Have you ever noticed that you rarely lower the drill press table in your floor standing drill press below its normal height and that all the space below the table is basically wasted? Do you have your drilling equipment in various places so that you have to go back and forth from your drill press to complete a job?

Well then this is a project for you. This drill press cabinet allows me to keep absolutely everything related to drilling in one convenient location. If I do ever need to lower the drill press table, all I have to do is slide the cabinet out of the way and slide it back in place when I am done.

Before you start this project make sure the base of your drill press will fit between the sides of this cabinet. If not, you will need to make adjustments to the design.

Step 1: Materials

Main Cabinet

2 Birch Plywood (28 1/4" x 26" x 3/4") for sides

2 Birch Plywood (15 1/4" x 15" x 3/4") for the top and bottom cabinet parts

1 Birch Plywood (28 1/4" x 11 1/2" x 3/4") for the back

1 Birch Plywood (14 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 3/4") for the toe kick

Oak Banding (3/4" x 3/4" x ~90") for front plywood edges

1 Melamine (25 1/2" x 16 1/8" x 1") for the top surface

Oak Banding (1" x 1" x ~ 60") for the top surface

Drawer (Multiply by 3 for 3 drawers)

1 Birch Plywood (14 7/16" x 8 3/4" x 3/4") for the front

2 Multi-ply Plywood (14 1/2" x 8 3/4" x 1/2") for the sides

1 Multi-ply Plywood (12 15/16" x 8 1/4" x 1/2") for the back

1 Lauan Plywood (14" x 12 15/16" x 1/4") for the bottom

1 Drawer Pull

2 Drawer Slides (100 lb, Full extension, 22" extension)

Miscellaneous

Glue

Brads

Step 2: Tools

Step 3: Make the Sides

Cut the sides to the outside dimensions shown in the drawing.
Make most of the cuts for the toe kick cut outs using a circular saw and then finish up the cuts with a hand saw.
Up till now both sides were identical. When cutting the rabbet and the dado make sure which side is which. I used a dado blade set to cut the 3/4" rabbet at the top of each side and the 3/4" dado just above the toe kick cut out. These cuts will be hidden in the final assembly so feel free to use a full 3/4" cut without worrying about the actual plywood thickness being slightly smaller.

Step 4: Make the Top, Bottom, Back and Toe Kick

This step is fairly easy since you are cutting rectangular pieces of plywood.

Cut the top and bottom pieces to the dimensions shown.
Cut the back piece to the dimensions shown.
Cut the toe kick piece to the dimensions shown.

Step 5: Assembling the Cabinet Part 1

Lay one side down on a flat surface.
Glue and brad the top and the bottom pieces into the rabbit and dado in the side making sure the front edges of the top and bottom are flush with the front edge of the side piece. Be careful that you have the top and bottom pieces in the correct orientation as they are almost square.
Using an large right angle, make sure the top and bottom pieces are close to square to the side and let the glue dry.
After the glue dries, glue and brad the other side to this assembly, again making sure the front edges of the top and bottom pieces are flush with the front end of the other side. Again using a large right angle make sure the assembly is square and let dry.
After the glue dries and after making sure the assembly is perfectly square, glue and brad the back piece such the the top edge of the back piece is flush with the top surface of the top piece and the bottom edge of the back piece is flush with the bottom surface of the bottom piece. The back piece should be centered between the 2 sides pieces.

Step 6: Assembling the Cabinet Part 2

I hid all the front plywood edges by adding 3/4" by 3/4" red oak banding. I used square banding so the I could use a biscuit joiner to attach them. Alignment is much easier with biscuits and there is less risk of over sanding the plywood laminate. I used red oak because i have a lot of left over scrap from other jobs.
Glue and brad the toe kick piece between the banding at the bottom

Step 7: Cutting the Top

Here is where you need to make sure the dimensions on the drawing will work for your drill press and adapt as necessary.

Cut the top to dimensions.
Add 1" x 1" oak banding to the front and sides using biscuits. Biscuits will make it easier to align the banding with the top edges.

Step 8: Adding the Top

Place the top on the cabinet. When it is in position, only the banding should be visible on the front and sides from below (see image).
Using a pencil, mark the location of the sides and front by drawing a line on the top along the sides and front both inside and out.
Now take the top off and mark the center line between the inside and outside lines you just marked. Use this line to mark the location of the biscuits.
Cut the biscuits slots in the top, front and sides.
Glue and clamp the top to the cabinet.

Step 9: Making the Drawer Pieces

First cut all the pieces to their outside dimensions.
Set up a dado blade on your table saw, set at 1/4" width, 1/4" depth and 1/4" from the fence.
Cut the dado in the bottom of the front piece.
Also cut the dadoes in the front and bottoms of the side pieces
Set up a dado blade set at 1/2" width, 1/4" depth and 1/4" from the fence.
Cut the dadoes in the back of the sides.
Set up a dado blade, set at 1" width, 1/2" depth. Use a sacrificial fence so that the dado blade protrudes from the fence 3/4".
Cut the rabbets on the sides of the front piece.
For this next step you will need a tall auxiliary fence that allows you to stand a board on edge on your table saw. I will be producing an Instructable shortly showing you how to make it.
Set up a dado blade, set at 1/4" width, 1" depth and 1/4" in from the auxiliary fence.
Cut the slots in the sides of the front piece.

Step 10: Assembling the Drawers

There are 3 drawers and they are assembled exactly the same.

Glue and brad the side pieces to the front piece making sure the tops are flush (image 1) and the grooves for the bottom align (image 2).
Slide the bottom in from the back along the grooves in the side pieces until is bottoms out in the groove in the front piece.
Insert the back piece from the top. It should come to rest on the bottom piece and the back edge of the bottom piece should be flush with the back surface of the back piece (image 3).
Add the drawer pulls as desired.

Step 11: Adding the Drawers

The vertical spacing between drawers is 1/8" and between the drawers and the top/bottom is 1/8". The drawer slides I used were 1 7/8" tall.

Mounted the bottom drawer slides so that the bottom of each slide is 1/8" above the inside bottom of the cabinet.
Mount the next slide pair the height of the drawer 8 3/4" plus 1/8" spacing or 8 7/8" above the first pair.
Repeat for the last slide pair.
Draw center lines on each drawer side 15/16" above the bottom of the drawer.
Mount each of the drawers to the slides using the center line as a guide.