Counter Height Garden Box by Janet Fox
I was inspired to make this project because I love to garden but have neuropathy in my extremities making it very difficult to get off the ground once there. I have made myself 6 of these and am so pleased that I thought I’d share the pattern. Perfect cuts are unnecessary as long as you are within 1/4 inch you will be okay.
3/8″ wood is what is shown in the photos and videos. I have also done 1/2″. Both work just fine, really will depend on what wood is available to you.
The depth shown in these photos and video is 1-1/2″ (may be referred to as 2″ when buying but it is actual dimension of 1-1/2″). I like this shallow depth because it is easy to reach in small spaces if the depth is short. Avoid tall, narrow dividers that are hard to reach in.
For wood species, I used pine. There are other options, even softer wood like balsa, or more expensive hardwoods. All work just fine. You could even use hardwood plywood that is ripped into strips.
For my one drawer shown, I used right at 1 foot of c-channel and about 2 linear feet of wood board. My advice would be to purchase the pack of c-channel from Amazon, and then just cut and use it up as you go around the house, you’ll be wanting to tackle all your drawers!
This method is SO simple, I really liked just creating the dividers right in place, so I could section the drawer off with the contents available to measure and fit. This is the beauty of this method – just open a drawer, add a divider, and keep adding dividers until you are satisfied. And if you mess up, just unstick and restick it.
Clear out the drawer and clean it well. The sides need to be cleaned so the mounting tape will stick.
Measure and mark where the first divider is to be placed.
Cut the C-channel with pruning shears or heavy duty scissors. The cut length should match the board width – in my example, I used 1-1/2″ wide boards, so I cut my c-channel pieces 1-1/2″ long. You’ll need two c-channel pieces per divider.
Cut the mounting tape to fit the backs of the channel and stick to backs.
Stick the c-channel pieces inside the drawer. TIP: I measure out and marked the centers, making sure the mark would be visible when sticking the c-channel in place.
Measure inside the c-channel and cut wood pieces to fit, so the pieces fit snug but not too tight. I used a jigsaw to cut.
Insert the cut wood piece into the c-channels.
Repeat as desired – the more dividers you add in, the more stable the system will be.
Here’s a 30 second video of my tackling a drawer. I do recommend the pruning shears instead of the scissors for cutting the c-channel, this was a much cleaner method of cutting it.
This idea was built off my original metal C-Channel drawer organizer tutorial. The metal channel is harder to do, as you have to file down the metal pieces so there’s no sharp edges, but it does produce a nice finished product.
To build this cake stand start by cutting and prefinishing your boards, sand any rough edges.
To assemble, you will glue and nail the first side piece.
Next glue and nail the other side piece.
Finally add the 3rd and 4th sides, they will span across the exposed ends, nail and glue here too.
Such an easy way to make a wood cake display with simple customizations.
Ready to elevate your cakes to new heights? Get this one built! Here’s the free step by step plans from Ana-White.com
Make an easy and inexpensive cupcake display in just a couple of hours!
I recommend prefinishing all of the boards.
After letting them dry time to assemble.
Using a nailer and glue repeat this process for all 4 “U” shaped pieces.
Once all the pieces are nailed, it’s time to glue and stack them.
I recommend taking the extra step of further securing the stacked boards with a scrap 1×2, it made it much stronger and secure.
Now add the treads with more glue along the side and back. If you need to secure it more, nail to side edges.
I touched up the paint after assembly and love how it turned out! I think it would also work to transport easily if you omit the glue and just reassemble each time with the 1×2 on the underside and just set the treads. Happy Building!
Ready to build your own? The free plans for this cupcake display stand follow.
To build these wood lanterns, you’ll need pine or “whitewood” boards for the base, in 1×6, 1×8 or 1×10 sizes (depending on the size of lantern you are building).
For the 3/4″ x 3/4″ pieces, you can buy 3/4″ square dowels online or at most home improvement stores. If you are building in bulk, it is much less expensive to take a wider width board, like a 1×8 or 1×12, and rip it into 3/4″ strips. Ripping is not easy for this small of a piece, do not attempt without experience using a table saw.
This plan include three different style bases, for your personal preference. Use the cut list that matches your base to build your lantern.
Build this stacked cake stand in an hour or less!
Start by cutting all of your boards, be sure to sand any rough edges. Now you may leave the wood natural or I recommend prefinishing the boards.
For assembly, you will nail and glue the 4 side piece together.
Next set the planks across the top keeping them flush to each side. Nail and glue each board down to the box base.
You will build the next box with the same steps as the first and then just stack! This DIY cake stand is easy to personalize with initials or a name. Plus you may customize the size or how many boxes you stack. Something this simple, why not take an ordinary cake to the next level?
I love that it holds a small cake and cupcakes. This was a super fun and easy build, now it’s your turn!
Ready to build yourself? The free plans for this tiered cake stand are below.