For those of us with dogs in our households, a dog kennel — the ubiquitous “crate” — can be a lifesaver. It’s basic equipment for dog owners, serving both as a comfortable, safe home for the pooch and a place to contain them as needed. Over the pandemic, many people decided that a dog would improve their lives, and many of those pet owners keep their canine buddies indoors most of the time. And while those plastic and metal crates and kennels are useful and practical, most of them are pretty ugly. My kennel here is made of solid cherry hardwood. I think it looks like a piece of furniture. Its door flips open and slides into a pocket inside the kennel, using Rockler’s EZ Pocket Door Slides (see page 62). The project is built around a plastic tray and a cushion, so there’s no wooden bottom to the kennel. That way, if something messy happens inside, it’s easy to remove the mess and clean the area.
One detail here is either a benefit or a flaw: the kennel is obviously made of wood. If your dog is a chewer, this is not the best solution. But worse case scenario, the good news is that the slats are replaceable. Still, consider yourself warned, because this project takes a good bit
