231 – Multi-Function Toy Chest

Written on 10/17/2014
Marc Spagnuolo

An easy to build toy chest featuring additional functionality and storage.

Download the project plans here: SketchUp File or PDF Plan with Cut List

The Multi-Function Toy Chest is the 2014 Woodworkers Fighting Cancer charity build. How does it work? All you have to do is build this project and send me a picture by November 30th 2014. I’ll then donate $5 per finished project. We have several corporate sponsors who are also matching my donation and those include: Festool, Bell Forest Products, Brusso Hardware, Eagle America, and Powermatic. More details about this charity event can be found at WoodworkersFightingCancer.com.

Basic Tools & Materials

We wanted this project to be as approachable as possible, so it makes use of basic tools and materials that can be sourced from any home center. Materials: Pre-milled Poplar, 3/4″ plywood, 3/8″ dowel stock Hardware: Piano Hinge, Screws, Lid Support, Torsion Hinges (optional upgrade) Tools: Circular saw, Drill, Jigsaw, Block Plane, Pocket Hole Jig Useful Stuff: Shop-Made Track, T-Square, Countersink Bit, Self-Centering Bit, LEGO Building Plate

Finish

You can finish your toy chest any way you like, but I went with Milk Paint. My son picked out the color and I thought it would be a fun way to give the piece a unique look. It also helps to cover up the poplar which has natural greenish color tones. All painting materials were purchased from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company.

Partnership

Once again this year, Steve Ramsey from Woodworking for Mere Mortals is helping to promote Woodworkers Fighting Cancer by building his own version of the Multi-Function Toy Chest. His version may include a few changes and you can build either his version or mine to get credit for the charity.

How You Can Help

As mentioned previously, you can simply build this project to help with the cause. Once complete, you can do whatever you like with your Toy Chest. Some folks auction them off and donate the money to the charity, which is always cool. If you don’t want to build a Toy Chest, consider donating directly to our team. Thanks to our sponsors, Steve Ramsey, and all of you for helping us reach our goal of $15,000!