PVC storage bins

Made from an old PVC downpipe and scraps of chipboard. I made a few small containers in one go, utilising the whole downpipe off-cut I had. There’s always a need to organise something in the workshop and improve workflow and these containers surely help. Of course, there is also an idea I can’t resist – upcycling things – probably that was the main reason to make them. Just a simple project, a little messy but you don’t always work with timber and using other materials makes the work more interesting, sometimes they just make more sense for the project.

I squared off the ends first and next, I cut the pipe into 3 pieces. I had to remove the top side in two steps because the pipe was flexing a lot – a couple of wood pieces in the middle prevented both sides from bending towards each other. Once the PVC was cut, I moved on to cutting the end caps.

Their corners were sanded off to match the inside corners of the pipe. Next, I had to shape the pipe pieces with heat and spread their walls apart. I placed each piece over a timber edge and with a few strokes of warm air over the corners, I forced them to release some tension and match the thickness of the timber insert.

Next, I predrilled all the holes and countersunk them. I tightened all the screws by hand only, avoiding any excessive force that could damage the fragile chipboard.

The project was finished and I filled the totes with some stuff. They found their place on the shelves and seem to serve well. An industrial look is what I wanted for them, keeping them simple and cheap.