The wood waste basket woodworking project is excellent for your
patio, deck or wood shop. It is made of old weathered cedar fence
boards, but you can use new material if you prefer.
I recently added a closeable lid to this waste basket. When
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!
Waste Basket with Lid Closed
Inside View of the Waste Basket
Building the Wood Waste Basket
Building the wood waste basket is quite 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 of the pieces together using an air stapler and 1.25"
staples. You can use other fasteners if you choose, but keep in
mind that they must be long enough to hold the parts together, but short
enough so that they don't go 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 17" wide X 13"
deep X 23" high. The example project's uprights are all equal
widths, but this is not a requirement. As long as the combined
widths equal the overall required 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 (15") by a number
that will allow you to make the best use of your fence boards.
For example, dividing 15" by 5, will give you a width of 3" 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 2.25" wide. When you're done, you will have a
2.25" wide piece and a 1.5" wide piece (roughly). From the
2.25" wide piece, cut a piece 15" long. From the 1.5" wide
piece, cut a piece 145 long. Use these two pieces to assemble
the sides as shown in the diagram to the right. Nail the 2.25"
piece flush to the bottom of the uprights, and nail the 1.5"
piece 1.25" from the top.
Step 2 - To determine the widths of the
uprights of the end pieces, keep in mind that the ends, when
assembled, will actually 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 3 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 3/4" thick fence
boards and 3/4" thick horizontal trim pieces are used).
Step 3 - After both sides and both ends
have been constructed, attach the assembled ends to the sides as
shown in the diagram to the right.
Step 4 - This diagram shows the bottom
of the wood waste basket after the sides and ends have been
attached. 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 1/2".
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 quite a bit, and you don't want to have to
struggle with the bottom piece when you are trying to install
it.
Step 6 - Install the assembled bottom
piece into the bottom of the container as shown in the diagram
to the right.
Step 7 - Measure the outside dimensions
of the top of the wood waste basket 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 and length than the
actual outside dimensions of the top of the container. This is
so the lid will always shut easily. 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
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 top of 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 your going to use to attach the hinges.
