Are you looking for new decorations to liven up your bathroom and improve its aesthetic? Well, you’re in luck, as we have a fun new bathroom addition for you today.
In this article, we’ll be taking you through how you can create a unique wooden toilet paper holder for your toilet. This toilet paper holder will also double as storage for extra toilet paper rolls, so it’s pretty functional.
Let’s get into the workshop and start building!
What You’ll Need
Before building the toilet paper holder, you’ll need to have a few items on hand. They include:
- 5cm x 15cm Lumber
- 2cm x 3cm Lumber
- Epoxy Resin
- Blue Dye
- 15mm Thick Plywood Sheet
- 10mm Thick Plywood Sheet
Cut Out The Blanks For The Toilet Paper Holder
Place the 5cm x 15cm piece of lumber on the workbench and mark two 1m long sections. Cut out these sections from the lumber using the miter saw.
Plane The Blanks
Planing the blanks is necessary to make sure that the faces are perfectly parallel to each other and to remove the old skin from the wood. Set the guides on the thickness planer to a height of 5cm.
Pass both blanks through the planer. After this, set the guides to a width of 15cm, then pass both blanks through it.
Split The Blanks
The next step involves splitting the blanks to create space for the resin. Divide the top face of the blank into three equal 5cm sections using a pencil and a meter rule.
Using an axe, divide the blank into these three individual sections. It’s okay if the cut isn’t neat, the imperfections will add to the beauty of the final product.
Do the same for the second blank.
Join the Blanks Together
Take a 5mm thick plywood sheet and cut out four sections measuring 20cm x 6cm. Next, take the sections of one of the blanks you just divided and assemble them.
Remove any loose splinters from the edges of the sections.
Make sure to leave a space of about 1cm between each section and ensure that their ends are level. Next, attach one plywood support to the assembly’s top and bottom using a drill and wood screws.
Do the same for the second blank’s sections.
Clamp The Blanks On The Workbench
We have to clamp the blanks down before adding resin to the gaps in the wood. Place a large slab of wood down on the workbench and cover its surface with some masking tape or sellotape.
This will keep the resin from sticking to the wood. Place both blanks on the wooden slab and make sure they are about 5cm apart.
Place some wooden braces across both blanks at their top and bottom sections. Clamp the braces to the wooden slab using some G-clamps.
Make sure they are firmly in place
Add The Resin To The Blanks
Mix the epoxy resin with the dyes and activator while wearing gloves for safety. Next, pour the resin into the gaps in between the sections of each blank carefully.
Make sure you fill each gap and ensure the resin reaches the bottom of the blanks. Also, make sure you pour the resin in slowly to avoid bubbles forming in the resin.
Leave the blanks clamped for about 24 hours to allow the resin to cure.
Separate The Blanks
After 24 hours have passed, the resin should be done curing, and you can remove the clamps and the slab from the blanks. First, remove the G-clamps from the blanks.
Next, separate the wooden slab underneath from the blanks. You can pry it off with an axe if it’s difficult to remove.
Finally, remove the clamping braces on the blanks. You can knock them off with a mallet or use an axe to wedge them off.
Plane The Blanks
Set the height on your planer to 5cm. Pass both blanks through the planer to remove the excess resin from the surface of the blanks.
Next, you must remove excess resin from the sides of the blanks. Pass both blanks through the table saw to remove any excess resin on the sides of the blanks.
Cut Out a Third Blank
Place the 1.5cm thick plywood sheet on the workbench and mark a section measuring 15cm by 100cm. Cut it out using the table saw or jig saw.
This will be the middle piece for the toilet paper holder’s stand.
Join The Blanks Together
Take both of the resin blanks and apply glue to one side. Apply glue on the face of the third blank you just cut and place it on one of the resin blanks, glue side down.
Ensure the bottom edges of both blanks line up correctly and that the plywood blank is right in the middle of the resin blank. Next, place the other resin blank on both of them to complete the stack.
Make sure the bottom edges of all the blanks line up perfectly. Also, make sure the sides of the first and last stacks in the blanks line up properly.
Clamp the stack with some G-Clamps and wait for the glue to dry.
Cut Out the Blanks For The Platform
Take the 2cm x 3cm piece of lumber and mark seven 20cm long sections. Cut them out using the miter saw.
Next, take the 1cm thick piece of plywood and mark six 22cm x 2cm sections. Cut those out too. These are the blanks for the toilet paper holder’s base.
Assemble The Base
Place the 3cm wide blanks on the workbench with about 1cm of space between them. Make sure their ends are well aligned with each other.
Next, place glue on both sides of the 1cm thick blanks and put them between the 3cm wide blanks. Make sure the ends of the 3cm blanks are well aligned with each other.
Clamp them until the glue dries up.
Cut Out The Platform’s
Once the glue dries, remove the clamps from the platform base. Trim the excess parts on the base’s sides to form a rectangle.
Set the thickness planer to a width of 20cm and run the base through it to clean its edges. Next, sketch a curved cloud or any other shape you like on the rectangular base close to its edges.
Cut out the shape using a bandsaw. After cutting out the shape, use the tabletop router to give the bottom edge of the base a rounded shape.
Finish off the base with a sander and some sandpaper.
Mark Out Holes For The Toilet Paper Storage Sections
Once the glue dries on the toilet paper holder stand, remove the clamps from it and place it flat on the workbench. Using a pencil, draw a vertical line 5cm away from both the left and right edges on the face of the holder.
On the left line, mark two points 12cm and 60cm from the base, respectively. On the right line, mark a point 36cm away from the base.
Using a compass set to a radius of 6cm, draw circles at each of these points.
Cut Out the Holes From The Wood
Clamp the toilet paper to your drill press. Using an adjustable circle cutter set to a diameter of 12cm, cut out each of the three holes you just drew in the wood.
After cutting out the circular sections, remove any splinters and finish the holes with an electric sander or sandpaper.
Cut Out the Main Toilet Paper Holder
Place the stand back on the workbench. You’re going to mark a rectangular hole for the toilet paper holder on the right side (The side with only one circular hole).
Mark a point about 5cm from the top edge. Now, draw a rectangle 12cm wide and 15cm deep on the edge at this point.
First, drill the corners of this rectangle with a 1cm bit. Next, cut out this rectangle using the bandsaw. Tidy up the hole with an electric sander and some sandpaper.
Turn The Holder’s Arm
Take a 20cm long circular 4cm diameter wooden rod and clamp it on your lathe. Mark a section 15cm long in the middle of the rod.
At the left side of the section, reduce the width of the rod to 1cm in a 3cm long section. On the right side, create a spherical shape about 3cm in diameter.
Turn the rest of the rod into a cylindrical rod of diameter 2.5cm. Blend all the parts using sandpaper.
Remove the rod from the lathe and cut out the 15cm section from the rest of the rod.
Attach The Arm To The Holder’s Section
Place the stand on its side with the rectangular section facing up. Drill the rectangular area in its middle using a 1cm wide bit.
Drill the hole to a depth of 3cm. Add some wood glue to the hole and put the toilet paper holder arm in the hole.
Push the arm tight into the hole and hold it until the glue sets properly.
Attach The Stand To The Base
Apply some wood glue to the bottom of the toilet paper stand. Make sure the side with the curved edges is facing up on the base.
Place the stand on the base and hold it in place until the glue dries.
Stain The Wood
The toilet paper holder is almost complete. It just needs one more finishing touch. You need to stain the wood to create a protective layer against moisture and give it a glossy finish.
So, take your favorite wood stain and gently apply a coat of it all over the length and the base of the toilet paper stand with a brush or a rag.
Final Product
Great Work! Now, you have a unique toilet paper holder for your toilet that’s ready for use. Go ahead and stock it up with your favorite toilet paper.
If you like DIY projects like this, you can check out the ST Workshop channel on YouTube. It is filled with several, creative and easy-to-make projects like this.
