Wood Wastebasket

The wood wastebasket woodworking project can be a functional accessory for your patio, deck, or wood shop. I used old, weathered cedar fence boards, but you can use new materials if you don't want a rustic appearance.

I recently added a closeable lid to this waste basket. When the lid is closed, you can use the container as an end table on your patio. If you have any suggestions or questions about this project, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Woood Wastebasket — Wastebasket with Lid Closed

Building the Wood Wastebasket

Building the wood wastebasket was simple. You may have noticed that I like to use old fence boards for many of my projects. The wood is free, and the rustic appearance looks good on a patio, deck, or workshop.

I fastened all the pieces using an air nail gun with 1.25" finish nails. You can use other fasteners if you choose, so long as they are long enough to fasten all the parts and short enough so they don't poke through the material.

The tools I used to build this project were a table saw, miter saw, air stapler, tape measure, pencil, and square.

The outside dimensions of the wood waste basket are 16.25" wide X 13" deep X 23" high. The example project's uprights are all equal widths, but this is not a requirement. So long as the combined widths equal the overall width of the sides and end pieces, then you are fine. Examine the diagram below for details.

Step 1 - As mentioned earlier, you don't need to make the widths of each of the fence board planks equal, but if you decide to, divide the width (14.5") by a number that will allow you to make the best use of your fence boards. For example, dividing 14.5" by 5, will give you a width of 2.9" for each plank (only about 1/2" or so of each board is waste - this is good). Cut these rips into four 21.5" long pieces. This is enough material for the uprights of one side. Repeat the above steps to cut the uprights for the other side. Next, rip another 6' fence board in half. The two halves will be roughly 1.75" wide. Cut two 14.5" long pieces. Use these two pieces to assemble the sides as shown in the diagram to the right. Nail one 14.5-inch piece flush to the bottom of the uprights, and the other 1.25" from the top.

Step 2 - To determine the widths of the uprights of the end pieces, the ends, when assembled, will fit inside the two side pieces. So, subtract the thickness of the side pieces from the overall required outside measurement (11").

Assuming that the fence boards are 3/4" thick (and most of them are), subtracting 1 1/2 inches (the combined thickness) from 11" leaves 9 1/2". Divide 9 1/2" by three results in a width of 3 1/8" (roughly). Rip a couple of fence boards 3 1/8" and cut the lengths 21.5". Building the ends is similar to build the sides. The only difference is that horizontal pieces will stick past the edges of the uprights 1 1/2" on each side (assuming the fence boards and horizontal trim pieces are 3/4" thick).

Step 3 - When ready, attach the ends to the sides as shown in the diagram to the right.

Step 4 - This diagram shows the bottom of the wood wastebasket with the sides and ends assembled. Measure the inside of the bottom of the container to determine what size to make the bottom piece. The dimensions should be close to 9 1/2" X 13".

Step 5 - Tip! - Before cutting the material to make the bottom piece, give yourself a little room and make it about 1/8" less in length and width than the actual inside dimensions of the waste basket. Fence board widths and thickness vary; you don't want to struggle to install the bottom piece.

Step 6 - Insert the assembled bottom piece into the bottom end of the container, as shown in the diagram to the right.

Step 7 - Measure the outside dimensions of the top of the wood wastebasket and build a frame, as shown in the diagram to the right. The inside dimensions of the frame should be about .25 inches larger in width (on both sides) and .25 inches (on the front end) in length than the outside dimensions of the top of the container (so the lid will shut). Rip some more fence boards to fill in the top of the inside of the frame (see diagrams). When finished, it should rest on the upper horizontal trim.

Adding Hinges to the Lid

Wood Waste Basket Hinged Lid — Wood Wastebasket with Hinged Lid

I had some old brass door hinges in my garage to use for my project, so I didn't have to buy any new ones. I like the look of black metal with aged cedar, so I painted the hinges and the tops of the screws with RUST-OLEUM black enamel spray paint.

Place the lid on the wood waste basket and center it from side to side. Mark the holes with a pencil or nail and pre-drill them for the size screw you plan to use to attach the hinges.

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