The Hair Accessories Organizer from PB Teen is so cute! $99.00 seems kind of steep so I figured I could hack it and make one myself! It cost me nothing… the plywood I used was sheathed around two sheets of walnut plywood I special ordered so it was free! (I’m sure I paid for it somewhere!)
Today, I’ll show how I built this and include the plans I drew up in case you’d like to build one for yourself or as a gift! We all know that Christmas is right around the corner and this would make a great gift!
I used plywood for the body and glue with 1-1/4″ brad nails to hold it all together! I omitted the drawer as I thought it might be a little too frustrating complicated to build correctly! Click on the pictures of the drawings for a larger view.
Materials:
- 1/2″ plywood (Quarter sheet)
- Glue
- Brad nailer & 1″ brad nails
- Jigsaw, Table saw, and/or Miter Saw
- Square & a pencil
- Tape Measure
- Drill & 1″ paddle bit
- Hole saws – 3.5″, 2.5″, 2″
Let’s get started!
Begin by cutting the pieces as follows:
- 2 @ 7″ x 9″ – Sides
- 1 @ 4″ x 11″ – Top
- 1 @ 6″ x 12″ – Front
- 1 @ 7-1/2″ x 11″ – Large Divider
- 1 @ 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ – Small Divider
- 1 @ 7″ x 11″ – Bottom
- 1 @ 9″ x 12″
It is a whole lot easier to sand each piece before assembly. I start with 80 grit, then 120 grit, and finish with 220 grit.
Cut the pieces for the bottom and both dividers. I drew a line on the bottom piece 4″ from the back for placement of the larger divider. Attach the divider to the bottom with glue and 1″ brad nails.
Mark the placement of the smaller divider and draw lines on the bottom as well as on the larger divider to center the pieces. (See the drawing above for placement measurements). Secure with glue and 1″ brad nails.
Cut the pieces for the sides. Cut a 3″ long x 2-1/2″ wide notch in each side (see drawing).
To cut the arch in the bottom, I clamped the sides together and drew lines where the cuts would be made. I used a paddle bit to drill a circle where I wanted the curved part of the arch to go.
Using the paddle bit, I started to drill the holes at the mark I made until the pointed part of the bit went through both pieces. I then flipped the pieces over and continued drilling the hole from the other side. I get a lot less tearout by cutting holes this way…
I used the jigsaw to cut the lines where they intersected with the holes.
I then sanded any rough edges and attached the sides to the dividers as shown in the drawing.
I repeated the arch-cutting process for the front and the back, then sanded any rough edges. I attached the front and back using glue and 1″ brad nails.
Before I worked on the final piece, I painted the inside. It didn’t have to be perfect but since the inside would be visible through the holes, I thought it might be a good idea to paint at least one coat on it!
I marked the placement for the holes in the top by drawing a horizontal line across the board and lining up the hole saws until I was happy with the spacing.
I used three different sized hole saws (3-1/2″, 2-1/2″, 2-1/8″) and a scrap board underneath. I started drilling from one side, then flipped the board over to finish the hole – this helps reduce tearout.
I inserted the top piece, and held it in place so it was flush with the top of the sides, dividers, and back. I secured it to the box with 1″ brad nails. I filled in the nail holes and edges with Dry Dex, and sanded the entire piece with 220 grit sandpaper.
I painted the entire piece with Behr Ultra Premium Plus in Ultra Pure White Satin. Once it was dry, I sealed it with Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Matte Soft Touch. I had a hard time finding the perfect letter “H” for the front… I finally settled on a metal letter and glued it to the front with a couple dabs of Liquid Nails.
What do you think? If you have any questions regarding the plans, please let me know!
Until next time,
Happy Creating!
