Lilly's Crazy Home Woodshop: Outdoor Cedar Cooler

My wife came across an outdoor cedar cooler for the back porch. She sent me a link to one and then asked me to make one like it. As always, it got away from me. I made two of them at the same time. One was for my wife and the other was for my sister in law and her new husband as a wedding present.

Side View

Lots of plans are out there, but having made one without using a cooler, I would do it again using a cooler. I made mine going a little over the top, which I would not do again to make it easier. For example, mine was made totally out of cedar (2x4 or 1x6 fencing) and galvanized outdoor decking screws. I used a Kreg pocket hole jig to make certain none of the screw showed. This added a lot of work, but was worth it. The bottom had a shelf, which was a great feature. All of the boards were sanded with 80 grit paper. This kept a rough look, without being so rough one could hurt themselves. I used a tub and insulated it, but if I do it again, I will search garage sales/ Craig's list for older square coolers. The tub was insulated by both pink Styrofoam and that expanding foam from a can. Once all done, I then applied some water sealant and keep it covered on the back porch.