Handy bin for recycling newspapers

Sunset, Feb, 1988

Handy bin for recycling newspapers

The admirable practice of recycling newspapers has become common--and sometimes necessary--throughout the West. In many households, stacking the papers until recycling day is an untidy issue. But not with this open-sided bin; its foot-tall corner brackets keep one or two weeks' worth of papers in an orderly pile.

To make the bin, you'll need one 6- and one 8-foot length of 1-by-4 pine, 3 dozen 1 1/4-inch flat-head woodscrews, wood glue, a table saw, a saber saw, and an electric drill with a 3/8-inch countersink bit and a plug cutter of the same size.

Rip 1/8 inch off one side of each board. From the 6-foot board, cut two 16-inch-long pieces; rip another 3/4 inch from one side of the remainder, then cut the board into two 14-inch-long pieces. Lay out the bin's rectangular base: set the longer pair on top of the shorter, making sure all corners are flush and square. Using two screws per corner, assemble the base.

For the corner brackets, cut the 8-foot board into eight 12-inch-long pieces. Starting at the unripped edge, cut a gentle arc across one corner of each piece (leave the last inch flat). Butt pairs of boards together so tops of acrs are flush and one board covers the butt joint. Along the ripped edge of each joint-hiding board, mark and drill countersunk holes 3, 6, and 9 inches from the top. Also mark and drill pairs of holes so pieces can be screwed to ends of the base boards. Glue and screw the brackets together, then screw them to the base.

Cut plugs from the scrap wood and glue into holes; cut flush when glue dries. Sand and seal (or paint) all surfaces.

Photo: Peaked corners corral papers with about an inch of clearance all around

Photo: Coil string in center, with bits of overhang at sides for easy wrapping later. Sketch shows top view, L shape of corner brackets