Cook Out in Style
Upgrade your grilling space with custom cabinets
Add this pair of handsome cabinets to your grill setup.
There’s nothing better than sharing good food with friends and family, and cooking it outdoors always adds to the enjoyment. This grilling center, made with easy-to-assemble cedar panels, is the perfect addition to your outdoor living space. You’ll have plenty of counter surface for food prep, and you can customize the rolling cabinets to house any outdoor cooking appliance.
These cabinets are home to a griddle and an air fryer. Paired with my grill, they set me up for new culinary adventures—outside!
1 MILL THE FRAME PARTS
Cut all the frame rails and stiles (A – F) to their final dimension. Cut rabbets into the back edge of the rails (C – F) only and save the offcuts. You’ll use them later. The frames are sized to accommodate full-width cedar 1x6 tongue-andgroove panel pieces (G).
2 ASSEMBLE THE FRAMES
Assemble all the frames using pocket screws. All the frames use the same construction except the large cabinet front. You’ll build that in Photo 4.
3 ASSEMBLE THE PANELS
Cut the cedar tongue-and-groove panel strips to length. Keeping the rough side of the cedar facing out, install the strips in the rail rabbets using 1-in. nails and glue. Rip the tongue off the last panel strip in each panel assembly.
4 BUILD THE LARGE CABINET FRONT PANEL
Build the large cabinet front panel frame, leaving off the top rail. Notch the two outer panel pieces and cut the short panel pieces to length. Set the assembled panel strips into the preglued rabbet in the bottom stile. Glue and nail the batten (U) to the loose ends of the panel strips and the wide frame stiles (A). Keep the batten ends 1-5/8 in. back from the outer edges of the stiles. Install the short stub rails (F) using pocket screws.
5 INSTALL THE SHELF CLEATS
Attach the shelf cleats (N) flush with the bottom edges of the panels, using construction adhesive and 2-in. nails or screws.
6 ASSEMBLE THE CABINETS
Glue and clamp the back panels to the side panels. Tack them together with 2-in. nails and then add 2-1/4-in. screws.
7 BRACE THE CORNERS
Glue and clamp the corner braces (K) flush with the cabinet tops in the back corners of each cabinet. Predrill and countersink holes, then attach the blocks with 2-1/4-in. screws.
8 INSTALL THE SHELF SLATS
Attach a temporary sizing brace across the opening of each cabinet to maintain the proper opening and keep the cabinets square. Install the shelf slats (L and M) using adhesive and 1-3/4-in. nails. I used 3/8-in. spacers to keep the gaps even.
9 CUT THE DOOR
Mark the door size on the large cabinet’s front panel, then make two horizontal cuts and one vertical cut with a circular saw. Make the vertical cut on the tongue edge of the panel piece. Finish the cuts with a jigsaw or a handsaw. Clean up any waste left from these cuts with a chisel.
10 BUILD THE DOOR
Using a carpenter’s square, assemble the cut-out panel pieces (H) to make the door. Glue and nail the door battens (U) to the back of the door. Glue a cut-off tongue into the empty groove on the door’s edge.
11 HANG THE DOOR
Attach the large front panel to its cabinet. Align the hinges with the door battens and attach them to the door, then hang the door and install the magnetic catch.