Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The shelf passes the sag check.
- The counter shelf passes the sag check.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
- Verify every clearance in your appliance’s installation manual. Models differ, and the manual wins over any number in this plan.
- No heat-producing appliance runs inside a closed cabinet. Toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, kettles and coffee makers run only on an open shelf or out on the counter.
- Plug into an outlet that is already there. This plan adds no wiring. Don’t use an extension cord for a heating appliance; if the cord won’t reach, move the piece or have an electrician add an outlet.
- Steam from kettles and espresso machines condenses on the shelf above. Seal the underside of that shelf with two coats of polyurethane.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×2 pine board, 8′ (board) | $5.60 |
| 1 | 1×4 pine board, 8′ (board) | $8.80 |
| 3 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $204.00 |
| 1 | 1/4″ plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $28.00 |
| 2 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $18.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 2 | 1″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $12.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 3 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $27.00 |
| 1 | 1/4″ shelf pins (pack of 16) | $5.00 |
| 2 | Full-overlay cabinet hinge (pair) | $18.00 |
| 2 | Cabinet pull (each) | $8.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
About $359 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 72″ | 20″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Top and bottom | 2 | 40 5/8″ | 20″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Kick board | 1 | 40 5/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| D | Fixed shelf Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 40 5/8″ | 20″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| E | Adjustable shelf Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 40 9/16″ | 19 1/4″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| F | Shelf edge strip Glue under the shelf front. | 1 | 40 9/16″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
| G | Door Edge-band all four edges. | 2 | 32″ | 20 7/8″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| H | Lower back Below the niche only: the niche and shelves stay open at the back. | 1 | 42″ | 32 1/2″ | 1/4″ plywood |
| I | Back rail | 2 | 40 5/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| J | Counter stiffener Under the front of the counter shelf, behind the doors. | 1 | 40 5/8″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 3
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 2 of 3
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 3 of 3
1/4″ plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1×2 pine board, 96″ → J 40 5/8″ · F 40 9/16″
1×4 pine board, 96″ → I 40 5/8″ · I 40 5/8″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 20 7/8″, 20″, keep the rest.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 20″, 20″, keep the rest.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 20″, 19 1/4″, keep the rest.
- 1/4″ plywood: rip into strips 32 1/2″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Hammer
- Stud finder
- Level
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Plan around the outlet
Pick a wall with an outlet already on it. The machine plugs in through the open back of the niche, so the outlet should be between the counter height and the top of the niche, or just above the counter line, inside the station's width.
Read the machine's manual for the room it needs: above (to open the lid), at the sides and behind. You entered 5″ above it; the niche is 20″ tall and 40 5/8″ wide.
✓ The machine's cord reaches the outlet with slack, without an extension cord.
STOP. Verify every clearance in your appliance’s installation manual before you cut. If the manual asks for more room than this plan, the manual wins.4Edge-band
Iron edge banding onto every front edge that shows, and all four edges of each door and drawer front. Trim and sand.
5Drill the shelf-pin holes
Two rows per side of each shelf bay, 2″ from the front and back, 1/4″ holes 3/8″ deep every 1 1/4″ (32 mm): bay 1: 7 3/16″ to 32 5/16″.
Use a shelf-pin jig so both sides match.
6Build the case
Glue and screw the bottom between the sides with its underside at 3 1/2″, and the top flush with the top ends. 1 5/8″ screws, 3 per joint.
Screw in the fixed shelves with their undersides at 35 5/16″ in bay 1; 56″ in bay 1.
Screw the kick board under the bottom, 1/2″ back from the front.
✓ Diagonals match within 1/16″.
7Hang the doors
Drill 35 mm hinge cups 1/2″ deep, 7/8″ from the hinge edge: 2 per door, at 3″, 29″ from the door bottom. Screw the plates to the case 37 mm from the front edge, clip the doors on and adjust the gaps to 1/8″.
STOP. Set a depth stop on the 35 mm bit before drilling a door.8Set the shelves
Glue a strip under the front of each adjustable shelf, flush with the edge.
Push in 4 pins per shelf and lay the shelves on.
9Add the back rails and the counter stiffener
Lay the cabinet on its front. Fit one back rail (I) on edge between the sides just under the shelf above the niche, flush with the back, and one just under the top. Glue and drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, through each side into each end.
Glue the stiffener (J) under the front edge of the counter shelf, behind where the doors close, and drive 1 5/8″ screws down through the shelf into it every 8″. It stops the shelf sagging under a 25 lb machine.
✓ Push sideways on the top of the cabinet: it doesn't lean.
10Close in the lower back
Square the cabinet, then glue and brad the lower back (H) over the back edges from the kick up to the counter shelf, every 6″.
Leave the niche and the mug shelves open at the back. That is where the machine's heat and steam escape and where its cord reaches the outlet.
✓ The diagonals of the cabinet match within 1/16″ before the last brads go in.
11Seal the niche
Sand the niche shelves smooth and brush two coats of water-based polyurethane on the counter shelf and on the underside of the shelf above it, sanding lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Wipe spills off the counter shelf as they happen; plywood edges swell if water sits on them.
✓ A drop of water beads up on the counter shelf and the underside above it.
12Set up the machine
Stand the station in place and anchor it (next step). Then set the machine on the counter shelf, centred, with its back at least 2″ from the open back.
Plug it straight into the outlet. Keep the cord clear of the hot plate or boiler.
✓ There is 5″ above the machine, its lid opens fully, and steam rises out of the niche, not into a closed space.
STOP. The machine runs only in the open niche. Never put a coffee maker, kettle or toaster behind the doors and switch it on.13Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.14Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.