Building a Corner Display Cabinet With Bookcase

Draw a simple sketch showing the height and width of the cabinet. Make the cabinet triangle-shaped and include the number of shelves desired. Add cabinet doors, typically near the bottom, covering one or two shelves. Consider the height of your largest books or items you want to place in the cabinet when determining the shelf spacing and cabinet height.

Lay a sheet of 3/4-inch-thick plywood with the best side -- the side you want showing inside the cabinet -- facing down. Measure and mark the height of one cabinet side in two or three spots to ensure a square and accurate measurement. Connect the marks with a straightedge and draw a solid line. Run the tape measure the opposite direction across the plywood sheet, marking the width of the cabinet side similarly.

Run the plywood, good side down and outlined side up, through a table saw to cut the piece completely out. Cutting through the good side first ensures that any splintering or chipping occurs on the surface that does not show. Set the side piece on top of another length of plywood and trace around it to mark the second side. Cut the piece out similarly.

Attach a 1/4-inch dado blade to the table saw, or lower a regular saw blade to emerge 1/4 inch above the saw table and slide the fence to 1/4 inch away from the blade. Run both cabinet sides through the saw flat with the good side facing up and the blade cutting the length of the cabinet side. If the dado blade is used, the result is a rabbet cut -- an L-shaped edge that fits the two edges, when joined, together in a solid block -- a joint that is much stronger than a butt edge. If using a regular blade, flip each side up and run the piece back through the saw to form the L where the cuts meet.

Repeat the rabbet cuts on the top and bottom of both cabinet sides, passing the board through a dado blade once or a regular blade twice. When finished, both cabinet side pieces feature three rabbet edges.

Run a tape measure from the bottom of each cabinet side piece up to the height of the first shelf on either side of the piece involved. Connect the marks with a straightedge. Measure up an additional 1/4 inch and mark a parallel line. The space between the two lines represents the thickness of the shelf. Repeat for each shelf desired, the number of which depends on your preferences.

Move the saw fence over enough to allow the blade to line up with the first shelf line. Pass the board through the saw; a dado blade will cut the area between the two shelf marks completely. Move the fence over slightly and pass the board across a regular blade again, repeating the cuts until most of the wood between the two lines is removed. Use a chisel and hammer to eliminate any clinging fibers of wood. Cut each shelf mark similarly, creating cuts 1/4 inches in depth called dados. When complete these will allow the shelves to insert into the side pieces slightly.

Fit the cabinet side pieces together, setting them on top of a sheet of 1/4-inch-thick plywood near to the edge to avoid waste. Trace around the inside edge of the cabinet sides and the inside edge of a straightedge laid across the front to complete the triangle. Remove the sides and measure out from the sides of the triangle 1/4 inch in several spots along the length of each line. Connect to form a slightly larger triangle that is 1/4 inch wider on two sides but the same at the base.

Cut out the outlined shelf piece. Join the cabinet sides together again and insert the shelf to ensure it is accurate before using it as a template to cut additional shelves as needed.

Set the joined cabinet sides on top of a sheet of 3/4-inch-thick plywood and trace around the outside edge of the sides. Set a straightedge across the front and mark inside the straight edge again. Cut the pieces out to form the cabinet top and bottom.

Cut the sides of the triangle-shaped top and bottom pieces, using a dado blade or regular blade, to create rabbet joints where the top and bottom pieces will join with the cabinet side pieces. Leave the front of the pieces, the base of the triangle, uncut.

Spread carpenter's glue along the length of the rabbet edge on each side piece. Squirt a small amount of glue inside each shelf dado as you work. Fit the sides together, inserting the shelves and squeezing the pieces together. Ask a helper to assist to ensure each shelf is in place properly. Add the top and bottom last, sliding the rabbet edges together tightly. Clamp the cabinet together and drive finishing nails through the joints, one every 6 to 8 inches, to reinforce. Allow the cabinet to dry 24 to 48 hours before finishing.

Cut a sheet of plywood the width of the cabinet front and 1/2 inch taller than the space between the shelves you wish to cover with a door. Rip the piece in half to form two doors if desired. Attach with hinges to create an overlay door for the cabinet.

Finish additional elements as desired. Place a vertical divider, cut the height of the opening by the depth of the cabinet, between two shelves. Drill holes to run power cords through for a television stand. Cut blocks and attach to the bottom of the cabinet for legs. Build a drawer, creating a simple box with rabbet joints, that fits the space between two shelves. Paint or stain the cabinet and apply trim around openings or veneer edging to exposed plywood edges to complete.