Toy Chest Also Serves As Children’s Bench

It won’t be long before new toys are scattered around living rooms and lying in hallways all across the country. Here’s a timely and simple do-it-yourself solution.

This toy chest and bench is easy to build and will last for years. Not only does it provide plenty of storage for toys, but it also dresses up the kids’ room and gives youngsters a place to sit to tie their shoes or read. It can be mounted on casters for easy mobility.

The toy chest and bench is made from a single 4-by-6 sheet of 3/4-inch plywood, along with a piano-type hinge, a few finishing nails, four casters, glue, sandpaper and paint or finish. It requires only six pieces in all, and the curved cuts for the arms and back are traced directly from full-size patterns.

The average do-it-yourselfer will need just a couple of hours to finish the project. After tracing the pieces onto the plywood and sawing them out, assemble the chest with nails and glue. Then finish it with a non-toxic paint, or stain it for a natural look. You also may decorate it with decals.

The completed chest and bench measures 32 inches long by 20 deep.

The Toy Chest and Storage Bench plan, No. 248, is $6.95 and includes full-size traceable patterns, assembly instructions, exploded diagrams and a shopping list and cutting schedule.

A package of four plans for children’s furniture, No. C79, is $18.95 and includes this toy chest plus a table and chairs, a rocking chair and a desk. A catalog picturing hundreds of do-it-yourself projects is $3.95. Prices include postage and handling (for first-class mail, add $1 per item up to $3 maximum).

MEMO: To order by mail, clip this article and send it with a check or money order to U-Bild Features, c/o The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2383, Van Nuys, CA 91409-2383. To order by credit card, call (800) 828-2453. Please specify plan numbers.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Don and Dave Runyan U-Bild Features