Interactive Toy Storage for Your Pup!
by DIY for Homeowners in Workshop > Organizing
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Interactive Toy Storage for Your Pup!
Tosh, the greyhound, has LOTS of toys because greyhounds playing with toys is super cute!
But unlike most dogs, Tosh does NOT tear up or destroy her toys. So because the humans keep buying cute toys, the toy situation had gotten out of control.
Time for some new storage to accommodate her growing collection. And, because of the design of this storage, her collection continues to rotate as she plays with them. No boredom for the grey!
Supplies
Materials/Tools:
- 3/4in Plywood (Home Depot)
- Purple Rigid Foam Board Insulation (Home Depot)
- Makita 18V X2 LXT Lithium-Ion (36V) Brushless Cordless 6-1/2 in. Plunge Circular Saw (Home Depot)
- Makita 55 in. Plunge Saw Guide Rail (Home Depot)
- Makita 39 in. Plunge Saw Guide Rail (Home Depot)
- Makita Protective Guide Rail Bag for Track Saw Guide Rails (Home Depot)
- Ryobi Brad Nailer (Home Depot)
- Diablo Hole Saw (Home Depot)
- Milwaukee Hole Saw (Home Depot)
- Continuous Hinge (Home Depot)
- Makita Sub-Compact Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Circular Saw (Home Depot)
- Rockler Clamp-It Assembly Square Tool (Amazon)
- Makita Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Variable Speed Compact Router (Home Depot)
- DIABLO 5/16 in. Radius Rounding Over Bit (Home Depot)
- DIABLO 4-1/2 in. 80-Grit Steel Demon Grinding and Polishing Flap Disc with Integrated Speed Hub (Home Depot)
After making the plan, the first step was to source materials. Fortunately, we found exactly what we needed in our scrap wood supply.
Watch the Video
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Cut the Wood
There are lots of ways to cut down plywood but here we are using a Makita track saw. That pink stuff is a piece of insulation laid on the table to prevent cuts into our tabletop.
Measurements:
- Tall: 39in
- Toy Opening at the bottom: 9in
- Sides: 18in
- Front across: 22in
These measurements are based on the specific corner space where this unit will be used.
We set the Makita saw at a 45-degree angle to cut the angle we needed on the front. That board is painted as this is from a cabinet that we found discarded in someone's trash pile. We took it apart and that is the plywood we are using. That discarded cabinet was made of premium plywood!
Assemble the Corner
This is going to be a cabinet that fits into a corner. Here we are gluing and brad nailing the corner together.
Rather than trying to measure and cut the front board, we simply laid the corner cabinet down and traced a line. Easy!
Make the Decorative Holes on the Front
We decided to add some decorative circles of various sizes to the front of the cabinet. This is mainly for air circulation, but you'll see in the video, we found another use for them! We are using Diablo and Milwaukee hole saws to make the cuts. These are far superior to lesser quality ones.
We used a router to give the edges a smooth curve to keep Tosh safe from sharp edges.
Assemble the Unit
Before adding the bottom and top, we went ahead and painted the inside of the unit. Once the inside of the unit was dry, we started the assembly process starting with the base.
Instead of measuring to cut the top, we laid the unit on the board to cut and drew a line. Here Steph is cutting out the top of the storage cabinet which will be hinged.
We then added a front to the unit, smoothed down the sides, and gave everything a final coat of paint.
We used a continuous hinge to secure the top to the rest of the unit.
Install and Enjoy
For safety, we secured the toy unit to the cabinet that it was next to. These two washers on each screw gave us the space that we needed.
The dog toys are dispensed into the bottom or they can be pulled out of the holes. To Clean up, lift the lid and drop in the toys. It automatically rotates the toys so you're pup doesn't get bored.
Tosh likes it as well as her greyhound friends who are often at her house.
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