I had a recent client commission to build a large bin store to house four wheelie bins. For this job I decided on larch wood due to its suitability for out door use, and that it is locally harvested by Greater Manchester Tree Station.
Having unloaded the timber from my trailer and made a neat stack I found that the pieces I needed first was underneath the fresh sawn boards! Doh!
So I restacked so that the timber to access the old stock ‘4x2s’.
Instead of planing and thicknessing everything I decided to give each piece a good belt sanding to remove splinters and and dirt. I do love my big old two speed Hitachi SB110 belt sander. Can’t get the full width belts anymore but the 100mm wide will do. It is also damned heavy and quite a work out to use.
I made the bin store doors first, each was 1200mm wide and 1400mm high. The 25 x 150mm boards are rebated and loose fitted into 20mm grooves, each is located with a single stainless steel screw in the board centre at each end with 3-4mm gaps between the boards. The gaps allow for timber movement and ventilation.
This is the first of the two doors the right way round, and finished in an oak decking stain.
The side panels were made in the same way as the doors, nominally 1400mm high and 800mm wide, but with legs. The front legs were50mm long, the back legs 25mm long to allow for the sloping ground where it will be located.
The outer panels are boarded but the centre one is not, not needed and also allows cross ventilation, and for reaching in to open the other door from the inside.
The roof panel was made in two sections for ease of transport and installation. The roof also slopes to the front for drainage, and has an over hang or 50mm over the doors and 25mm to each side.
Here you can see a test assembly upside down on the workbench, allowing me to set alignment dowels and fixing screws for flat pack and assembly on site.
The careful measurement in the workshop, and pre assembly made the site assembly straight forward and easy even in the rain. As you can see the client’s neighbourhood have taken a pride in their back alley and have put a lot of effort into making it a pleasant place to be.
The bin store has all stainless steel hardware and fixings including push button coded locks on the doors, and heavy duty ball bearing hinges. It is fixed to the wall and the ground using 120mm masonry screws. That makes for quick and easy work to secure it. There is a plastic spacer fixed underneath each of the six feet to keep the timber from sitting in moisture.
Though the doors are large there is room in the alley to open them fully.
You can see the ventilation gaps from the inside of the bin store. The roof boards are rebated to allow for them to overlap each other reducing the amount of rain penetration while still allowing timber movement.
And all four of the client’s bins fit perfectly. The extra height I recommended to them means that they can open the bin lids without having to pull the bins out each time. The roof is also strong enough to take planters, that was a client requirement.
The client was very happy with the bin store.