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This patio cooler stand is made from cedar decking. 62' to be exact. It holds a 48 quart Igloo cooler. The top is hinged, and the cooler cover is mounted within the top. Bottle opener, and cap catcher complete the case. The cap catcher was made from some scrap tin I had, and assembled with rivets. Its lighter than it looks because of the cedar. This puts your cooler at a perfect height, and comes in handy for BBQ's. I must admit, this is not my idea. I saw an ad for something similar, made of reclaimed pine, for $200 plus shipping!. I saw a slightly larger one online, made from composite decking, (I think), for $1500.00!!
This was a one day project, with very simple joinery. Biscuits, and pocket hole screws, then a can of spray on Thompson Water Seal.
The cooler, lumber, brass handle, brass piano hinge, screws, glue, water seal, bottle opener, scrap tin: all in for about $145.00.
After the BBQ, I had a half dozen orders for them.

Material list:
1×6 8' Cedar decking from Big Orange 4pcs $38
1×6 10" Cedar decking 3pcs $36
Igloo cooler 48qt $30
Water seal $5
Handle $4
Lid support $6
Piano hinge $11
Bottle opener $5
Misc: glue, screws, biscuits, tin $10
One day to construct, one day to sand/finish

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310 Posts
That's awesome. Would look great on my new deck.
 

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Brilliant. That's going on the list of must haves.

Thanks for sharing
 

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Real cool I bought one from the store, not wood though. I really like yours good job!
 

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Really nice! Exactly what I've needed for our patio parties! Thanks for sharing.
 

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381 Posts
That's pretty cool, I'm going to favorite that and make one for myself sometime.
 

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Great cooler stand. I've thought about making something like this, now I know I'm going to. Good pictures too.
Thanks for posting,
Bob
 

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I do have plans, in my head. I saw this in a catalog and said to myself, self, I can make that.
Very simple joinery, use your imagination. To be honest, it really depends on what size cooler you use.
Have fun!
 

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I'll do my best.
The cooler was an Igloo 48qt: 13 1/2 deep x 13 high x 24 wide, cut the handles off. I based the entire thing on these dimensions, therefore, it really depends on what cooler you use.

Anyway;
33" tall x 29" wide x 19" deep
Base:
legs 2 3/4" x 32×8pcs, each leg is a glue up of two of these, 45 angle with biscuits
Cover: 16 1/2" x 27"

This is mostly all I wrote down. Sorry.
 

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I am new to this so this may be a stuped question. How do I get the pattern for this cooler?
 

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I'm new here and would also like to know how you handled the drain.
 

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I am making one right now! I got the front and back done today….sides and top tomorrow. Mine is a little larger (as the only cooler on the premises is HUGE).

This is SO perfect! As it takes shape, I am getting so excited to see the final product! Thanks so much for such an amazing idea! :)

 

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PS: Photo above is of the front, leaning on the cooler. The cooler is sitting up on a stool. :)
 

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I am also interested in how it drains as asked in one other comment. Also, how did you attach the cooler lid to the inside of the wooden lid?
 

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I finished! It works awesome! I am so happy with this project….It is a super large cooler, so it took 4 bags of ice, 2 - 24 packs of water, an 12 pack of canned seltzer water, and an 18 pk of canned beer. It could have even held another couple of bags of ice! Anyway, it all went in last Saturday, today is Wednesday, and the ice is now just cold water. We have had 80-85 degree days, and the cooler cover is in direct sun for a few hours of that time. We put in all of the water at room temp, so thinking if everything were cold when we put it in it would have easily gone another day even in this unseasonably warm weather we are having here.

Okay, for the questions re draining. I left a large open space at the bottom to allow me to reach up inside and pull the cooler plug if I want to. My husband has said he could hook a drain hose up to it to divirt it away from the deck area if I want….

BUT

I plan on scooping the water out with a large pan to water the flowers on my deck, and then just lifting it out to pour out the remainder.

Re the lid:

I made sure it was all tight and good, and then I drilled pilot hols and screwer through the outside top into the lid. I used wood plugs as well, so it is all hidden, and looks nice from the outside as well as in. There is still a tiny bit of "wiggle" room for the body of the cooler, but the lid fits nice and snug, and when opening the cooler you can feel the suction of the lid.

I hope this helps! This was one of the coolest projects ever. I have my bottle cap opener on order (home brewers outpost had the best prices, and I shopped around very hard).
 

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