Build A Cedar Shower Bench

Build A Cedar Bench for the Shower

Materials

4 - 2x2s

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Wood Sealant

 

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

8 - Bench Slats @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 18"

4 - Legs @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 18

2 - Horizontal Leg Slats (top) @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 13.75"

2 - Horizontal Leg Slats (bottom) @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 10.75"

1 Bottom Slat @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 18"

Cutting Diagrams

2x2s

Step 1

Cut all your pieces to length as shown in the cutting diagrams.  Then attach two vertical leg pieces to a horizontal leg piece both top and bottom.

I recommend a 1/2" dowel joint to join the everything together.  They are strong and look good.

Step 2

A similar procedure for the bench slats.  These can be glued together initially and allowed to dry.  Then 1/2" dowels can be drilled and set to strengthen the shower bench.

Step 3

The bench slats give some resistance to sheer forces but we need something for the bottom of the bench as well.

Glue the bottom slat in place.  Allow to dry.  Then set another couple dowels

Final Thoughts

The whole project needs a good sanding.  If you sanded each piece as you went along this step won't be such a chore.

Since hands and other body parts will be moving in and around the shower bench you will want to sand all the edges smooth to the touch.  Take extra care around corners and smooth heavily.

Since it is made of cedar you don't need to stain but a good weather resistant seal is recommended as cedar does change color over time to a dirty greyish green.

That is usually desired on outdoor furniture but maybe not in the shower.

If you like this project be sure to check out the other two that go along with it and make yourself a set.  

Cedar Shower Caddie

Cedar Shower Mat

Plus be sure to subscribe to our news feed.  Anytime a new design or article is posted we'll send you an email.  No Spam ever!!

Also don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for lots of entertaining videos on projects and homesteading.

Until then!

0

DIY Cedar Shower Caddie

DIY Small Activity Caddy

A simple caddie for the shower.

Materials

1 - 1x6

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long and 3/4" thick unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Stain

Tung Oil

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

1 Hanger @ .75" x 5" x 4"

2 Vertical Back Pieces @ .75" x 1" x 16"

2 Rail Pieces @ .5" x .5" x 9"

2 Rail Pieces @ .5" x .5" x 5"

1 Shampoo Shelf @ .25" x 5" x 9"

1 Soap Shelf @ .25" x 5" x 5"

Cutting Diagrams

1x6

Step 1

Lets start with the hanger.  

Now I know you're asking, "How do I cut the rounded top?"  That's not a problem.  No geometry required.  

Grab a bucket.

Place it on top of the 1x6 and slide the bucket forward or back till you get the rounded top you want.  Then mark a line around the bucket.

Set the bucket aside and use a jigsaw to cut across the line and sand down.  wal-lah, you have a rounded top.

Then drill a 1" hole 2" down from the appex of that top.  

A jigsaw or handsaw can be used to cut the mating slots for the vertical back pieces.

Step 2

The two vertical pieces can be cut and two daddos routed near the bottom for the shelves.  Each daddo is 3/4" thick.

Step 3

This next step can be one of two ways.  First you could do it the way I have designed it here and cut for strips to dimensions.  Then cut half laps on each of the ends.  Mate them up and glue together.

You could also take one piece of lumber sized 5" by 9".  Then drill 4 holes a half inch in from each corner big enough for a small jigsaw blade or a manual scroll saw blade. 

Mark lines a half inch in all around the edges.  Place a blade as mentioned earlier inside one of the holes and cut out the inside material.  

Sand it down.

Step 4

Next is the shampoo shelf.  This one is simple just cut a piece to the listed dimensions.

Step 5

The soap shelf can be cut just like in step 4.  To attach this to the bottom simple glue will not be strong enough.

I recommend dowel holes drilled from the bottom and set in place.

Final Thoughts

The whole project needs a good sanding.  If you sanded each piece as you went along this step won't be such a chore.

Since hands will be moving in and out around the shower caddy you will want to sand all the edges smooth to the touch.  Take extra care around corners and smooth heavily.

Since it is made of cedar you don't need to stain but a good weather resistant seal is recommended as cedar does change color over time to a dirty greyish green.

That is usually desired on outdoor furniture but maybe not in the shower.

If you like this project be sure to subscribe to our news feed.  Anytime a new design or article is posted we'll send you an email.  No Spam ever!!

Also don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for lots of entertaining videos on projects and homesteading.

Until then!

0

Build A DIY Cedar Shower Mat

DIY Cedar Shower Mat 

A simple mat made of cedar for your shower.

Materials

2 - 1x6 (Some lumber yards will allow you to purchase lumber by the board foot instead of precut lengths.  If so then you only need 10' board feet.)

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long and 3/4" thick unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Stain

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

2 Side Rails @ .75" x 1.5" x 20.75"

12 Inside Rails @ .75" x 1.5" x 20"

Cutting Diagrams

1x6s

Step 1

Lets start with the front and back pieces.  Cut to length.  Then measure and mark 3" in from both sides and 1.5" down from what will be the top of the activity caddy.  Mark the waste material using a pencil and use a hand saw or pull saw to cut the shape shown below.

Then you can route a 1/4" rabbet along the bottom of the workpiece and two 1/4" dadoes down both sides of the center section.

Step 2

A similar procedure for the two side pieces.  The one difference to note here is that 1/2" rabbets get routed on each side of both pieces.

Step 3

Apply wood glue to each of the four side rabbets and assemble the four pieces.  Clamp together lightly.  Just firm enough to be able to accomplish the next step.

Final Thoughts

Once the project is dry it can come out of the clamps and be sanded down.  This is a simple design that is perfect for those just getting into woodworking.  It gives you an opportunity to practice tongue and grove style joinery in a project that won't be wasted if you get it wrong.

If you like this project be sure to subscribe to our news feed.  Anytime a new design or article is posted we'll send you an email.  No Spam ever!!

Also don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for lots of entertaining videos on projects and homesteading.

Until then!

0

DIY Cabinet Door Spice Rack

This rack is spicy!

Ok, that may have been a little cheesy but that is sort of my thing.  Those that have been around my YouTube channel for a while have come to expect that kind of humor.

I don't know about where you keep your spices but ours have always been in one of our kitchen cabinets.  It always takes up at least one of them.  It was like that when I was a kid and I've never thought about changing it much.

That is until now.

Introducing the handy dandy super duper organizing DIY project for all your spicy spices.  Plus some that are not so hot.  Hehe!!

DIY Inside Cabinet Door Spice Rack

Materials

2 - 1x4s (1/2" Thickness)

2 One Quarter Inch Diameter Dowels - These are usually sold in 36" lengths.  Some may be 24" and in that case you would need 4.

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long and 3/4" thick unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Stain

Polyurethane

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

1 Top @ 2.75" x 13.5"

1 Bottom @ 2.75" x 13.5"

2 Sides @ 2.75" x 25.75"

3 Shelves @ 2.25" x 13"

3 Quarter Inch Dowels @ 13"

Cutting Diagrams

1x4s
 

Step 1

Cut the side pieces to length.  Then route 3 dadoes the thickness of the shelves in each side.  I have them placed 6" apart for this project listing however, you could space them as far apart as you choose.

You could also add shelves or take them away.  It's up to you.  Make it yours.

Don't forget to drill the holes for the dowels.  I have the lengths listed for a quarter inch deep seat.

However, you could drill all the way through the sides to make them through dowels.  This would add a bit of visual appeal to the project in my opinion.

The dowels are measured one inch up from the top of their corresponding shelf and 1/4" in from the front.

Step 2

A dab of wood glue in each dowel hole.  Then seat each of the dowels firmly.

Step 3

Each of the shelves for the spice rack can be glued in place and before the glue has a chance to set proceed to step 4.

Step 4

Position the other side of the spice rack seating the corresponding dowels and shelves.  Continue on before the glue sets.

Step 5

Glue the top and bottom pieces in place.  At this point a few right angle clamps can be used to ensure the whole kitchen cabinet door hung rack is square.

Final Thoughts

The project has no back to it.  Please don't go out and buy those 90 degree metal pieces to attach this to the inside of your kitchen cabinet.  Nothing says "cheap store bought" than those things.

I would use a keyhole bit in my router to route some keyholes that would seamlessly and securely hang this anywhere I wanted.

By the way, this would look great not only on the inside of your cabinet door but also any place on a wall that needs a little extra styling.

Obviously you would need to measure the distance between the inside of your cabinet door and the front of the shelves.

This particular project posting was measured to fit those 5.5oz bottles of spices.

Until then!

0

DIY Dollhouse Style Bookshelf

So I built the decorative wall shelf and was going to donate it to charity.  Because Christmas.

Then My 4yr old daughter saw it and thought I was building it for her.

I was about to explain to her what my intent was but then I realized that I had already built her brother a shelf of his own  and her older sister a bookcase.

So I guess it stood to reason she would assume that project would be hers.

I decided to not break her heart and go ahead and mount it for her on her side of her bedroom.

At the end of that video you can see how happy she looked.

Priceless.

However,  I will not let it stand that she would have something that truly was not built specifically for her.

So with great thought and care...

Daddy shall build this for his little girl.

DIY Dollhouse Style Bookshelf

Materials

2 - 1x8s

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long and 3/4" thick unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Stain

Polyurethane

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

1 Bottom Shelf @ 7.25" x 24.5"

 

2 Sides @ 7.25" x 24"

1 Middle Shelf @ 7.25" x 24.5"

1 Lower Vertical Divider @ 7.25" x 10.5"

1 Upper Vertical Div ider @ 16-13/16"

1 Roof Side A @ 7.25" x 18-5/16"

1 Roof Side B @ 7.25" x 16-5/8"

1 Chimney @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 3-5/16"

Cutting Diagrams

1x8s

Step 1

So lets start with the bottom and work our way up.  Cut it to length on a miter saw IF...

you have one that slides.  A regular 10" compound miter saw will not have the cut capacity to handle a board 7.25" wide.

I have an easy jig to build for a circular saw that will make short work of cutting a board this wide.

Then route a 3/4" dado for the vertical divider.

Step 2

Now cut the middle shelf to length in the same manner and route its dadoes.

Step 3

The lower vertical divider can be set and glued in place and immediately move on to step 4 without letting the glue dry.

Step 4

Set the middle shelf in place and use a couple 90 degree clamps to keep the two shelves perpendicular to each other.

Then apply straight clamps to secure the three pieces and allow the glue to dry.

Step 5

The two sides can be cut while the glue is drying.

The side pictured on the RIGHT below gets a 30 degree angle cut in the top end.

The side pictured on the LEFT below gets a 40 degree angle cut in the top end.

NOTE: I'll explain the reasons for the two different angles in the Final Thoughts section below.

A couple dado get routed in both sides so they can be attached to the shelf assembly.

The bottom dado is 1" up from the bottom of both sides.  Then measure a 10" distance between the top of the bottom shelf and the bottom of the top shelf.

Step 6

The upper vertical divider is cut to length and gets a 30 degree angle on the top end.

Step 7

No dadoes for the roof pieces.  However Side A gets a 20 Degree angle cut on one end.

Lay it in place with a line of glue and move on to step 8.

Step 8

Lay Side B in place with a couple lines of glue and clamp in place.

I use a band clamp for odd jobs like this.

Step 9

Once the glue for the two roof pieces are dry you can remove the clamp and add some 1/4" dowels to each of the glue joints to add some strength and visual appeal.

Finally the chimney is options if you want to add some flare.  A scrap piece of 2x2 with a 30 degree angle cut on one end can just be glued in place.

Final Thoughts

Why the different angles?  Why not design the project to use the same angle throughout?

Well the answer to that is aesthetics.

I wanted the roof to not meet in the middle.  I wanted the projects symmetry to be cut into thirds.

In order to do that and get the roof to meet at about 1/3rd over and not have a roof pitch that was absurd, I needed to use different angles on either side.

If you need a simple and easy explanation on how to cut boards to length with angles, I just happen to have one for you.

Until then!

0

DIY TV Stand

Are you the type of person who wall mounts their TV or puts it on a TV stand?

We've had our TV displayed both ways. Right now our TV sits on an actual piece of furniture, a TV stand. It's serving us well.

The set up is great because we rely on our TV stand for a storage area. It can hold a DVD player, a game console, and lots of DVD's. Some of our school curriculum even resides there.

Like I said earlier we did have a time where we had the TV wall mounted. We still had our TV stand right below it. Why, you ask?

Visually, having it this way ensured the room appeared balanced and organized. Our home's living room was a long rectangular room which was broken up on one wall by an awkwardly placed door.

This meant placement of the couch had to be in one particular spot only. The small section of the wall left by that awkwardly placed door is where the TV had to be placed.

We don't have that issue in our current home, and the wall mounted unit is long gone.

We can rearrange the room's furniture if we wanted to. The TV is at the right height to soothe everyone's needs.

Ever noticed how there's always one person in the family who thinks the TV is too high and the other person thinks it's just right?

Yes, that conversation has happened in our home.

An option for you is to custom build your stand to the height that everyone can agree on. Also, I'm always looking for easy, affordable projects using 2x4's! Chad shares in his video that his project was only about 25.00 .

Talk about affordable!

DIY TV Stand:

Materials

Choice of Stain
(he used Dark Walnut)

Polyurethane

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Table Saw

Pocket Hole Jig

Drill

Various size clamps

2 1/2 inc screws

2x4 material

Final Thoughts:

You could add some corner hardware/decorative bolts to each corner of the piece to enhance the final finish.

In our house, the area behind our TV stand gets dusty fast.  Why not add castors to the leg bottoms to ensure easy cleaning and possible future furniture rearranging?

We hope you enjoyed this great home furniture project from Chad DIY . Be sure to check out their YouTube channel for even more great woodworking projects from Chad. Don't forget to subscribe!

If you liked this project, then you will love this matching rustic DIY Coffee Table. Feel free to check it out! Until then!

0

DIY 2x4 Shelf with Towel Hooks

When I did this design I originally had a bathroom setting in mind.  Hence the photo above.

Then I got to thinking that it would like nice just inside an entryway.  You could take your coat off  when you come inside and hang it on one of the hooks. 

Place your gloves and hat on top of the shelf and have everything in place the next time you wanted to go out somewhere or...

Imagine it tucked just inside a walk in closet.  A night robe hung up so you could just reach around the inside of the closet and grab it.

It's a great stylish design that would look good in just about any room and can be purposed for so many different things.

DIY Shelf with Hooks

Materials

2 - 2x4s (Might be able to get away with just 1 if you have a few 2x4 scraps laying around.)

NOTE: All board lengths are 8' long unless otherwise noted.

Choice of Stain

Polyurethane

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

Cut List

5 Shelf Slats @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 21"

1 Front Shelf Slat @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 24"

2 Shelf Side Pieces @1.5" x 1.5" x 8.75"

 

2 Vertical Joiner Pieces @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 8.5"

 

1 Horizontal Bottom Cross Piece @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 24"

 

4 Hook Pieces @ 1.5" x 1.5" x 3.5"

Cutting Diagrams

2x4s

Step 1

The first thing to do is too rip a 2x4 in half on the table saw.  Actually I should be more specific than to just say "half". 

2x4s usually have rounded corners to them.  Run each side through the table saw to remove this rounded portion.  Then set your table saw rip fence to 1.5" and you should be able to get two 8' lengths of board.  Each at one and a half inches or 38mm.

The bottom cross piece is the one that sits horizontal and gets the hook pieces attached to it.  Cut it to length on the miter saw and then take it back to the table saw and you should be able to cut all the slots you see below.

Step 2

The hooks are simple 3.5" or 89mm pieces with a 1/4" to 1/2" section routed out of them to create the hook on the end.

Again the easiest way to do that would be on the table saw.  However, don't cut each piece to it's 3.5" length and then try to cut that section out on the table saw.

Use a longer piece that you can get all four cut out of plus a few inches.  Set the blade height to around 1/4" or whatever height you want the hook part to have and run the piece across the blade using the miter gauge until you are 3.25" in from the end of the board.

Then take the piece over to the miter saw and cut a piece that is 3.5" long and whalahh!  You have one of your hook pieces.

Rinse and repeat for the other 3.

Then glue and clamp in place.

 

Step 3

The Vertical joiner pieces is what joins the top shelf to the bottom hook portion.  The photo below may look tricky but it isn't.

The miter gauge on the table saw can be used to cut the tenon shown on the top portion of the pic.

However, unless you have a tenon cutting jig for the other side you will probably just want to clamp the piece in a vise and use a pull saw.  A chisel will clean up the inside edges nicely to give a finished fit.

TIP:  Just remember to mark the waste portion of the material before cutting.  Since the cuts are 90 degrees to each other from one end to the other it can be a little visually disorienting.

Step 4

Now those pieces can be glued together with the bottom cross piece. 

Step 5

Lets start on the top shelf.  Again use the same technique you decided to go with in step 4 to cut this piece as well.

Step 6

Now glue the shelf slats between the side pieces.

NOTE:  Make sure you get the end mortise facing the right direction to be joined to the bottom section of the project.

The one thing here is to flush the slat to the end of the side pieces that has the joinery cut into it.  Space each piece 1/4" or 6mm apart and that should leave a 1/4" lip along the front so that when the next step is done the spacing between the slats will be uniform.

Step 7

Glue the front slat in place.

Step 9

Glue to two sections of the project together.

Final Thoughts

Once the project is dry it can come out of the clamps and be sanded down.  A few coats of your choice of stain along with a few more coats of a project sealer such as some polyurethane will complete this awesome gift giving idea.

I hope you enjoyed our 11th Day of 12 DIY Christmas Gift ideas.

Don't forget to stop by again tomorrow for another great project to help you with your gift giving dilemma's.


Until then!

0