# A Beautiful Cabinet From 2x4s



## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

I think a lot of beginning woodworkers get the impression that you need high quality wood to make beautiful furniture. It doesn't help that most people will tell you that pine 2x4s are junk and don't work with them. I disagree. I decide to make this cabinet out of nothing but 2x4s for the solid panels and frame and some scrap 1/4" luan for the door and side panels. I ditched the stand as I am crammed for space, ditched the back and bottom door, and added a solid shadow line panel to both sides as well as a french cleat to hang it. Here is a video covering the build. Have a great weekend folks!


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## EastTXhunter (Aug 28, 2013)

Wow looks great man :thumbsup:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Nice work


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

You do a very nice job with your video. Too many others that I have seen are just to slow in moving on to the next step, we don't need to see ALL the duplicate pieces cut on the table saw. 

Good job,

Dale in Indy


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## adot45 (Jul 8, 2013)

Nice work, it looks great. Also enjoyed the video. :thumbsup:


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## DMA (Aug 14, 2013)

Looks great. Thanks for the video.
Wish more would make videos of their work like that.
Wonderful!!!


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## Chataigner (May 30, 2013)

Neat video, thanks for posting.

I agree the cabinet looks really nice, but with all that fine work would it not have been better to use a hardwood ? It would look even nicer in cherry for example.


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

Chataigner said:


> Neat video, thanks for posting.
> 
> I agree the cabinet looks really nice, but with all that fine work would it not have been better to use a hardwood ? It would look even nicer in cherry for example.


The main purpose of this project was to prove a point. That you CAN achieve great results with pine.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Very nice. In college we made most of our dorm room furniture from old 2X4's that we found at construction sites. You cabinet turned out much better than anything we made. :thumbsup:


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## SgtSteve (Sep 12, 2012)

JaysCustomCreations said:


> The main purpose of this project was to prove a point. That you CAN achieve great results with pine.


You are right Jay you can make nice furniture from 2X's. These are a set of end tables I made from good old framing lumber. Nice job on the cabinet.


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

SgtSteve said:


> You are right Jay you can make nice furniture from 2X's. These are a set of end tables I made from good old framing lumber. Nice job on the cabinet.


Looks great Steve!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

JaysCustomCreations said:


> The main purpose of this project was to prove a point. That you CAN achieve great results with pine.


You can get good results with pine, if you like the look.








 







.


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## chopnhack (Dec 16, 2007)

Nice work Jay! I too have crafted things out of pine and if you take your time with the finish, you can create some really nice items. I really enjoyed watching your assembly and layout. Solid performance and nice fix on that mistake. :thumbsup::smile:


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## Travico (Dec 25, 2012)

I want to thank you for the video. I love seeing how the projects are made and I hope to someday video my work. That is a nice cabinet. How did you learn your woodworking? Me, I learned some from my dad and on my own, it has been trial and error. I am still learning new tricks and everytime someone show a video or picture, I learn something more.


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

Travico said:


> I want to thank you for the video. I love seeing how the projects are made and I hope to someday video my work. That is a nice cabinet. How did you learn your woodworking? Me, I learned some from my dad and on my own, it has been trial and error. I am still learning new tricks and everytime someone show a video or picture, I learn something more.


I taught myself from research, YouTube videos, and trial and error. I have no woodworkers in my family.


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## Tilaran (Dec 22, 2012)

Me thinks the price of 2 x 4's( which don't even measure 2 x 4) will increase 100%


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## NetDoc (Aug 6, 2013)

Very well done. Thanks for the video, the ideas and piece just looks awesome. I can see doing that with some underwater scenes for my Key Largo home.


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

NetDoc said:


> Very well done. Thanks for the video, the ideas and piece just looks awesome. I can see doing that with some underwater scenes for my Key Largo home.


YES! Aquatic scenes would look great!


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## Wizard1500 (Jul 12, 2009)

Thanks for the video....very well done....and I really like the cabinet....would have never considered 2x4's.....


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## NetDoc (Aug 6, 2013)

JaysCustomCreations said:


> YES! Aquatic scenes would look great!


 I think it will, and I also think I'll try this with wood reclaimed from broken lobster traps to give it a truly nautical theme. Again, thanks for the ideas.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Very nice work. The picture in the doors is a cool touch. Now, off to see the video. :thumbsup:


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Nice job on the cabinet. I like your 45 degree sled--I may need to make one of those. I was a little scared of your crosscutting against the fence maneuver at about 3min in on the video, though .


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

Phaedrus said:


> Nice job on the cabinet. I like your 45 degree sled--I may need to make one of those. I was a little scared of your crosscutting against the fence maneuver at about 3min in on the video, though .


Why? With a sled and a non through cut I don't see any problems. When the wood makes contact with the fence there is nothing in between the fence and the blade. :smile:


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

JaysCustomCreations said:


> Why? With a sled and a non through cut I don't see any problems. When the wood makes contact with the fence there is nothing in between the fence and the blade. :smile:


I think we are talking about different things. I am talking about cross cutting the sheet stock against the fence at 03:08 into the video. You have a riving knife, which is good, but could still result in a kickback. :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I just rewatched the video at 3:08. I watched it a couple of times. I don't see any unsafe activity going on. The piece between the blade and fence is long enough that cocking it's unlikely. Plus, he's pushing it through. It's not a short piece (front to back) allowed to float free.

If the workpiece wasn't as long, or wide, front to back, it might be more tippy. As is, it looked good to me.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm not trying to cause any problems here or deviate too far from the thread. I am just of the mind that anything wider than it is long is more safely cut not against the fence. Again, not trying to criticize Jay or anyone else. Jay did a fine job on the cabinet and I really enjoyed the video (much better pace than most WW videos!) 

I might just have a different school of thought on this matter. Jay's still got all of his fingers and he demonstrates an array of push sticks and other safe stuff in the video, so that says something!:laughing:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm not as concerned about the size of the panel there....ill admit I've cut shorter...but the proximity of his fingers to the blade around 3:15 or so is troubling to me. Just takes one tiny slip...


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

ryan50hrl said:


> I'm not as concerned about the size of the panel there....ill admit I've cut shorter...but the proximity of his fingers to the blade around 3:15 or so is troubling to me. Just takes one tiny slip...


Personally, it's too close for MY fingers. It would make me nervous to do without a push stick.


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## JSB (Oct 7, 2012)

Good conversation without anyone getting grumpy 

At 3:08 I don't see a problem with cutting the panel as I am putting pressure against the fence the whole time. Given the size of the panel I still believe I would get more binding than kickback if I happened to get it out of line. Also, having used this saw with a riving knife I will never use it without.

At 3:15 through the rest of the scene I don't think my hands were too close. 

At 3:19 I will say that my hand should have never gotten in the line of the blade

Other than that I don't see any other problems. Bottom line, if you don't feel comfortable doing something a certain way, don't do it. I felt safe and comfortable with every cut I make. I would feel unsafe performing cuts the way some others make them and I am sure others would feel unsafe using my methods. 

Anyway, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Never hurts to have a reminder every now and then.


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