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Bathtub Caddy Tray[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 caddies
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' 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 hardwood tray that spans the tub, with a wine-glass slot on the front edge and a lift-off rest for a book or tablet. Each caddy is two boards edge-glued, with two cleats underneath that sit inside the tub rim so it can't slide off. One 4ft pack makes two caddies and two book rests — keep one, gift one.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caddy pieces | 4 | Boards 1–4 | 30" × 4" × ¾" | 30" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| End cleats | 4 | Boards 1–4 | 8" × 4" × ¾" | 7" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Rest base pieces | 4 | Boards 1–4 | 9" × 4" × ¾" | 9" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Rest back pieces | 4 | Board 5 | 9" × 4" × ¾" | 9" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Book lips | 2 | Board 5, lip blank | 9" × 1" × ¾" | 9" × 1" × ⅞" |
Caddy: 2 boards edge-glued, 30" long, grain running the long way.
Cleats: one under each end, flat, across the grain. 3 stainless screws each, outer holes slotted, no glue.
Book rest: 2-piece base and back glue-ups, back bevelled 15°, glued and screwed up through the base. 1" lip glued on edge at the front.
Wine-glass slot: 1⅛" wide × 3" deep notch in the front edge, 10" from the left end.
Finished size: Caddy S4S 30" L × 8" W × ¾" thick (1½" at the cleats) · S2S 30" × 7" × ⅞". Book rest S4S 9" W × 8" D × about 8½" H · S2S 9" × 7" × about 7½".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Water-resistant wood glue (Titebond III)
- 12 × stainless #8 flat-head screws, 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S), for the cleats
- 6 × #8 flat-head screws, 1½" (S4S) or 1¾" (S2S), for the book rests
- 8 small clear rubber bumpers
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Spar varnish, marine varnish or hardwax oil
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with 15° bevel
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Jigsaw
- 1⅛" Forstner or spade bit
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 4–6 bar clamps, 12" 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 Measure your tub. Measure across the outside of the tub rim. Most are 28"–32". The plan uses 30" caddies, which suit rims up to 30". For a wider tub, cut the caddy longer and the rest pieces shorter by the same amount.
- 2 Crosscut boards 1–4. Cut each board into a 30" caddy piece, a 8" cleat and a 9" rest base piece. Crosscut board 5 into four 9" rest back pieces and a 10½" lip blank.
- 3 Glue up the panels. Edge-glue boards 1 and 2 into caddy 1, 30" × 8", and boards 3 and 4 into caddy 2. Glue the rest base pieces in pairs (9" × 8") and the rest back pieces in pairs. Clamp, scrape the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave overnight.
- 4 Cut the wine-glass slot. On the front edge of each caddy, mark a slot 1⅛" wide and 3" deep, centred 10" from the left end. Drill a 1⅛" hole at the inside end of the slot, then saw the two sides into it with a jigsaw.
- 5 Build the book rests. Rip two 1" strips off the lip blank and cut each to 9". Tilt the saw to 15° and bevel the bottom edge of each back panel. Draw a line 2¼" in from the front edge of the base. Glue the bevelled edge on the line, leaning back, and drive 3 pre-drilled #8 × 1½" screws up through the base. Glue a lip on edge along the front of the base.
- 6 Sand. Flatten the glue seams, then sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Round over all edges and the slot so nothing snags a wet hand.
- 7 Fit the cleats. Set a caddy across the tub and mark the inside edge of the rim at each end. The cleats go just inside those marks, flat on the underside, running across the caddy. Drill 3 holes in each cleat: a round hole in the middle and a slot about ⅜" long at each end, running along the cleat. Drive stainless #8 × 1¼" screws up into the caddy. No glue — the cleat crosses the caddy's grain.
- 8 Seal every face. Remove the cleats, then apply spar varnish, marine varnish or hardwax oil to every surface, edges, ends and the inside of the slot. 3 coats. Refit the cleats when cured.
- 9 Use it. Set the caddy across the tub with the cleats inside the rim. Stand the book rest on top. Stick 4 small clear bumpers under the rest so it stays put.
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 Measure your tub. Measure across the outside of the tub rim. Most are 28"–32". The plan uses 30" caddies, which suit rims up to 30". For a wider tub, cut the caddy longer and the rest pieces shorter by the same amount.
- 3 Crosscut boards 1–4. Cut each board into a 30" caddy piece, a 7" cleat and a 9" rest base piece. Crosscut board 5 into four 9" rest back pieces and a 10½" lip blank.
- 4 Glue up the panels. Edge-glue boards 1 and 2 into caddy 1, 30" × 7", and boards 3 and 4 into caddy 2. Glue the rest base pieces in pairs (9" × 7") and the rest back pieces in pairs. Clamp, scrape the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave overnight.
- 5 Cut the wine-glass slot. On the front edge of each caddy, mark a slot 1⅛" wide and 3" deep, centred 10" from the left end. Drill a 1⅛" hole at the inside end of the slot, then saw the two sides into it with a jigsaw.
- 6 Build the book rests. Rip two 1" strips off the lip blank and cut each to 9". Tilt the saw to 15° and bevel the bottom edge of each back panel. Draw a line 2⅜" in from the front edge of the base. Glue the bevelled edge on the line, leaning back, and drive 3 pre-drilled #8 × 1¾" screws up through the base. Glue a lip on edge along the front of the base.
- 7 Sand. Flatten the glue seams, then sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Round over all edges and the slot so nothing snags a wet hand.
- 8 Fit the cleats. Set a caddy across the tub and mark the inside edge of the rim at each end. The cleats go just inside those marks, flat on the underside, running across the caddy. Drill 3 holes in each cleat: a round hole in the middle and a slot about ⅜" long at each end, running along the cleat. Drive stainless #8 × 1½" screws up into the caddy. No glue — the cleat crosses the caddy's grain.
- 9 Seal every face. Remove the cleats, then apply spar varnish, marine varnish or hardwax oil to every surface, edges, ends and the inside of the slot. 3 coats. Refit the cleats when cured.
- 10 Use it. Set the caddy across the tub with the cleats inside the rim. Stand the book rest on top. Stick 4 small clear bumpers under the rest so it stays put.
Why are the cleats screwed, not glued? The cleats run across the caddy's grain. The 8" caddy swells and shrinks across its width with the bathroom's humidity, and the cleat doesn't. A glued cleat would crack the caddy. A screw in a round hole in the middle and slots at the ends hold it tight and let it move.
Why seal every face? Wood takes on water through any bare surface, especially end grain. A side left raw swells faster than the sealed side and the caddy cups. Finish all six faces of every part, and the inside of the slot.
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
- Phone ledge: cut a ⅜" wide, ½" deep groove across the caddy top to stand a phone in.
- Two-tone: glue a walnut board to a maple board for a striped caddy.
- Candle cups: drill two 1⅝" holes ⅜" deep for tealight cups near the right end.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Clamp the caddy to the bench when cutting the slot. Keep both hands behind the jigsaw blade.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Never leave a caddy across a tub a small child can reach or climb on. It's a tray, not a seat or step.
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.
Splashes are fine once all faces are sealed. Wipe it dry after a bath and stand it on edge to air out. Never leave it soaking in the water. Renew the finish once a year.
Measure the outside of the rim. Up to 30", build it as drawn — the cleats are fitted to your tub. For a 32" tub, cut the caddy pieces at 32" and all the rest pieces at 7" instead of 9". The rest gets narrower but still holds a paperback or tablet.
White oak is the best choice. Its pores are closed, so it shrugs off water. Cherry, walnut, maple and sapele also work well with a good finish.
Planned offcuts only: about ¼" off boards 1–4 and the end of the lip blank on board 5. All 5 boards go into the caddies and book rests.
Not for a full caddy — a 2ft board is too short to span a tub. A 2ft pack makes good shower-shelf or vanity trays instead.
