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3-Tier Can Organizer[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 organizer
Build This Project
Pack
4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack
Uses
1 pack, all 5 boards
Shown in
Black WalnutON SALE
Also in
Hard Maple, Cherry, White Oak (QS), Red Oak, Ash, Hickory, Ambrosia Maple, Sapele, Padauk, Purpleheart
Shipping
Free shipping
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 stepped riser for the pantry or a deep cupboard. Cans stand in three rows, each row higher than the one in front, so you can read every label at a glance. Every part runs the same 22½" direction, so there is no cross-grain anywhere and nothing to fight the seasons.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base pieces | 3 | Boards 1–2 | 22½" × 4" × ¾" | 22½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Mid tier pieces | 2 | Boards 2–3 | 22½" × 4" × ¾" | 22½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Top tier | 1 | Board 3 | 22½" × 4" × ¾" | 22½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Risers | 4 | Board 4, each half ripped in two | 22½" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 22½" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Lips | 3 | Board 5, ripped | 22½" × 1" × ¾" | 22½" × 1" × ⅞" |
| Back rail | 1 | Board 5 | 22½" × 4" × ¾" | 22½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
Tiers: base 3 pieces and mid tier 2 pieces, edge-glued; top tier is one piece. All grain runs the 22½" way.
Risers: 4 half-width strips on edge, glued and screwed between the tiers — long grain to long grain.
Lips and rail: 1" lips glued to the front edge of each tier, ½" proud; back rail glued and screwed behind the top tier.
Finished size: S4S 22½" W × 13½" D × about 7⅜" H · S2S 22½" × 12¼" × about 7". Each tier shows one board width of shelf: 4" (S4S) or 3½" (S2S).
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- About 20 × #8 flat-head screws: 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- Painter's tape for clamping the lips
- Felt pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 4–6 bar clamps, 18" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- 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 everything. Clamp a stop block at 22½" and cut every board in half — 10 matching pieces. Every part in this build runs the same way, so the grain never crosses.
- 2 Glue up the tiers. Edge-glue 3 pieces into the base (12" deep) and 2 pieces into the mid tier (8" deep). Keep the ends flush and the faces level. Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave them overnight. One single piece is the top tier.
- 3 Rip the risers. Rip both pieces from board 4 down the middle — 4 risers, 1 15/16" tall. Use a push stick.
- 4 Rip the lips. Rip three 1" strips from one piece of board 5. The other piece is the back rail; leave it full width.
- 5 Sand before assembly. Flatten the glue seams, then 120 → 180 → 220. It is much easier to sand the tiers now than between the steps later.
- 6 Fit the mid tier. Stand two risers on edge on the base: one flush with the back edge, the other with its back face 7¼" from the back edge, so it sits under the mid tier's front edge. Glue the edges, set the mid tier on top flush at the back, then drive 3 pre-drilled #8 × 1¼" screws up through the base into each riser.
- 7 Fit the top tier. Same again on the mid tier: one riser flush at the back, the other with its back face 3¼" from the back edge. Glue them to the mid tier and screw up from below through the mid tier. Glue the top tier on and drive 3 countersunk #8 × 1¼" screws down through it into each riser.
- 8 Add the back rail. Stand the rail on edge behind the top tier, bottom edge level with the top of the mid tier. It sticks up about 1 5/16" above the top tier and stops cans sliding off the back. Glue it to the back of the top tier and its riser — long grain to long grain — and add 3 pre-drilled screws.
- 9 Glue on the lips. Glue a lip to the front edge of each tier, standing ½" above the shelf. Tape or clamp it until dry. The lips keep cans from sliding off the front.
- 10 Finish. Ease every edge, then 2–3 coats of wipe-on oil or water-based poly. Add felt pads underneath so it doesn't scratch the shelf or counter.
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 everything. Clamp a stop block at 22½" and cut every board in half — 10 matching pieces. Every part in this build runs the same way, so the grain never crosses.
- 3 Glue up the tiers. Edge-glue 3 pieces into the base (10½" deep) and 2 pieces into the mid tier (7" deep). Keep the ends flush and the faces level. Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave them overnight. One single piece is the top tier.
- 4 Rip the risers. Rip both pieces from board 4 down the middle — 4 risers, 1 11/16" tall. Use a push stick.
- 5 Rip the lips. Rip three 1" strips from one piece of board 5. The other piece is the back rail; leave it full width.
- 6 Sand before assembly. Flatten the glue seams, then 120 → 180 → 220. It is much easier to sand the tiers now than between the steps later.
- 7 Fit the mid tier. Stand two risers on edge on the base: one flush with the back edge, the other with its back face 6⅛" from the back edge, so it sits under the mid tier's front edge. Glue the edges, set the mid tier on top flush at the back, then drive 3 pre-drilled #8 × 1½" screws up through the base into each riser.
- 8 Fit the top tier. Same again on the mid tier: one riser flush at the back, the other with its back face 2⅝" from the back edge. Glue them to the mid tier and screw up from below through the mid tier. Glue the top tier on and drive 3 countersunk #8 × 1½" screws down through it into each riser.
- 9 Add the back rail. Stand the rail on edge behind the top tier, bottom edge level with the top of the mid tier. It sticks up about 15/16" above the top tier and stops cans sliding off the back. Glue it to the back of the top tier and its riser — long grain to long grain — and add 3 pre-drilled screws.
- 10 Glue on the lips. Glue a lip to the front edge of each tier, standing ½" above the shelf. Tape or clamp it until dry. The lips keep cans from sliding off the front.
- 11 Finish. Ease every edge, then 2–3 coats of wipe-on oil or water-based poly. Add felt pads underneath so it doesn't scratch the shelf or counter.
Why glue the lips to the front edge? Sitting on top, a lip would eat ¾" of every shelf. On the front edge, the full board width stays usable and the lip still stands ½" proud to stop cans.
Why does grain direction matter? Wood swells and shrinks across its grain, not along it. Every glue joint in this plan joins parts whose grain runs the same way, so nothing fights the seasons.
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
- Spice version: use it in a cupboard for spice jars — the tiers are the right height for most jars.
- Label rail: make the lips 1½" wide and write the contents on them in chalk paint.
- Two-tone: walnut lips on a maple organizer.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- The risers and lips are narrow rips — use a push stick and a featherboard, or rip them with a bandsaw.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
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.
Each tier is one board wide: 4" on the S4S version, 3½" on S2S. Standard soup, bean and tomato cans fit easily, as do most spice jars. The rise between tiers is about 2⅝", so labels stay visible.
Yes, up to 46" — but then you need a second pack, since every board is already cut in two. Keep all the parts the same length so the grain still runs one way.
Planned offcuts only: about 2" off the end of each board and the narrow strip left over after ripping the lips. All 5 boards go into the organizer.
Not this one. A 2ft pack gives one 22½" piece per board — half the parts. Two 2ft packs would work.
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Next build with this pack
More free plans for the 4/4 · 4ft pack.
