Wooden Storage Chest

I wanted to build a storage chest for our bathroom so I drew a plan in my design program. It would sit by the toilet and hold extra toilet paper with magazines or books on top.

I had rough cedar lap and gap siding left over from house repairs and I cut a board of the 3/4" thick siding into 10" pieces to form the sides of the chest.

The board was cupped so we ripped them down the v groove on the table saw.

I glued and nailed the pieces together to form the 4 sides.

I glued and nailed the sides to a solid mahogany base of 12" x 7 1/2" and glued and nailed the corners. I cut pieces from scraps and glued them into the gaps at the bottom.

At this stage it looks like a planter. Overall it is 13 1/2" x 9" x 10" tall.

I glued and nailed pieces together on 1/4" plywood to form the lid. Notice I stained the cut corners on the chest which matches the rest of the wood.

I glued cedar trim on the lid and clamped it with this nifty framing clamp from Rockler. The finished lid is 14 3/4" x 10 1/4".

I could trim the whole chest out in cedar or leather with tacks, but I wanted it to be different.

With a brad nail gun, I nailed rope all the way around the chest, making loops as I went. I sprayed a coat of sealer inside and out.

The final step is to install the hinges.

This wasn't easy. I was going to put the hinges on the outside of the chest and underneath the lid, but the hinges were too deep and stuck out from the lid. Instead of going to the hardware store to find smaller hinges, I decided to install them on the inside of the chest, but I had to notch out a recess for the hinges so the lid would close without a gap.

The finished project is 13 1/2" x 9" x 11" tall.

Of course, you can store anything in it but this chest holds 6 regular rolls or 4 mega rolls of extra toilet paper in a handy place. It also holds magazines or books on top for the "reading room".

Our bathroom is nautical themed but you can decorate this chest to your liking. Have fun!