Garage Storage Cabinet Cut List (Tall, 3/4" Plywood)
A tall frameless storage cabinet for the garage or shop: 36" wide, 72" tall and almost 24" deep, with two full-overlay doors. It is a plain box built with screws and glue, so it suits paint, tools, and the bulk stuff that ends up on the floor.
- Finished size
- 36" W × 72" H × 24-3/16" D (with back)
- 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- 3 sheets · 72% yield
- 1/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- 1 sheet · 56% yield
Assumptions behind every number
- 3/4" plywood measures 23/32", which is typical for US sheet goods. Parts that fit between two others subtract the actual thickness. Measure your sheet; if it differs, edit the sizes in the optimizer.
- Every layout uses a 1/8" saw kerf on every cut, run through the same optimizer as the app.
Cut list
3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
| Part | Qty | Width × Length | How it's sized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 2 | 23 15/16" × 72"(grain locked) | full height |
| Top / bottom | 2 | 23 15/16" × 34 9/16" | 36 − 1-7/16 |
| Fixed shelf | 1 | 23 15/16" × 34 9/16" | 36 − 1-7/16 |
| Adjustable shelf | 2 | 22" × 34 7/16" | 34-9/16 − 1/8 clearance |
| Toe kick | 1 | 3 1/2" × 34 9/16" | 36 − 1-7/16 |
| Door | 2 | 17 7/8" × 68 7/16"(grain locked) | (36 − 1/8 − 1/8) ÷ 2 × (72 − 3-1/2 − 1/16) |
1/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
| Part | Qty | Width × Length | How it's sized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back | 1 | 36" × 72" | full case size |
Width × length is in inches, with length along the face grain. Parts marked "grain locked" are kept with the grain running their length in the layout.
Sheet and board layouts
This is the optimizer's output for exactly this list: 3 sheets of 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft, 1 sheet of 1/4" plywood, 4×8 ft.
3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft: 3 sheets, 72% yield
1/4" plywood, 4×8 ft: 1 sheet, 56% yield
Materials list
- 3 sheets of 3/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- 1 sheet of 1/4" plywood, 4×8 ft
- Eight 35 mm full-overlay cup hinges (four per door)
- Two door pulls
- 8 shelf pins (5 mm or 1/4")
- #8 × 1-5/8" screws or 1-1/4" pocket screws, about 40
- Wood glue, and 3/4" brads for the back
How it goes together
The case is 23-15/16" deep, which is half a 48" sheet after one saw kerf. That lets both sides come off a single rip, and so does the top, the bottom and the fixed shelf.
The top, bottom and fixed middle shelf sit between the sides, so they are 36" − 1-7/16" = 34-9/16" long. The fixed shelf at mid-height keeps the 72" sides from bowing. The two adjustable shelves get 1/16" clearance at each end (34-7/16") and are set back from the doors (22" deep).
The bottom sits 3-1/2" off the floor on a recessed toe kick that is glued between the sides about 3" back from the front.
Doors are full overlay. Each is 17-7/8" wide (1/8" centre gap and 1/16" outside reveals). They run 68-7/16" tall, from the bottom of the bottom panel to 1/16" below the top. Hang each one on four 35 mm cup hinges.
Build order
- Rip the sides, top, bottom and fixed shelf at 23-15/16". Rip the adjustable shelves at 22".
- Drill shelf-pin holes in the sides before assembly, using a jig from the same reference edge on both sides.
- Assemble the box: sides to top and bottom, then the fixed shelf and the kick.
- Square the case and nail on the 1/4" back.
- Bore the hinge cups and hang the doors, adjusting the reveals with the hinge screws.
FAQ
How many sheets of plywood for a tall garage cabinet?
This 36" × 72" cabinet with doors and three shelves takes the 3/4" sheet count shown in the layout above, plus one 1/4" sheet for the back. The doors are the big consumer, since each is nearly a quarter of a sheet. Build the cabinet without doors and you save that material.
Why four hinges per door?
A 68" plywood door is heavy and tends to twist. Hinges spread along its height keep it flat against the case and share the load. Two hinges on a door this tall will sag and spring open at the corners.
Why do the sizes subtract 1-7/16" instead of 1-1/2"?
Plywood sold as 3/4" actually measures 23/32" (about 0.72"). Two sides are 1-7/16" thick, not 1-1/2", so every part that fits between two sides is cut 1-7/16" shorter than the outside width. Measure your own sheet with calipers before cutting: if it is a true 3/4", subtract 1-1/2" instead and re-run the list in the optimizer.
What saw kerf does the layout assume?
A 1/8" kerf on every cut, which is a standard full-kerf table saw or track saw blade. With a thin-kerf blade the parts still fit; you just get slightly bigger offcuts.
Change a size, add a part or use up offcuts. The optimizer re-nests it in seconds.
Open this plan in EZNESTING →