First real woodworking project.

We recently purchased a new to us home and there are a few woodworking projects I would like to do. The one I'd like to start with is a basic cabinet... bottom, top, and three sides. I might think about adding some pre-made doors if I can find some the right size and price. The new house has a nice shop and I'm getting a pretty decent Craftsman table saw from my father-in-law. I'm also planning to pick up some Woodpecker's molded Box Clamps to help with holding all the 90° angles in place.

My question for you guys is what materials should I be using and what joining methods should I be looking at? To answer those questions, here is some additional info on the cabinet. It will be roughly 20 ~ 24 inches tall (the bottom will sit right on the floor), 20" deep and roughly 5' long. I plan to have 3 dividers so the cabinet has 4 cubies inside. On top of the cabinet will sit two 25 water containers. One will be fresh water, about 208lbs, and the other will be saltwater, about 215lbs. So this needs to be pretty sturdy while still being a pretty compact piece.

I have two other projects down the road that will be more elaborate versions of this same basic cabinet case design.

Any thoughts or suggestion are welcome regarding any part of this project.

Your first project should be to check the alignment of your "new" saw. I have a Craftsman 10" saw and it worked much better after I did a complete alignment of the blade to the miter slot and the fence to the same miter slot. I also changed out the die cast pullies for machined ones and went to a link type belt. Get some decent blades such as Freud glue line ripping blade for ripping and a LU82M Crosscut blade. I would suggest avoiding combination blades as they won't work as well as dedicated blades.

I think plywood would be fine. You might want to get some solid wood for edge banding. For Joinery pocket screws are great and pretty simple. Kreg makes a very nice array of jigs for making them. Also, if your Saw can accommodate a Dado stack, making grooves (rabbets) and dados can offer allot of strength and functionality, makes half lap and Tennon making real easy.

Norm Abrams at the New Yankee Workshop or while he was at This Old House did several videos on making kitchen cabinets. I think if you search you tube videos for Norm you find them. They demonstrate a relatively simple method for making plywood cabinets with face frames.

Keith

I would first recommend a book on basic cabinet making.

I would use cabinet grade, two sides finished, 3/4" plywood. The joints would be screwed and glued dados for the dividers and the back panel. The side ends would rabbeted into place and glued.
I would make a frame around the front, with the dividers centered on upright 1x4's. The top rail would be a 1x6 and the bottom a 1x4.
It sounds like you are building an aquarium stand. If so, there are tons of designs already out there to sample from.
By the time you're done you will have 500lbs. of weight distributed across a 20"x60" area, but the weight will be carried by the cross section of the vertical pieces, or .75"x20"x5, which will be about 8 lbs per square inch. This is a very small amount for 3/4" plywood to support in the vertical plane.
The back and the frame around the front will provide the shear protection, so it is important that they be mechanically correct.

PS
Making a "square" box, or rectangle, is not as easy as it seems. It's actually really good practice. Take the time to teach yourself how to make it square.
If you can build a perfectly square box, or cabinet, 20"x24"x60". You are well on your way to becoming an accomplished wood worker. ;)

For the table saw I would buy 1 excellent carbide blade of 60 or 72 tooth triple chip or alternating bevel design. Though a track saw would be more practical for breaking down sheets of 3/4" plywood. Instead of dados I would screw and glue the plywood to hidden ~3/4"-square cleats of solid wood. Exterior corners can be similar strips of solid wood.

IMHO because the stand will need to support over 400 lbs I would design it like an aquarium stand which probably means 2x4 framing covered with plywood.
EDIT:After doing a Google search I found site that shows how to build an aquarium stand built completely out of plywood and can hold 750 lbs.

Thanks for the info guys. I picked up the table saw from my father-in-law this past weekend. He had quite a few accessories and extras with it. One of the items was a pretty thick book on cabinet making. There were also a half dozen blades and two dado "stacks".

My project is not a aquarium stand, but it is related to that.

I don't think the weight will present any issues so long as you use 3/4 material. I always build cabs in units (in this case 2x30") but you can certainly do a single built in place unit.

Construction methods:
I only do frameless construction, but the principles are the same as many other methods: simple butt joints and screws (+/- glue) will work fine. IME, I haven't ever seen where dados or rabbets are worth the extra time & effort. Many use pocket screws I do not recommend this method for cabs.

Good advice on checking saw alignment & blades. Freud blades will serve you well. I recommend and 24 tooth flat grind rip and a 60 tooth ATB crosscut.

If you're planning to break down the plywood on the TS and outfeed support device is necessary. You can also use a circ saw with a guide.

Materials:
Be careful about what plywood you use. I have built utility cabs from the "China Pine" HD carries. Ok but the outside veneer is extremely thin. The Sandeply is not bad. If you go to a supplier, they carry that China ply too, so ask before buying.

Why I say "be careful" is if you buy any ply from China beware the glues. Use a noxious odor/dust respirator and do the cutting outside if possible. If you decide to use MDF the same thing applies. If not, your shop will be covered in toxic dust. You definitely don't want that stuff to get into your house. Blow or sweep your clothing off before going inside.

Good luck on the project hope this helps.