Another Plane Till Cabinet?

[Steve Mathews]

The photo below shows my first attempt at making a Plane Till cabinet with drawers. The design is by Craig Bentzley and the plans were courtesy of Woodcraft Magazine, which were extremely well done and easy to follow. The finished product turned out better than expected. However, there is one major drawback that I failed to foresee before starting, it is too tall to fit above my workbench as it's currently constructed. I had to move it to the location shown just to make some practical use for it. I'm considering making another cabinet, one that is not as tall and more suitable for the intended location. The ideal height would probably be just below the current plane till and possibly the shelf just below. I really like having the drawers for miscellaneous stuff so that might have to go into a separate cabinet. The small shelf space below the one shown in the photo is somewhat useless. I have no idea why the designer provided it. Any plane till designs that work well above a work table?
Plane Till 001.jpg

[Scott Winter]

Looks awesome!!

[Steve Mathews]

Thanks Scott! I used oak plywood from the orange store and leftover oak boards from a recent remodel. I'll never use this crappy plywood again. The oak veneer was so thin it could barely take a light sanding. I also found a new distaste working with red oak. This was my first cabinet build attempt so I didn't want to spend more for better materials. The next cabinet will be made out of baltic birch plywood and some other hardwood.

[Scott Clausen]

Good luck finding Baltic Birch at a reasonable price.

[Steve Mathews]

Good luck finding Baltic Birch at a reasonable price.

Good luck is needed to find any lumber at a reasonable price.

[Steve Mathews]

Good luck finding Baltic Birch at a reasonable price.

After watching a Rob Cosman video on carcass construction maybe an MDF core/veneer would be an interesting alternative.

[Buddy Brewer]

Be aware that the MDF adds a lot of weight.

[Roger Feeley]

Be aware that the MDF adds a lot of weight.

Buddy,
there is such a thing as ultra-light mdf that isn’t heavy at all. I think it used a lot for signs a displays. I used to get it local in Kansas City at Schutte Lumber. When I first moved to the dc area and got my shop going, I special-ordered three full sheets that I’m still using from time to time.