup holes in the doors I accidentally put them on the wrong side. Luckily they’re on the inside, so I just drilled the hinges in the correct spot and filled the original holes with paint to help hide them.

I installed those doors, then moved on to building the next cabinet and Tyler helped me get it mounted. We pre-drilled and added the mounting screws before removing the cabinet it was sitting on so everything was ready to go once we lifted it into place.

“Ayyyy!”

Then Tyler found perfectly sized buckets that fit right inside the cabinet above the freezer.

The last cabinet we installed will have shelves, so I cut those to size, added pocket holes and had Tyler install them. What made me laugh was in a previous video his sweatpants kept riding up and he had no idea, so this time he was very carefully standing there trying not to repeat that situation while putting the shelves in.

We were all laughing and teasing him about it, so of course he immediately started doing the opposite just to mess with us. He did end up throwing those pants away after this!

I got the doors for those built and installed! Side note: this little magnetic sleeve that slides over your drill bit keeps the tip magnetized, which is incredibly helpful with these tiny screws. Especially when you’re holding a cabinet door in place by yourself and trying to get the screws started at the same time.

I also replaced the trim around the garage door with something a little more finished looking. I’ve never been a fan of the basic builder-grade door casing, so this was an easy upgrade that made a big difference. You can see below that I assembled the entire frame with pocket holes first, then attached it to the wall as one piece using brad nails. I used 1×3 primed pine for the sides and 1×4 primed pine for the top.

Then I found some really sleek black hardware for the garage and I love how it looks. I installed it on the cabinets around the freezer.

Tyler makes such a great assistant!

I also started the modular table saw station by building the base box. I left the front off since there will be drawers and didn’t attach the top yet so it would be easier to install the drawer slides first.

I built the drawers out of 1/2-inch sanded plywood. It feels a lot less bulky than 3/4-inch, but it’s too thin for pocket holes, so I used wood glue and brad nails instead. On this set I actually installed the drawer slides first just to see if it made things easier, since I usually add them after the drawer is built. Overall it was about the same amount of work, but installing the second slide was definitely easier because I wasn’t trying to balance the drawer on the slide that was already attached on the other side, if that makes sense?

You can also see in the photo below that I already added the caster wheels to this cabinet, I just didn’t end up getting that part on video.

Then I assembled the drawers with wood glue and brad nails.

To figure out the drawer size, I start with the width of the opening and subtract 1 inch total for the drawer slides (they take up about 1/2 inch on each side). For the height, I usually leave about 1/2 inch of clearance at the bottom and around 1 1/2 inches at the top so the drawer has a little wiggle room and doesn’t rub, so the total width of the opening minus 2 inches. For the depth, I base it on the drawer slides. For example: if my cabinet opening is 24 inches deep, I’ll use 22-inch slides and make the drawer about 23 inches deep. You also have to keep in mind that this is for drawer fronts that will sit in front of the cabinet and not be inset.

I got the left drawer installed, but it ended up being a little too narrow. Luckily that’s an easy fix, I just added a spacer behind the drawer slide to move it in slightly, and the drawer fit perfectly after that. I used a paint stir stick as a spacer, honestly, not sure how it was that far off.

Then I installed the right drawer, and that one went in without any issues. You can see below that I use spacers to install the drawer slides, I cut a piece of plywood to size and let the drawer slide rest on it while I screw it into place. That way I know its level and both slides are in the correct spot. I also use these soft close drawer slides for everything because they are amazing! I switched to them after getting tired of the crappy ones you buy from Home Depot and Lowes.

To attach the top…you guessed it…I used wood glue and brad nails!

And here it is almost finished! It still needs to be primed and painted, but for now I set the table saw on top to make sure the fit was just right. Oh and I still need to cut down drawer fronts. You can see my neighbor helped…because he has big muscles! haha

This was kind of a side project along the way, but once it was primed and painted I had to test the table saw, I couldn’t wait to try it out. I also like putting the blade all the way down and using it as a table for sanding. It works great!

This is what I was going for on my side of the garage, so you have a visual.

I had already assembled the table saw stand, so next up was the modular cabinet with drawers and a worktop. I had the plans sketched out and the plywood cut to size, ready to put together the next day.

The next day I pulled out my plans and got started drilling the pocket holes in the plywood, making sure they were on the correct sides.

I’m really trying to clean up after each step and at the end of every day now that this garage is coming together. The more finished it gets, the more it actually makes me want to keep it clean and organized.

Then I set up my sawhorses and laid a sheet of plywood across them to make a temporary workstation so I could assemble the large cabinet.

I assembled the cabinet the same way I usually do, wood glue along the joints, brad nails to hold everything in place, and then pocket hole screws to secure it permanently.

I got the whole cabinet box put together.

But once it was assembled, I realized having only three drawers would make them really wide, and drawers tend to work much better when they’re narrower. So I ripped down another sheet of plywood, added pocket holes, and installed a divider in the middle of the cabinet so it would have two sections and six drawers total.

I installed the center divider using spacers I cut from scrap plywood. I measured the inside width of the cabinet, subtracted 3/4 inch for the thickness of the divider, and then divided that number by two to figure out the spacer size. I glued and pocket-screwed the divider in place, using the spacers to hold it exactly where it needed to sit.

Now the carcass was finished! Tyler helped me lift it down off the sawhorses because this cabinet was huge.

Next was installing the wheels. I used fixed (non-swivel) 3in casters on the back and 3in swivel casters with locks on the front, which is really important for something that will hold a worktop and table saw. I installed both the same way.

You can’t see it in the photos, but I did have to use washers with these casters because the screw holes were pretty large. I’m not actually sure what screws they’re meant to use, but since I was fastening into 3/4-inch plywood they couldn’t be very long. I ended up using 1-inch pocket hole screws with washers and that worked perfectly.

Then I flipped it over and took a minute to admire my work!

The whole goal for this modular worktop was for it to sit flush, or just slightly below, the height of my table saw. That way, when I’m cutting long boards or a bunch of pieces, I can roll the two together and use the worktop as an outfeed surface so the wood doesn’t just drop off the back of the saw.

You can see below the table is still sitting a bit lower than the table saw. That’s intentional, I planned to add another layer of plywood to the top, which will bring the height up and create a slight overhang.

So I stacked a few pieces of wood with different thicknesses on top to figure out what height would work best.

What worked best ended up being a layer of 1/8-inch hardboard (brown board) with a 3/4-inch sheet of plywood on top. I tested it to make sure the height was just right, I wanted it as close as possible, but it couldn’t be higher than the table saw or the wood would catch on the edge every time you pushed it through the table saw and defeat the whole purpose.

I went ahead and primed and painted it, then installed the drawer slides inside the cabinet.

Then I added the layer of hardboard. Instead of buying a whole new sheet, I used scrap pieces I already had and fit them together across the top. This layer won’t be visible at all, it’s purely functional, so I wasn’t worried about it looking perfect. I attached it with wood glue and 3/4-inch brad nails.

While that was drying, I installed the drawer fronts on the table saw stand using wood glue and 1.25in brad nails, then secured them from the inside with 1-inch pocket hole screws.

I also installed the drawer pulls, the same ones I used on the cabinet doors. But on these I had to use a paddle bit from the inside because, with the thickness of the drawer front and the drawer box, the hardware screws weren’t quite long enough. I used a paddle bit slightly larger than the screw head to recess it a bit so the screws would reach and tighten properly.

And they turned out great! I mounted them a little higher instead of centered on the drawer front since these drawers are low to the ground, it makes them much easier to grab.

Next I added the plywood top to the modular work surface. I used oak plywood because I already had some on hand, I actually got it 70% off at Home Depot since it had a little water damage. It still cleaned up nicely though, and it’s really pretty.

I attached it with wood glue and brad nails and then used dumbbells and clamps to hold everything tight while it dried overnight.

I needed to rip down another sheet of plywood, but Tyler wasn’t home to help me move it. Luckily I have a clamp handle that makes carrying plywood by yourself way easier. I can handle the weight of a full 4×8 sheet, I just don’t have the grip to move it myself, and this solves that problem.

I ripped down the 1/2-inch plywood for the drawers and started assembling them the same way I always do, wood glue and brad nails. They feel a little wobbly at first, but once the whole drawer is together it becomes really sturdy.

Next up was installing the drawer slides and testing out the drawer, and it works perfectly!!

Rinse and repeat five more times, and I had all six drawers built and installed. It was tedious, but Niko kept me company. He’s a great shop dog!

Once the drawers were finished, I rolled it out and tested it alongside the table saw.

And it works perfectly!

Tyler went with me to pick up a whole stack of plywood for the next phase of the build. We unloaded it into the garage, and this is where I’m going to wrap up this post because it’s getting pretty long.