How To Make A Kitchen Towel Holder
Paper towels are an indispensable part of the modern kitchen, but it can be difficult to find a really well made holder. This ‘how to’ explores one method of making a kitchen towel holder which will hold a standard sized roll.
What you'll need
Step 1
Prepare the material for the kitchen towel holder to the correct size, make the ends square. Leave the roller material oversize for turning.
Step 2
Mark out and cut dovetails on the sides.
Step 3
Mark out the dovetail pins and saw out the waste.
Step 4
Test fit the joints part way.
Step 5
Mark out the centres (arrowed) on sides for the roller. Then, drill a 35mm hole to a depth of 10mm.
Step 6
Clamp the sides together, rout out twin roller recesses.
Optional
Use a hand router for the recesses
Step 7
Chisel the sides (arrowed) of each recess.
Step 8
Mark out, drill and countersink two 4.5mm fixing holes (arrowed).
Step 9
Clean up and sand the inside surfaces, and then mask off the joints.
Step 10
Apply two thin coats of Osmo-PolyX finish with a lacquer brush. Allow 6-8 hrs between each coat, and remove the tape when dry.
Step 11
Prepare a scrap piece to the exact inside dimension, and glue together. Remove glue ‘squeeze out’ from inside when dry.
Step 12
Plane off the waste on the dovetail joints.
Step 13
Mark out the radius on each corner, and then disc sand to shape.
Step 14
Sand the exterior and all sharp edges and apply two coats of Osmo PolyX to the bare surfaces.
Step 15
Turn the roller blank to a cylinder. Use a test piece of ply (35mm hole drilled in it) to check the diameter along the whole length.
Step 16
Measure the length between the two recesses in the sides, and transfer this to the roller and part off. Apply two coats of Osmo PolyX to the roller.
Step 17
Fit the roller to complete the kitchen towel holder.
A simple wall mounted kitchen towel holder like this works very well; this one in oak has been in continual daily use for over thirty years.
