DIY Small Activity Station

Children's art and their art supplies are a sensitive subject in our house.

Dad:  "Why is the baby eating that crayon?"

Kids 1, 2 & 3: .......................................(Blank stare.)

Dad:  "That is a rhetorical question for, get that crayon out of the baby's mouth!!!"

Kids 1 & 2: "Can I have that please baby?"

Baby: ...............................(Runs away laughing.  Then gags on crayon.)

Kid 3:  ..........................(Skips away and sneaks a cookie.)

Yup, sounds familiar doesn't it.  Thought so!

Art supplies never seem to make it back to where they came from.  What if tiny people had their own personal caddies to keep their scissors, pencils, glue sticks and more importantly...crayons.

This is a simple and easy Christmas gift idea that can be built with minimal tools, time and materials.  Plus it doesn't have to be used for kids supplies either if you don't have children.

It could come in handy to store all sorts of other things.

• Paperclips
• Pens
• Erasers
• Calculators
• Post It notes
• Scotch tape

The list goes on...but you get the idea.

DIY Small Activity Caddy

Materials

1 - 1x2

1 - 1x3

1 - 1x4

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 Cross Piece @ .5" x 1.5" x 8"

2 Front & Back Pieces @ .5" x 3.25" x 7.5"

2 Side Pieces @ .5" x 1.75" x 8"

2 Interior Dividers @ .25" x 1.5" x 7.5"

4 Interior Dividers (short) @ .25" x 1.5" x 2.75"

5 Bottom Pieces @ .25" x 1.5" x 7.5"

Cutting Diagrams

1x2s

 1x3s

 1x4s

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.

Step 4

The bottom piece can be one whole board if you can find a project board big enough to get these deminsions.

However, that is not how I have it listed in the cut list above.

I have 5 boards listed that make up the bottom piece.  So edge glue the 5 pieces together and then cut it to final size on the table saw.  You could start the glue up process first thing.  Then by the time you are done with steps 1-3 it would be ready to come out of the clamps to be sanded and trimmed.

Step 5

The interior dividers are next.

In the cut list I simplified the shopping by having you get these 1/4" thick pieces out of a regular 1x4 that is actually 3/4" thick.  If you have a thickness planer you can plane down the material to the desired thickness.

If not, you could just buy 1/4" project pieces at your local home improvement store.  It costs more but if it's what you gotta do then by all means.

Step 6

A little bit of wood glue in the dadoes and just slide them in place.

 

Step 7

The shorter interior dividers can now be set in place as well.

Step 8

The top cross piece can be cut to length.  Two 1/4" diameter holes can be drilled on each end for pencils.  Then a slightly larger diameter holes can be drilled to hold something a little larger in girth.

I have 1/2" holes pictured below.

Step 9

Glue and clamps the top cross piece in place.

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 2nd 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!

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DIY Vertical Tower Garden

Christmas shopping can be hard.  Especially if you're like me.  I should be given a shopping handicap like I get in golf.  Spot me a few strokes and it's game on.

So during this holiday season I have painstakingly come up with 12 DIY projects that just happen to make great gifts.

This is #1

Now I know what you are thinking...

"But Stan, it's a planter and it's Christmas time.  Planters are for the spring."

Well I says, who doesn't think about and start planning for spring, espeicially during the winter months.  We all long for those warm sunny days when the frost is gone and the flowers begin to bloom.

So give a gift in the winter that will keep your loved one as hopeful and excited as a child on Christmas eve.

DIY Vertical Tower Garden Planter Box

Materials

2 - 1x2s

9 - 1x4s

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

Choice of Stain

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

1/4" Dowels

Band Clamp

3" Hole Saw 

Cut List

8 Top & Bottom Ridge Caps @ 3.5" x 19"

8 Trim Pieces @ 1.5" x 18-1/16"

20 Vertical Side Slat Pieces @ 3.5" x 31"

Cutting Diagrams

1x2s

1x4s

Step 1

Lets start with the side panels.  Each of the panels are edge glued 1x4s.

Five 1x4s give us a panel that is slightly wider than the final width listed above.  This is by design.  Whenever you will be cutting angles into boards you always want to make that board(s) longer or wider than the measurements listed in a cut list.

Don't worry about the holes at this point even though they are pictured below.

Step 2

Once the panels are dry take them out of their clamps and cut a 45 degree angle on both sides of each panel.

Step3

After that is done we can measure, mark and cut the 3" holes into each tower garden panel.

If you don't have a three inch hole saw or a hole saw kit for that matter, not to worry, they are cheap and easy to find.

Measure 4.75" in from each side.  Be sure to measure and mark from the long side of the board and not the short angle side.

Then it's 5" up from the top and bottom and 12" respectively for the middle sets of holes.

Step 4

Now it's time to turn our attention to the ridge caps that will be positioned on both the top and bottom of each side.

Again cut your boards longer than needed in the cut list above.  Adding 2" to 3" to each board should give you enough wiggle room to get both angles cut and not come up short on the length.

However, before you cut the angles into the pieces set up a straight bit in a router table and route a 3/4" wide dado 1" from one side of the board.

Step 5

Apply wood glue to each dado and position the side panels in each.

Step 6

Now we can start to assemble the four sides.

Proceed with a light touch from here on out until you can get some clamps in place.  Applying pressure evenly and a little at a time is the key to a mitered glue up.

Yes it can be frustrating but that frustration usually comes from applying to much pressure in one direction from one clamp which pulls the whole project out of square.  Then pieces start falling to the table and we all wonder how the guy in the video made it look so easy.

A band clamp comes in handy for things like this.  It can hold the four sides in place and squared up while straight clamps are applied and slowly worked tighter.

Alternatively you could use a joinery method that references one piece to another such as biscuit joinery. 

Step 7

A few 1x4s cut to length can just be laid in place in the bottom of the tower planter.  No need to fasten them in place as the dirt will do that.

NOTE:  One side has been removed in the picture for illustration purposes only.

Step 8

This step is optional as it is for aesthetic purposes only.  Cut some trim pieces to length.  Then cut 45 degree angles in each side and glue them to the outside of the project just below the top ridge caps and just above the bottom ones.

You will notice in the video that I did not do this step.  That is because I choose not to add the additional expense and material for something that is purely for looks.  However, I have added it in these plans just in case someone does want them.

It's up to you.

Final Thoughts

Simple glued up miter joints will NOT be strong enough to hold this project together.  The corners will pop loose inside of a day or after the first watering.  The reason is because the wood will expand and contract thus popping the joints.

I used dowels through the corners to add strength and visual appeal to the vertical tower planter.  The dowel rods come in 36" length from any local home improvement store and cost around $1.50.

Cheap joinery that is functional and looks good too.  Win, win.

As far as protecting you new gift giving idea I used a cedar colored deck stain.

Obviously you could line the inside of the planter box with a heavy mil plastic to try and extend its useful life span

If you are not using all of the spaces provided for plants then you may be wondering how to keep the soil from falling out of the project.  Well, you could cover the holes from the inside or do what we did and just leave them open.

I put my hands over the holes while someone filled the tower with dirt until it was above the top of the hole I was covering and at that point the dirt just stayed put.  I can't defend it, it just does.

I hope you enjoyed our 1st Day of 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!

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30 Days of DIY Projects 2 Make Us Thankful

Project 30

This is the final post of our series of projects to make us thankful for DIY.  Thanks for being with us during the month of November for  simple and easy DIY projects! Please be sure to visit again to check out our upcoming December series of great Christmas gifts you can make and give!

It's our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at
Simply Easy DIY!

Optimizing space in a bathroom can be quite challenging. Oftentimes navigating the bathroom is like navigating an obstacle course.

Some of the things that you can encounter in a cluttered bath are half hazered towels, messy kids bath toys, just used hot  hairdryers and irons, and a weirdly placed toilet paper holder.

Some bathrooms even have "decor" like free standing statues or fake plants.

No thanks on the fake plants. Too dusty.

How can you improve the design and functionality of your bathroom storage? You could go with a pricey custom cabinet installation. Most of us don't have that kind of budget though.


A better option is to utilize that dead space behind the door where cabinets won't fit anyway.

A thin spot can perfectly fit a nice floating shelf with a lower towel bar. An added bonus: the industrial pipe look is really popular right now.

Check out how Dan over at Kateryna Woodworks shows how it easy it is to make. Also included: all materials and dimensions this project!

DIY Industrial Bathroom Towel Bar:

Wipe on Polyurethane

Thickness Planer

Miter Saw

Cedar or your choice

Drill

Random Orbit Sander

Various grit Sandpaper 

Iron Piping

Final Thoughts

Worried if that bar might leave marks on your towels? Dan covers that. He cleaned and coated his bar with polyurethane too.

I hope you enjoyed today's featured project and don't forget to stop by "Dan Ridley" YouTube channel to check out even more great woodworking videos from him. Don't forget to subscribe.

We are wrapping up our November 2016 thankful 4 DIY series. Thanks for being here with us.  Our "12 days of Christmas projects" next series can be found here. Design plans included in each one!

Until then!

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DIY Easy 2x4 Bedside Table

30 Days of DIY Projects 2 Make Us Thankful

Project 29

This is the twenty ninth post of our series of projects to make us thankful for DIY.  Be sure to check back everyday during the month of November for new simple and easy DIY projects.

It's our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at
Simply Easy DIY!

If you're familiar with those end tables that are called "decorator table" then you will know well how flimsy they can be.

At one time I admit that I had two of them serving as bedside tables. They each had a cloth covering that you could match up to the colors in your decor and you could swap it out periodcially out if you wanted to.

An added bonus was that under that covering you could stash away clutter. We even had books stacked underneath.

They served their purpose and we used them for several years.

Over time, the peg legs on the table didn't fit so neatly in their sockets after going through several moves.

Then, children came along and wanted to "hide" out under the covering on the table. The space is limited and they'd topple over the table, lamp, and other things on it each time.

Fortunately the lamps never were broken in this process.

After awhile though, we were dreaming of more formal furniture. Specifically, something that had a shelf or a drawer and wasn't so easily knocked over.

At the time, we went with a cabinet style one that was purchased from a furniture store. Thinking back on it, these easily doable bedside tables that Brittaney shares would have been perfect for our need and much better for the budget.

DIY Easy 2x4 Bedside Table:

Wood Glue 

Miter Saw

2x4's 

Various Size Clamps

Drill

Nail Gun 

Pocket Hole Jig 

Brad Nailer

Cuts:

You should always measure to fit your specific space and expectations. In the project that Brittaney shares, the cuts measure as follows:

Top:
5 2x4's cut to 24 inches

Legs:
4 2x4's cut to 20 inches
4 2x4's cut to 12.5 inches
4 2x4's cut to 11.5 inches (2x4's ripped in half)

Bottom:
4 2x4's cut to 15 inches

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed today's featured project and don't forget to stop by "Tru Furniture" YouTube channel to check out even more great woodworking and crafting videos from Brittaney. Don't forget to subscribe.

We hope you will return to Simply Easy DIY everyday through the month of November for more projects that make us thankful 4 DIY.

Until then!

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DIY Wooden Planter Box

30 Days of DIY Projects 2 Make Us Thankful

Project 28

This is the twenty eighth post of our series of projects to make us thankful for DIY.  Be sure to check back everyday during the month of November for new simple and easy DIY projects.

It's our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at
Simply Easy DIY!

We  have planter boxes in our backyard that are currently growing herbs and other edibles.  We grow this way due to our Florida sandy soil and I'm happy to report that we've had a lot of successes.

One of our most successful gardening adventures has been this planter box.



It's made out of pine but has great bones. In other words, it's a well made design. It's pushing two years old is still going strong.

No matter what choice of wood, the design will help ensure it's success and lifespan.

Right before we built that planter box, we were using two store bought cedar planters. The design was a circular barrel shape, held together by metal strips. Once the metal strips came loose, the boards were loose and when we looked closer, the cedar boards were rotted .

Those planters lasted about a year.

Here in Florida, we use our planter boxes year round so it's like having a double growing season.

There are so many designs out there. You have to give some thought as to how much maintenance you want to do, what materials you've already got on hand, what it's going to hold, and what look you want on your property.

I've seen them made out of cedar, pine, old fence boards, hay bales, cement blocks and it seems the list goes on and on.

In other words, there is not a right way or a wrong way to make a planter box.

The planter box that you make will be great for YOUR purposes.

This is what Mitch did over at Mitch Deitrich YouTube channel. He placed his box  in the front of his home for some curb appeal in what had previously been empty unused space.

Build this DIY Wooden Planter Box:

 

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed today's featured project and don't forget to stop by "Mitch Deitrich" YouTube channel to check out even more great woodworking videos from him. Don't forget to subscribe.

We hope you will return to Simply Easy DIY everyday through the month of November for more projects that make us thankful 4 DIY.

Until then!

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DIY Modern Accent Table

30 Days of DIY Projects 2 Make Us Thankful

Project 27

This is the twenty seventh post of our series of projects to make us thankful for DIY.  Be sure to check back everyday during the month of November for new simple and easy DIY projects.

It's our way of saying Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at
Simply Easy DIY!

For this project, you'll need only to stop at the home improvement store to pick up a few items in the plumbing section. If you purchase a 5 foot pipe length and then cut it down to size using a pipe cutter, you'll have the pieces you'll need at an affordable price.

You can purchase any pre made crate or make one yourself in the workshop. We built several DIY crates in our rolling cart storage bin build and you can use our design plans.


Stain your crate the night before and then the build goes quick the next day, once you begin cutting and assembling the copper tubing lengths that make up the bottom of this table.

Use this accent table in the living room or position it in the bedroom as a bed side table. Have a child that is going off to college? This one fits in the dorm room.

How to make a DIY Modern Accent Table:

Wood Gel Stain "Dark Walnut"

Pipe Cutter

Wood Crate
NOTE: If you want a Simple and Easy DIY version click here.

E6000 glue

Old T Shirt, Gloves

4 - copper elbows
 
4 - t connectors 
(1/2 inch pipes)

5' of Copper Tubing from Plumbing section cut into the following lengths:


2 - 10 inch pieces
4 - 16 inch pieces
2 - 14 inch pieces

Leather Cording (optional)

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed today's featured project and don't forget to stop by "Katie Bookser" YouTube channel to check out even more great crafting videos from her. Don't forget to subscribe.

We hope you will return to Simply Easy DIY everyday through the month of November for more projects that make us thankful 4 DIY.

Until then!

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