Expert: Jamie Yocono - 4/26/2006

Question
Hello Jamie,
This is kind of a weird project...but I am trying to build a small trash can holder (you can get them at craft fairs and they look like a wooden box with a door that swings open from the front) that I wanted to keep on my deck outside that is near my pool. It would be in all kinds of weather so I thought teak would work!? Your thoughts. Hope you can help. If not...could I just use a pressure treated wood and then just stain it like my decking?
Thanks a bunch,
Kevin  

Answer
Hi Kevin,

Back when I was just starting out as a woodworker, I made up my mind about something. I swore I would NEVER make two items that were popular woodworking requests. One was those black painted silhouettes that look like big butted people, and the other was tater bins. In the "tater bin" category, I included those wooden trash containers. I just couldn't see "wasting" my talents on something so "crafty" and yes.... I was being snobbish.

Fast forward ten years...  I was designing 4 or 5 pieces for a doctor, and she asked me to build her one of those trash containers. How could I turn her down, when she was ordering so much other work from me? So I broke my vow, and made one. Actually- it turned out really well, and I have some information to share.

I'm not sure whether you meant one of those smaller trash cans, like one that goes under your kitchen sink, or one of the big trash containers, that goes on the street each week. I'm assuming you mean the smaller one, since you said that in the first line of your letter.

First- find yourself a plastic trash can first. Then- build the box around the can. This makes things much easier than building one and then looking for a can to fit into what you built.

Next- I suggest you don't get fancy and instead, make a simple box to fit the plastic can, with a flat top on it. Why flat? Well, for one thing, it makes it a surface for resting something on, like if you're grilling, you can sit a pan on top of it, should you need a little more flat space. Also- if this is the smaller can version, and your crowd gets big, I've even seen people sit on these, as a makeshift stool. I chose to NOT taper the sides, so there really isn't a chance of someone tipping it over if they sit upon it.

I've only seen these hinged on top, so I can only comment about that style. If you're going to hinge it on top, I really recommend using a slo-drop lid support. That way, when you open the lid, it will stay open momentarily, and then lower very slowly. These slo-drop supports are a little pricey, but very much worth it. Rockler Hardware sells one for $28 (Part # 30280 Left Handed Lid Support) but there are many versions out there. Look for a "soft down" stay, as they're sometime called. I use one made by Sagatsune, and it's a wonderful piece of hardware, if you can find it. If you hinge it on the front with a door, I would think you might want a latch to keep pesky animals out of it. That's just off the top of my head.

Last- your question was really about using Teak, and whether I thought it was a good idea. Heck yeah, as Napoleon Dynamite would say. It would be gorgeous. My problems with Teak are:  #1- it's expensive, #2 it's difficult to glue. Make sure you wipe all the wood you're going to glue together with mineral spirits, to get rid of the resin that is on the wood. If not, your glue joints will not hold. And #3- the wood is quite abrasive. I've heard there is actually a substance in the pores of the wood that is similar to sand, and that's why it dulls your tools. I built a piece in Teak once and had to sharpen everything in my shop- the saw blades, the planer and jointer blades, and all my chisels. So it's not my favorite wood to use.

So you could certainly use pressure treated lumber and stain it, if the cost is prohibitive in Teak.

But- in a perfect world- I would use Teak and simply deal with all the problems it presents. I love the look, and it would make your trash container really nice. Heck- you might not even want to put trash in it!

Good luck, I hope this helps. Feel free to write back with any other questions you might have after reading this.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV