6 Bin Storage Unit

My girlfriend asked me to make her something to store clothes in that don’t really have a place right now(e.g. Gym clothes and bras/lingerie that do not fit in our current dresser.) She wanted it to go in the closet, and have some pull-out bins in which to store the clothes. This is what I came up with. I found some canvas storage bins online that were a good size (13×13x10) for the project. I ordered them and began putting some ideas together in SketchUp. I didn’t buy or cut any wood before I had the bins in hand incase there was variation in actual size and given dimensions.

Once the bins arrived, I was happy to find out that they were exactly as stated, so I headed up to the big box to get some plywood. I found a good sheet of 3/4 oak ply at the big box that (amazingly) was not their usual Chinese plywood. It is made by Swaner Hardwoods in Burbank, CA. I was impressed with the quality of their plywood having not worked with ‘real’ plywood in quite some time.

The entire project is constructed from a single sheet of 4×8 oak ply, a single 2×4 sheet of 5.2mm luan plywood, some pre-milled cove moulding, and some 1×3 oak scraps I had. The top moulding is stain grade pre-milled solid oak cove, the base moulding was chamfered and rabetted on the table saw from 1×3 solid oak stock(second picture.) The solid edging was made by surface planing 1×3 stock down to 45/64ths (the exact thickness of the plywood) and then ripped to 9/64th” thick strips(putting it about 5/32nds back from the front edge of the cove moulding) As you can see from the third picture, I was able to get pretty good color matching between the plywood and the solid wood edging.

The sides and partitions are all set in 1/4” deep dadoes and rabbets in their mating pieces, the top/bottom/and shelf run the full width of the piece. The sides and top were cut from a straight line in the ply giving me grain continuity from side to top to side. The back is 5.2mm luan ply set in a 1/4×1/4 groove that is inset 1/4” from the back edge of the top and sides. The base moulding had a 1/4×3/4 rabbet that the carcase sits down in to. The four corners are re-inforced with 2×2 solid oak blocks that are glued/brad nailed in place from both the carcase and base moulding.

The stain is MinWax English Chestnut which is a little darker than I was intending, I was going to use either Golden Oak or Early American, but I didn’t have either of those on hand at the time. Looking at the completed piece, I’m glad I went with the English Chestnut, it was a perfect match for the edging on the bins which really helped tie the whole thing together.

The fourth picture shows it in it’s new home. I know it’s a little over the top for being in a spot no one but myself and my girlfriend will ever see it, but like most of my projects, I saw it as an opportunity to learn and explore new techniques. Besides, since we may be moving in the next two years, who knows what room of the house it will ultimately end up in. I may have to build another for my sons toys!

Complete dimensioned drawings, the 3D sketchup model, and a cutlist will soon be available on my website. www.AwlFreePlans.com

Thanks for looking.

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