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Wall Paper Towel Holder[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 4 towel holders
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood paper towel holder that frees up counter space. A back plate, two round-ended brackets and a 1" dowel roll bar. One bracket has an open notch, so you lift the bar out and swap the roll in seconds. One 2ft pack makes four: kitchen, garage, workshop and one to give away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back plates | 4 | Boards 1–4, one each | 13" × 4" × ¾" | 13" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| End brackets | 8 | Boards 1–4 (one each), board 5 (four) | 5½" × 4" × ¾" | 5½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Roll bars, 1" dowel (buy) | 4 | Cut to length | 12¾" long | 12⅝" long |
Brackets to plate: end grain, so screws only: two #8 screws through the back of the plate into each bracket, pre-drilled.
Roll bar: 1" dowel in a ½"-deep blind hole in the left bracket and an open U-notch in the right.
Mount: two countersunk holes through the plate between the brackets.
Finished size: S4S 13" W × 5½" deep (plus the ¾" plate) × 4" H · S2S 13" × 5½" (plus ⅞") × 3½". Fits standard and large rolls up to about 11" tall and 7" across.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Two 36" lengths of 1" hardwood dowel (two roll bars from each)
- 16 × #8 flat-head screws for the brackets: 1½" (S4S) or 1¾" (S2S)
- 8 × #8 × 2½" screws for mounting, or rated drywall anchors
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
- Paste wax for the roll bars
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Jigsaw or bandsaw
- 1" Forstner bit
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Compass
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Stud finder and level
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Crosscut. Cut a 13" back plate and a 5½" bracket from each of boards 1–4. Cut four more 5½" brackets from board 5. Use a stop block so all eight brackets match.
- 2 Round the brackets. On each bracket, mark the centre of the width 3½" from one end. Set a compass to 2" and draw a half circle round the end. Cut it with a jigsaw or bandsaw and sand to the line. Tape the brackets in pairs to cut and sand both at once.
- 3 Drill the roll bar holes. Pair the brackets. In one bracket of each pair, drill a 1" hole ½" deep at the compass centre, on the inside face. In the other, drill a 1" hole right through at the same spot.
- 4 Open the notch. On the through-hole bracket, draw two lines from the top edge down to the sides of the hole, 1" apart. Saw down both lines and the waste drops out, leaving an open U-notch. Sand it smooth so the bar lifts in and out easily.
- 5 Drill the back plates. On the back face, mark two holes centred ⅜" in from each end for the bracket screws. Drill and countersink them. Then drill two mounting holes through the plate between the brackets, 2" in from each bracket, countersunk on the front.
- 6 Sand. Sand everything 120 → 180 → 220 and round all the edges, especially the rounded bracket ends.
- 7 Attach the brackets. Stand a bracket on each end of the plate, the blind-hole bracket on the left with its hole facing in and the notch bracket on the right. Pre-drill into the bracket ends and drive two #8 × 1½" screws through the plate into each one. No glue: the bracket meets the plate with its end grain.
- 8 Roll bar and finish. Cut the 1" dowel to 12¾". Sand the ends round. Wipe 2–3 coats of oil or hardwax oil on the holder, let it cure, and wax the dowel so the roll spins freely.
- 9 Hang it. Hold it level on the wall or the side of a cabinet. Pre-drill and drive a #8 × 2½" screw into a stud wherever one lines up, and use a rated drywall anchor (25 lb or more) in any hole that misses. The load is light: a roll weighs about 1 lb, plus the tug when you tear a sheet.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Crosscut. Cut a 13" back plate and a 5½" bracket from each of boards 1–4. Cut four more 5½" brackets from board 5. Use a stop block so all eight brackets match.
- 3 Round the brackets. On each bracket, mark the centre of the width 3¾" from one end. Set a compass to 1¾" and draw a half circle round the end. Cut it with a jigsaw or bandsaw and sand to the line. Tape the brackets in pairs to cut and sand both at once.
- 4 Drill the roll bar holes. Pair the brackets. In one bracket of each pair, drill a 1" hole ½" deep at the compass centre, on the inside face. In the other, drill a 1" hole right through at the same spot.
- 5 Open the notch. On the through-hole bracket, draw two lines from the top edge down to the sides of the hole, 1" apart. Saw down both lines and the waste drops out, leaving an open U-notch. Sand it smooth so the bar lifts in and out easily.
- 6 Drill the back plates. On the back face, mark two holes centred 7/16" in from each end for the bracket screws. Drill and countersink them. Then drill two mounting holes through the plate between the brackets, 2" in from each bracket, countersunk on the front.
- 7 Sand. Sand everything 120 → 180 → 220 and round all the edges, especially the rounded bracket ends.
- 8 Attach the brackets. Stand a bracket on each end of the plate, the blind-hole bracket on the left with its hole facing in and the notch bracket on the right. Pre-drill into the bracket ends and drive two #8 × 1¾" screws through the plate into each one. No glue: the bracket meets the plate with its end grain.
- 9 Roll bar and finish. Cut the 1" dowel to 12⅝". Sand the ends round. Wipe 2–3 coats of oil or hardwax oil on the holder, let it cure, and wax the dowel so the roll spins freely.
- 10 Hang it. Hold it level on the wall or the side of a cabinet. Pre-drill and drive a #8 × 2½" screw into a stud wherever one lines up, and use a rated drywall anchor (25 lb or more) in any hole that misses. The load is light: a roll weighs about 1 lb, plus the tug when you tear a sheet.
Why an open notch? With a hole in both brackets, you'd have to take the holder off the wall or slide the bar out sideways to change a roll. The notch lets you lift the bar straight up, swap the roll and drop it back.
Why screws and no glue on the brackets? The brackets meet the plate on their end grain, which won't hold glue. Two pre-drilled screws from behind hold each bracket tight and stay hidden against the wall.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Under-cabinet mount: screw the plate to the underside of a cabinet so the brackets hang down. Cut the notch at 45° from the front edge, sloping down to the hole, so the bar can't fall out.
- Shelf on top: make the plate 2" taller and add a 13" shelf across the bracket tops for spices or hand soap.
- Shop version: mount one by the bench for shop towels, or longer for a roll of kraft paper.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Clamp the brackets when you cut the curves and drill the 1" holes. A Forstner bit can grab a small part and spin it.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Mount into wall studs (or rated anchors sized for the load). Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Yes. The space between the brackets is 11½" (S4S) or 11¼" (S2S), and the bar sits 3½" or more out from the plate, so rolls up to about 11" tall and 7" across fit.
It sits ½" into the blind hole on one side and runs the full thickness of the notched bracket on the other, so it can't slip out of either end.
Yes. Use a tile bit and plastic anchors, with tape on the tile so the bit doesn't wander. Go slow and don't use the hammer setting.
About 4" off the end of boards 1–4 and about 1" off board 5. Use the 4" pieces for coasters or a matching soap dish. All 5 boards go into the holders.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes eight holders: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
