Garage Storage Cabinets — One Sheet, Zero Waste

Modular garage cabinets are the easiest way to turn a $60 sheet of plywood into real storage. The trick is a cut list that fits your real material and accounts for the kerf loss across every rip and crosscut.

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Wall vs floor cabinets

  • Wall cabinets — 12"–14" deep, hangable, often 30"–36" wide, single mid-shelf
  • Base cabinets — 24" deep, floor-standing, often on casters or a toe kick
  • Tall lockers — 84" tall, 18"–24" deep, full-height doors

Cut list for a modular wall cabinet

  • Sides — 2, full height × depth
  • Top / bottom — inner width × depth
  • Mid shelf — inner width − 1/16" × (depth − 1/2")
  • Back — 1/4" ply, rabbeted into sides for shear strength when wall-mounted
  • Door — overlay, 1/16" reveal top and bottom

Sheet layout tips

  • Rip long parts (sides) first from the factory edge — it's the straightest reference.
  • Crosscut inner parts from the offcut after ripping sides — they'll all be the same width.
  • Add kerf to your total sheet count. A 3/16" wide kerf across 10 cuts is nearly 2".

Related

Skip the math — try the free calculator

WoodCraft Utility Engine builds a live cut list from your real measured wood thickness, kerf, and cabinet dimensions. Imperial or metric, fractions or decimals.

Launch the cut list calculator →