Sewing Cabinet Plans

Height of work surface above floor	31"
Depth of cabinet	21 1/2"
Width of top, folded	45 1/8"
Width of left top section	28 3/8"
Width of right top section	16 3/4"
Depth of back table	22 1/2"
Left/Right door panels	16 1/2"
Center door panel	9 1/4"
Door height	27 1/4"
Sewing machine platform (insert in top)	11" x 18 3/4"
Interior shelf depth	7"
Serger shelf	13" x 25 3/4"
Serger tray	14 1/4" x 17"
Drawer height	4 3/8"

Notes

• The vertical location of the shelf in the knee hole, as I used it to support the air lift.
• Drawer heights. I used a commercial dovetail jig (Omnijig) and for the half tails to be properly dimensioned, drawer heights need to be in multiples of 7/8".
• Serger tray and drawer width. I used Accuride slides, and they are each 1/2" in width, thus the drawer and tray must be exactly 1" less than the opening.
• Obviously, fitting up doors and the two folding tops are important for matching to the mating cabinet parts, but they all could be adjusted to match different overall dimensions you might select.
• Also, I laid awake at night agonizing over cutting and fitting the two flip out table sections to the table top. The sum of the two flip out sections and 4 pieces of banding must exactly equal the top section and 2 pieces of banding, and once those sections are banded, you're commited whether they fit or not.
• Location of the serger shelf storage support is a little fussy. Experiment.

Other Details

I used a standard 1/2" radius cove bit and roundover bit in my router table to make the rule joint. The geometry of the hinges for rule joints is tricky. Check Fine Woodworking, #138, September/October 1999, pg 62 for an excellent discussion.

The door hinges allow more than 180° opening in order to be sure and support the extension tables.

Woodhaven makes a nifty template and router bit for sewing table hinges. It's worth getting. You'll use the bit with other hinge templates that you'll be inspired to make.

I got the air lift from Rockler. I think I got the sewing cabinet hinges, and the door hinges there, too.

The large surfaces are all 3/4" oak veneer plywood, except the doors, which are solid oak.

The top panels are banded in solid oak approximately 2" wide. If I were doing it again, I might not go that wide; the mitering is very fussy. There is zero margin for error.

The end and back panels have 1/4" thick appliques that simulate rail and stile construction. I cut them with the same router bit profile that I used to make the real rails and stiles for the doors.

The top panel overhangs the back of the cabinet sufficiently to accomodate a swing-out panel that supports the rear panel when it is raised.

I attached the top to the cabinet with 5/16" flat head machine screws. There are triangular gussets in all of the corners let into dadoes on the inside surface of the cabinet just below the top. I then inlaid 1/2" blocks of oak into the plywood, then drilled for and installed threaded brass inserts to receive the machine screws. Drywall screws were just not good enough for an assembly as heavy as this with the top on.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. I'll update this page periodically as questions are received.