| Project by George Gilbert | posted 688 days ago | 399 views | 4 times favorited | 15 comments |  |
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We awoke one summer day in June, 2000, to find that our toilet had been overflowing all night. In addition to ruining the bathroom floor, the water seeped into the utility room next door. The water also drained through the floor into the downstairs. It was a mess; but, as is true with many disasters, it turned out to be a blessing. A friend spent 3 1/2 months doing repairs. We took advantage of the project to do a little remodeling as well. When the work was done we were pleased with the results.
There was one lingering problem, however. The toilet in our new bathroom was backed against the middle of a wall with nowhere to conveniently mount a toilet paper dispenser. My solution was to design and build a standalone dispenser. The objective was to create an elegant addition to our bathroom that complemented the decor and was light enough to be moved while a person was engaged on the thrown. It also had to hold two rolls to prevent any embarrassing moments caused by running out while inconvenienced.
As pictured, the finished dispenser is made of oak with an open framework design that makes it quite light. The six cross members make the unit exceptionally sturdy. People have asked why I didn’t close the bottom so it could be used for storing spare rolls. That would have made the unit too heavy. Besides, with two rolls on board, it doesn’t matter where the spare rolls are stored.
Every part of this standalone TP dispenser (with the exception of the plastic roll holders and rubber feet) is hand made from oak including the handle on the top. The buttons showing on the side hide screw holes. The finish is a Golden Oak stain under two coats of water based polyurethane. To give the unit a very smooth finish, the entire piece has sanded with a Fine 3-M sanding pad. This removes the shine and leaves a finish that is as smooth as a baby’s behind. All finishing was completed before final assembly.
-- George ... my other passion is software development (http://www.2goodsoftware.com)
15 comments so far
Russel
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2063 posts in 837 days
posted 687 days ago
How terribly convenient having a spare roll right there. A neat design and an attractive implementation.
-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com
TreeBones
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1557 posts in 921 days
posted 687 days ago
Another great piece born of necessity.
-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/
GaryK
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9537 posts in 886 days
posted 687 days ago
Alright! A two roller.
Good job.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
RobS
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1243 posts in 1204 days
posted 687 days ago
Cool, could even double as a cane, like if your leg falls asleep or something.. Nice job.
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
Grumpy
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14932 posts in 748 days
posted 687 days ago
Great design George, very practical. Just fo interest, which way does the paper roll over the top or underneath??, everyone seems to have a different idea on that.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Karson
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25806 posts in 1298 days
posted 687 days ago
Grumpy: I like the paper falling down on the front side of the roll. That way it is easy to find.
Great design George. I guess with a design like that you could put in the 1000’ rolls that they use in commercial water closets. Other than the paper is like cardboard.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
George Gilbert
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4 posts in 688 days
posted 687 days ago
RobS … You are right on. I have used the dispenser as a cane many times since I like to read while on the thrown. Legs falling asleep is a condition with which I am intimately familiar.
Grumpy … The paper rolls either way. However, Lois and I are firm “over the top” people.
Karson … I’m not a fan of commercial paper. Nor am I a fan of Charmin. I’m somewhere in the middle. (No pun intended.)
-- George ... my other passion is software development (http://www.2goodsoftware.com)
rpmurphy509
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290 posts in 752 days
posted 687 days ago
I need one of those :)
-- Still learning everything
Marge
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144 posts in 851 days
posted 687 days ago
The design is great – and to admire it you have a captive audience:)
-- Marge, Colorado
cajunpen
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5968 posts in 963 days
posted 687 days ago
Great solution to a very necessary piece of equipment. I’m an over the top guy too.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
Dadoo
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1723 posts in 888 days
posted 687 days ago
Elegant…Yes! Very nice.
There’s probably some personality disorder for people’s preference on how the TP flows off the roll. Mine is “going postal” when I discover that there is no roll! But I had this friend one time, who used to be a janitor, and said that “people use less TP if it comes off the top of the roll”. I don’t know where in the world she gets this info…probably some million dollar government research project from the 60’s!
-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!
MsDebbieP
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14163 posts in 1058 days
posted 687 days ago
over the top.
great idea. Well done.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
rikkor
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11335 posts in 772 days
posted 687 days ago
Over the top. Why put it on wrong?
jockmike2
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7350 posts in 1144 days
posted 686 days ago
Great idea George, you have my blessing. Nothing worse than trying to twist backward grappling for some s….. paper and then to run out. You have managed to solve both problems and do it in an elegant way, kudos.. mike
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
mot
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4903 posts in 934 days
posted 685 days ago
Keeps it at the ready! A lot of detail and work in that piece.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)