Lazy Susan Storage Unit

In this tutorial I will be showing you how to make a lazy Susan with a storage unit set in. This lazy Susan will utilize a bolt and washer instead of ball bearings. It is on the smaller side and is good for setting on a nightstand or coffee table.

I will be referring to the different parts during assembly as the parts labelled in the photos so as to avoid confusion.

For the materials, you can get any type of wood, but I chose poplar for the box, and spruce for the lazy Susan. You will have extra wood that can be used for other projects. I got all of my materials at Home Depot.

You will need:

Laminated Spruce [.656" x 15.75" x 48"]

Poplar Wood [.25" x 5.5" x 36"]

1/4" Hex Bolt

1/4" Hex Nut

1/4" Washer

1/4" Drill Bit

1/2" Countersinking Drill Bit

Wood Glue

Non-Slip Furniture Pads

Optional:

White Spray-paint Primer

Chalkboard Spray-paint

Wood Stain (I chose this in Golden Oak)

Tools:

Table Saw [1/8" blade]

Band Saw

Circular Saw

Disc Sander

Hack Saw

Drill Press

Combination Wrench

Ratchet and Socket

Clamps

Paintbrushes/Paper Towels (Optional)

Wood Burner (Optional)

First, measure out two 8" x 8" squares in your Spruce wood. Cut these out on the table saw.

Next, measure a circle with a diameter of 7 3/16" out on one of your squares. This measurement will be used later.

For this project, we will be creating channels using the table saw to set the box into. The size of the box will be 6" x 4.25". Measure this out on one of the squares. Set the square near the table saw blade and lift the blade just enough so that it doesn't cut completely through the wood. I set mine around 1/4" high into my material.

Cut your material measurement side down, once just outside your measured line. This will make a 1/8" channel in your wood. Move your wood slightly over, right next to the channel you just cut, and run it through the table saw again. You will now have a 1/4" channel. Repeat this for the rest of the lines.

You will now be able to cut out the circle with the channels in it using the band saw. If the curve is too tight, make relief cuts. Using this new circle, trace a circle of the same size over the remaining square piece of wood. Cut this out on the band saw as well, and then use the disc sander to sand down any dissimilarities, holding the two pieces together. [You have now made parts B (channels) and C (no channels).]

You will now be able to drill the hole needed to fit the bolt in. Making sure that there is no overhang, clamp parts B and C together, making sure the channels are on top, and mark on part B the exact center. Using the drill press and a 1/4" drill bit, make a 1/4" hole through both pieces.

Next, using the drill press and the 1/2" countersinking drill bit, drill far enough down into the top of part B and the bottom of part C so that the head of the bolt and the nut will sit flush against the wood. I used the 1/2" drill bit so that it would not unscrew the nut from the bolt when revolved.

Once the components for the lazy Susan are complete, you can measure out on the Poplar wood four panels which will be the exact height of the wood.

Two of the sides will be 6" x 5.5" and the other two will be 4.25" x 5.5". We will wait to cut out the middle divider until later.

Cut these on the circular saw, making sure the two sides are equal to each other after cutting. You now have parts 1A, 2A, D1, and D2.

Once this is complete, gather parts 1A, 2A, B, C, D1, and D2, as well as your bolt, washer, and nut. At this point, I had sprayed one of my sides with the primer and then chalkboard paint, but that is optional.

Run the bolt through part C, with the head of the bolt at the bottom. Next, put the washer on the bolt, and run the bolt through part B. Put the nut on the end of the bolt, all the way to the shoulder. Use the combination wrench on the bolt head, and the ratchet and socket on the nut to tighten it as much as possible. A little bit of the bolt shoulder should be showing; this is so that the nut will not unscrew by rubbing against the wood when revolving.

There will be excess of the bolt left over; I used a hack saw to saw it off. Sand down this area afterwards using a coarser grit sandpaper, by hand.

Once this is complete, push down the nut so that it rests flush against part B, inside the countersink hole. This will cause a slight raise in the bolt head at the bottom; this problem can be solved by using non-slip furniture pads, which will slightly raise the lazy Susan, allowing it to spin freely.

Make sure that your side pieces (1A, 2A, D1, D2) fit in the channels on part B. Part 1A will sit flush with D1, and Part 2A will sit flush with D2.

I recommend gluing the sides together before gluing them into the channels. After ~45 minutes it should all be dry.

The last step to completing the construction of the box is to make the middle divider, part E. Depending on how accurate your measurements were, the length of the divider can vary. I recommend measuring from inside of 1A to the inside of 2A, and cut slightly bigger than need be. You can always sand it down in order to fit snugly.

You will need to sand down the top of part E as it will not be in a channel, so it will be slightly taller than the other sides. The divider should sit flush against the nut, and you should be able to glue it in using the wood glue.

Once the glue has dried, you may stain it if you choose to. I also burned a design into one of the blank sides, and have the chalkboard side opposite of it.

The lazy Susan should spin freely, and you should have two compartments that can hold glasses, a remote, your phone, etc.