How to Make a Wooden Picnic Caddy

Build a wooden caddy to help carry the food and supplies on your next picnic.

A wooden picnic caddy can add a classic touch to your picnic excursions. You can make your own to suit your specific needs from readily available materials. The basic caddy consists of an open-topped wooden box with a handle. The inside can be divided or left open without divisions if you desire to add your own storage boxes. Make the caddy from a beautifully colored hardwood such as walnut or maple and finish it with a clear finish to make an attractive caddy to carry all of your picnicking goods.

Things You'll Need

• 2 boards, 1-by-8-inch, 12 inches long
• 2 boards, 1-by-8-inch, 10 inches long
• Miter saw
• Wood glue
• Clamps
• 1 plywood panel, 1/4-by-10-by-12-inch
• Box, finish nails
• Hammer
• Nail set
• 2 boards, 1-by-2-by-16-inch
• Drill press
• 1/2-inch drill bit
• 1/2-inch dowel, 13 1/2 inches long
• Boards, 1-by-8-inch, 10 1/2 inches long
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Wood finish
• Poly brush

Instructions

1. Cut a 45-degree angle on each 1-by-8-by-12 and each 1-by-8-by-10-inch board using a miter saw. The angles should be on one 8-by-12 and 8-by-10-inch side of each of the boards and cut in a manner so that the boards when placed together will form a rectangle. In other words, the angles on each end of the board would intersect as they extend inward.

2. Stand the two 12-inch boards on a work surface parallel to each other and 10 inches apart. These are the side boards. Place the 10-inch boards on either end to form a rectangle. These are the end boards. The mitered ends of the boards will fit together to form the 90-degree corners.

3. Apply wood glue to the joints and clamp the rectangular assembly together. Allow the glue to dry overnight and remove the clamps.

4. Align the 1/4-by-10-by-12-inch plywood panel over the rectangular assembly. This is the bottom of the caddy. Fasten the bottom to the rectangle with evenly spaced finish nails every 2 to 3 inches using a hammer. Set the nails 1/16-inch into the surface of the wood with a nail set.

5. Drill a 1/2-inch-wide hole 1 inch down from one end of each 1-by-2-by-16-inch board using a drill press equipped with a 1/2-inch drill bit. These are the handle uprights.

6. Position one handle upright against the outside center of each end board, with the handle's end flush with the bottom of the caddy. The end with the hole should be up. Drive three evenly spaced finish nails through the uprights into the end boards. Set the nails 1/16-inch below the surface of the wood using a nail set.

7. Apply wood glue to the inside of each drilled hole in the uprights. Slide the dowel through the holes in the uprights so that the ends are flush with the outside faces of the uprights.

8. Insert the 1-by-8-by-10 1/2-inch board vertically across the center of the caddy after applying wood glue to the ends and bottom of the board. This is the divider for the caddy. Allow the glue to dry at least 4 hours prior to continuing.

9. Sand the caddy assembly with fine-grit sandpaper until the surface of the wood is smooth. Always sand with the grain of the wood.

10. Apply a wood finish to the caddy and allow it to dry at least 72 hours before use.

Tips & Warnings

• Make specific dividers for items that you always have in your caddy.

• Wear eye protection when woodworking.

References

• Runner Duck: Picnic Caddy
• Wayne of the Woods: How to Build a Silverware Picnic Caddy