How to Build a Shoe & Boot Cabinet

Use 3/4-inch wood panels to create the outer walls of the cabinet and 1/4-inch panels for the interior partition walls. Cut the 3/4-inch plywood panels with a table saw. Cut two 34 1/4-by-12-inch panels for the top and bottom of the cabinet, two 26 1/4-by-12-inch panels for the sides, and one 34 1/4-by-26 1/4-inch panel for the rear of the cabinet. Mark the measurements onto the panels with a pencil and straightedge, and then use the markings as a cutting guide.

Cut three 1/4-inch panels measuring 34 1/4-by-12-inches to run horizontally through the cabinet. Cut 12 vertical partition walls sized to 6-by-12 inches from the 1/4-inch panels.

Sand all of the cut edges smooth using medium grit sandpaper, and then wipe away the residue with a piece of cloth.

Drill three holes through the 26 1/4-inch sideboards for mounting the horizontal shelves of the cabinet, using a drill bit the same size as your wood nails. Place the first three holes through the body of the sideboard at a position of 6 3/8-inches from the bottom of the board. Space the holes equally along the horizontal 12-inch long width of the board, placing one hole every 3-inches to form a line.

Repeat the drilling process another 6 3/8-inches higher, and then once again 6 3/8-inches higher than that. Drill through the second sideboard using the same measurements.

Assemble the body of the cabinet using 3/4-inch coated nails to hold the joints of the boards in place. Drive the nails through the boards with a nail gun. Attach the rear 34 1/4-by-26 1/4-inch board to one of the sideboards, overlapping the sideboard with the rear board until the sides of both are flush, forming a 90-degree angle. Place nails through the rear board into the side board using a nail gun, spacing the nails every 6 inches.

Attach the top board using the same process, with the rear board overlapping the top board, but the top board overlapping the sides. Place nails through the rear board into the top board, and through the top board into the side.

Attach the bottom board using the same process, overlapping the bottom board edge with the rear board, and the sideboard with the bottom board edge, and then placing the nails through the rear board into the bottom board and the bottom board into the sideboard.

Complete the box frame by attaching the last sideboard, and then driving nails into it from the rear board and both the top and bottom boards.

Mount the three 34 1/4-by-12-inch shelves in place by sliding them into the box until they are even with the holes drilled into the sides and are flush with the box front. Then drive wood screws through the pilot holes in the side of the box and into the shelf edges.

Apply wood glue to one of the 6-inch edges and both 12-inch edges of the wall partition planks. Slide the partitions into the box, three per shelf, level with the glued end against the back wall to create your cubbyholes of 6-by-8 inches. Hold the shelves in place while the glue cures by attaching masking tape to the walls and the top and bottom of the cubbyholes. Allow the glue to set for 24 hours.

Remove the masking tape. Place self-adhesive wood veneer strips along the exposed cut edges of the cabinet. Attach the strips using an iron to active the adhesive, and then trim them to fit using a utility knife.

Order cabinet doors to fit, using the dimensions of the cabinet front. Mount the door on hinges to the front of the cabinet, using wood screws to place the hinges into the front edges of the sideboards and the rear of the cabinet doors.