Sometimes I see questions posted here on sources for nice display or
curation cabinets.  I suppose if one had a collection of rare and
expensive shells one might want a fancy hardwood cabinet suitable for a
library or livingroom, with price tag to match.
If you're like me you have a large or small number of shells that are
not generally rare or expensive (maybe even ugly and chipped like some
of mine) but you still want to keep them organized as well as you can.
I'd like to share the details on a cabinet that Joe and I just completed
- quick and easy, requiring only rudimentary tools and a modest ability
with wood and nails.  The result is maybe not fancy enough for a living
room, but definitely good enough for a rec room.
Our cabinet is 4' high by 2' deep and 2' wide and has thirteen drawers,
most 2.5' tall, some 3.5' tall and one 5' tall.
The cabinet frame consists of two 4x2  three quarter inch particleboard
(or plywood etc) pieces for the sides and another 4x2 inch board cut in
half, one part being the top and the other being the bottom.  Get the
cut made at the store and so far you don't even have to measure or cut,
just screw on the top and bottom. Now you have a rectangular frame.
Each drawer is made from 1x3 strapping (or wider for the larger drawers)
- pick the very best boards you can, to make life easier.  We spend more
time picking good boards than we do actually assembling the drawers.
The bottom of each drawer is made from 3/8" subflooring.  The only
remotely tricky part is using a router on the bottom of the drawer
sides, front and back to lay the bottom in.  We just used butt joints
and finishing nails to assemble the drawers.
The drawers are held in place in the cabinet frame using runners of 7/16
x 11/26 pine moulding.  The runners are just nailed in down the inside
of the cabinet frame and across the front.
The back is another piece of 3/8" subflooring - it provides all the
rigidity you need.
I haven't outlined every little detail, but if you get the idea, you can
see that something substantial, reasonably good-looking and inexpensive
can be made with modest effort.
If you really want to know the details, let me know and I could draw a
better plan and mail it to you.
Tonight I will start the sanding and painting/varnishing and then the
fun of laying all my shells -
I plan to add a small display case with a lexan cover right on top.

Nora
Calgary