A Slatted Hardwood Bath Caddy
- Hands on
- 165 min
- Start to finish
- 5 hours
- Level
- moderate
- Makes
- one hardwood bath caddy, sized to a 700mm tub — adjust the slat length to your own
This is a caddy, not a shelf: two solid feet that rest on the rolled edges of the tub, and hardwood slats spanning between them with gaps for water to drain rather than pool. One slat gets a cut slot sized to grip a wine glass by the stem so it cannot tip over. Hardwood stands up to the daily wetting a softwood caddy would not, and a worktop oil finish seals the end grain and gaps against standing water.
What you need
Step by step
-
Measure your tub across the rolled edges at the point the caddy will sit, and use that figure instead of 700mm if it differs — the slat length is the one dimension that has to match your own tub.
10 min -
Rip the board into three 45mm-wide strips on the table saw, rip fence set and a push stick for the last part of each pass — or rip by hand with a panel saw and true the edges on a shooting board if you don't have a table saw.
20 min -
Crosscut four slats to your measured span and two feet at 210mm, squaring the ends on the miter saw.
15 min -
On one slat, drill a row of overlapping 10mm holes to open a slot about 90mm long starting 40mm from one end, widening to a 20mm hole at the inner end for the glass bowl to drop through.
20 min -
Shape the slot with a rasp until a wine glass slides to the narrow end and the stem grips without tipping, then sand it smooth.
15 min -
Sand all six pieces to 240 grit, easing every edge a hand will touch.
20 min -
Lay the four slats face down and space them with 8mm gaps using scrap offcuts as spacers, with the slotted slat one gap in from an end.
10 min -
Glue and screw the two feet across the underside, 60mm in from each end, pre-drilling and countersinking through each slat so the screws sit flush and the hardwood doesn't split.
20 min -
Once the glue has set, brush on the first coat of worktop oil over all faces and end grain, wiping off the excess after a few minutes.
15 min -
Apply two further coats, following the product's recoat time between each.
20 min
Afterwards
Wipe the caddy dry after each bath rather than leaving it wet on the rim, and let the final oil coat cure for the full time stated on the tin — usually 24 to 48 hours — before it takes any weight. Reapply a coat every few months once water stops beading, and check the glue line under the feet for movement if it sits wet often.
Questions
My tub isn't 700mm across — does the rest of the caddy change?
No. The span is the only dimension that has to match your tub; the depth, the gaps and the glass slot stay as given whatever length you cut the slats to.
Will softwood hold up here instead of hardwood?
It will move and dent more with daily wetting. If you use it anyway, add an extra coat of oil and expect to refinish within a year rather than several.
What stops the feet splitting when I screw into them?
Pre-drilling and countersinking before driving each screw — hardwood this size will split without a pilot hole.
Can I leave out the wine glass slot?
Yes — leave that slat plain and space it the same as the others; the caddy works as a plain tray without it.