30 DIY Cedar Chest Plans You Can Make Today (with Pictures)
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Durable, easy to work with, and beautiful: cedar wood is the perfect material for DIY woodworking projects. It lends itself to use as a planter, outdoor bench, and for the creation of natural countertops. It’s also ideal for making sturdy and long-lasting storage chests.
Below, you will find 30 DIY plans to inspire you in your next woodworking project so that you can craft a functional and beautiful cedar chest for the home.
The Top 30 DIY Cedar Chest Plans
1. Personalized DIY Hope Chest/Toy Chest
| Materials: | Piano hinge, lid supports, rope, pocket screws, brad nails, wood screws, glue |
| Tools: | Miter saw, pocket jig, brad nailer, drill, level, square, measure |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This hope chest uses a gloss finish and vinyl lettering for a personalized finish, as well as some handy paint tricks to give it a distressed, aged look. Rope handles make it easier to move around and safety hinges and bumpers make it suitable for use as a toy chest because heads and fingers are protected.
2. DIY Blanket Hope Chest
| Materials: | Oak plywood panels, oak posts, pocket hole screws, wood screws, hinges, lid support |
| Tools: | Sandpaper, wood filler, wood glue, satin finish |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Hope chests are traditionally used, by unmarried women, to store items ready for marriage. Today, they can be used to hold bedding, cushions, toys, or just about anything. This blanket hope chest was originally designed for storing blankets, has feet to elevate it from the ground, and a spring-loaded lid support to protect fingers.
3. Simple DIY Hope Chest
| Materials: | Plywood, pocket hole screws, wood screws, hinges, soft close support, handles, latch |
| Tools: | Miter saw, table saw, drill, pocket hole jig |
| Difficulty: | Easy/Moderate |
Hope chests, or cedar chests, typically contain linen, so cedar was used because of its natural insect resistance. Modern alternatives, like this DIY hope chest, use different woods, but you may want to treat the wood to prevent moth infestations.
4. DIY Storage Chest
| Materials: | A plywood sheet, 2x2x8s, edge beading, pocket hole screws, wood screws |
| Tools: | Circular saw, miter saw, drill, pocket hole jig |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This DIY storage chest uses plywood and 2x2x8 wood and is finished with edge beading to give it a finished look. It is a comparatively simple build, but you can use any stain or finish to give it a unique look.
5. DIY Toy Box
| Materials: | 3/4” plywood, 2×2, soft close hinges, edge banding |
| Tools: | Circular saw, miter saw, pocket hole jig, drill, |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Slatted storage chests look great, but it takes a lot of work to line up the slats and ensure they’re all perfectly parallel. This DIY toy box plan creates a slat effect by cutting into the plywood panels – less hassle and highly effective.
6. DIY Small Toy Box
| Materials: | 1×10, 1×4, 1×2, hinges, wood glue, brad nails |
| Tools: | Power saw, brad nail gun, hinges |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
The plans for this small toy box can be easily modified to make a larger box. The simple design is one of the easiest on our list, and it doesn’t have feet to elevate the box, but it’s simple and good-looking.
7. Handmade DIY Wooden Toy Chest
| Materials: | Panels, board, wood screws, wood filler, wood glue |
| Tools: | Miter saw, hammer, screwdriver, drill, level, measure, spring clamps |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
The handmade wooden toy chest doesn’t have a lid which means you don’t have to make one and you don’t have to install hinges. Used as a toy chest here, the plans could easily be used for linen and other storage.
8. Rough DIY Cedar Rustic Blanket Chest
| Materials: | PH screws, decorative hardware, 1×2, 1×4, 1×6, dowel, hardboard sheet, pine |
| Tools: | Miter saw, pocket hole jig, PH screws, hinge, wood filler, drill, sander |
| Difficulty: | Easy/Moderate |
Cedar is an ideal material for blanket chests because it naturally repels insects, but also because the cedar wood gives blankets and linen an incredible, natural deodorant.
9. DIY Bedroom Storage Chest
| Materials: | 1x12x8, 1x4x8, moulding, continuous hinge, pocket hole screws, soft close hinge, handles |
| Tools: | Miter saw, pocket hole jig, drill, brad nail gun |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
The DIY bedroom storage chest has a rustic look and three dimensional appearance, as well as carry handles and is extra long so is ideal for placing at the end of a double bed.
10. DIY Storage Trunk
| Materials: | 1×6, 2×4, 1×4, 1×2, brad nails, wood glue, pocket hole screws, continuous hinge, support hinge |
| Tools: | Saw, brad nail gun, drill, pocket hole jig, sander |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This DIY storage trunk doubles as a coffee table so you can store books, cushions, or your horde of remote controls inside, while holding your drinks on the outside.
11. Wooden DIY Pirate Treasure Chest
| Materials: | Wood, dowels, glue |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Difficult |
The wooden pirate treasure chest is a little different to the standard cedar chest but would look great in any child’s bedroom or playroom.
12. Rustic DIY Pallet Wood Storage Chest
| Materials: | 1x4s, 1x6s, strap hinges, roller wheels, wood screws |
| Tools: | Chop saw, drill, sander |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
If you’ve been fortunate enough to get your hands on some cedar wood pallets, they can be put to great use by turning them into this rustic pallet wood storage chest.
13. DIY Fence Board Cedar Chest
| Materials: | Fence boards |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Cedar is a popular softwood, and its durability means that you can reuse old cedar wood items to make something new and functional. This cedar chest uses old fence panels to give the plank finish, but if you don’t have fence panels laying around, the plan also lists the planks needed to build the chest from scratch.
14. DIY Cedar Lined Hope Chest
| Materials: | – |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/Difficult |
Traditional cedar chests were lined with cedar for its protective qualities but finished with another wood for decorative quality just like this cedar lined hope chest that you can make yourself. The use of a lining means there is more cutting and fixing required, though.
15. DIY Half Lap Blanket Chest
| Materials: | 2×4, hardwood plywood panel, hinges, |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/Difficult |
While most blanket chest and cedar chest plans use pocket joints, this half lap blanket chest uses half lap joints instead. It does take longer and is more complicated, but the end product looks great.
16. DIY Storage Chest
| Materials: | Plywood, 1×4, 1×6, Aspen boards, feet, finish nails |
| Tools: | Circular saw, miter saw, pocket hole jig, nailer, drill, sander |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This DIY storage chest has an Aspen board lid and painted wood for the box. It also has furniture feet that make it easy to lift and enable you to clean under it.
17. DIY Cedar Chest
| Materials: | Cedar, oak |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/Hard |
This is another cedar chest that uses a cedar lining but has an oak finish. It has been designed to last for generations and really does look professional.
18. DIY Barnwood Storage Chest
| Materials: | 2×2, reclaimed boards, brad nails |
| Tools: | Table saw, miter saw, drill, square, nailer |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
The barnwood storage chest uses reclaimed barn boards and a miter saw to clean off the damaged tongue and groove ends. It also has basic hinges and uses rope to stop the lid swinging all the way back.
19. DIY Wood Storage Chest
| Materials: | 1×4, 1×2, plywood sheet, sisal rope, finishing nails, wood glue, wood stain |
| Tools: | Miter saw, nail gun, sander, router, drill |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Sanding the edges, treating the wood, and using planks, rather than solid wood panels, give this wood storage chest an aged look that make it suitable for a country cottage look.
20. DIY Solid Oak Storage Chest
| Materials: | 1×4, 1×6, plywood, hinge, dowel |
| Tools: | Miter saw, sander, drill, flush saw, circular saw |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/Difficult |
Although cedar is a good choice of wood for a storage blanket, oak is a timeless classic. Strong, hardwearing, and attractive, it gives a solid finish and is easy to work with when following these solid oak storage chest plans.
21. DIY Blanket Storage Chest
| Materials: | 1×6, 1×4, 1×2, 2×4, plywood, handles, latch, pocket hole screws, brad nails, wood glue |
| Tools: | Circular saw, miter saw, table saw, pocket hole jig |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
The DIY blanket storage chest not only has a deep storage area for blankets, bedding, and even pillows and cushions, but it has an upper tray where you can store smaller items so they’re easy to find.
22. Simple DIY Wooden Storage Chest
| Materials: | ¾” plywood, 2x2x8, baseboard trim, piano hinges, soft close hinges |
| Tools: | Circular saw, jig saw, table saw |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Mitered corners and baseboard trim around the bottom give this simple DIY wooden storage chest a finished look that will work with almost any décor. It uses piano and soft close hinges to protect fingers and the wood.
23. DIY Hope Chest
| Materials: | ¾” plywood, 1×2, 1×3, 1×4, screws, brad nails |
| Tools: | Miter saw, drill, screwdriver, sander |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This is a simple hope chest design that sits directly on the floor but it does benefit from the addition of two storage trays. Storage trays prevent you having to throw small items in while giving you convenient storage.
24. DIY Dark Walnut Blanket Chest
| Materials: | 1×2, 1×4, 1×6, ½” plywood, pocket hole screws, hinges, handles |
| Tools: | Miter saw, corner sander, pocket hole jig, nailer, drill |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
These dark walnut blanket chest plans use a dark walnut stain to give a traditional but dark wood finish. You can change the stain or even paint the wood to get the desired look for your storage chest.
25. DIY Outdoor Storage Bench
| Materials: | Treated pine, plywood, wood screws, glue adhesive, tee hinges |
| Tools: | Circular saw, clamps, drill |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This outdoor storage bench is treated to protect it from the weather and is essentially a plywood box with a plank wood finish. Although designed for outdoor use, it would be just as effective indoors and for storing bedding.
See Also: 21 DIY Cedar Bench Plans You Can Make Today
26. DIY Pallet Trunk
| Materials: | 2 pallets, nails, screws |
| Tools: | Table saw, chop saw, reciprocating saw, drill, hammer |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
One of the most important parts of building any kind of pallet DIY project is deconstructing the pallets before you start. Carefully removing the planks will ensure a better-looking and longer-lasting finished item. This pallet trunk guide shows you how to pull apart the panel before constructing the trunk.
27. DIY Versatile Pallet Wood Storage Chest
| Materials: | 4 pallets, wood screws |
| Tools: | Blowlamp |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
What sets this versatile pallet wood storage chest apart from the rest of the pallet storage boxes is the burnished wood finished, achieved in this case by using a blowlamp to scold the wood surface. We also like the diagonal 2×4 design of the lid.
28. DIY Toy Box/Hope Chest
| Materials: | 1x4x8 oak, plywood, piano hinge, soft close hinge |
| Tools: | Table saw, chop saw, pocket hole jig, router, sander, drill |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/Easy |
This toy box plan uses oak and has curved feet. It is a relatively simple design but, when treated, the oak has a luscious look that will easily store blankets or toys.
29. DIY Hope Chest
| Materials: | Pine planks, plywood, brass hardware |
| Tools: | Pocket hole jig, circular saw, miter saw, drill |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
This hope chest differs slightly from other designs because it has a curved trunk-like lid that is made by attaching narrow planks to a curved lid frame. It’s easier than it looks and gives a great effect.
30. DIY Cedar Chest Makeover
| Materials: | Cedar chest |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If you already have an old cedar chest or have seen one for sale that’s in need of a repair, there’s really no need to start from scratch. This cedar chest makeover provides inspiration on how you can convert a damaged cedar chest into something that looks new and stunning.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to start from scratch with a pile of timber or repurpose some old pallets or fence panels, the above list includes guides and plans to help you create a lasting and functional cedar chest.
You might also be interested in: 12 Wooden DIY Ice Chest Cooler Plans You Can Build Today
Featured Image Credit: KateCox, Pixabay
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