In this post, I’m sharing how to build a simple table top key holder and catch all tray!
Do you have a place in your home where you dump your keys, glasses, junk mail, and other odds and ends?
Maybe it’s on an entryway table, a desk, the kitchen island, a nightstand…or all of the above HA!
I got tired of my keys, glasses, guitar picks, and USB adapters laying around everywhere and decided to make a simple scrap wood organizer to keep them all contained in one spot.
This simple catch all has pegs for hanging keys and glasses, a place on the side for books and mail, and a flat surface on the bottom where I can keep my random odds and ends.
It makes a great addition to your nightstand, entryway table, kitchen counter, or your desk to help you stay organized.
Best of all, it’s a quick and easy project that you can make from your scrap pile! I’ll share how I made it below, so let’s dive in.
Tools & Materials:
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Tools:
- Miter Saw
- Drill/Driver
- Countersink Bit
- Forstner Bits (½″ & 1 ¼″)
Materials:
- Wood Scraps (1×8 board, ½″ diameter wood dowel & 1 ¼″ diameter wood dowel)
- Wood Glue
- Painter’s Tape
- 1 ¼″ screws
What to know before building
This is a super quick project you can easily complete in just an hour or two. (And most of that time is spent waiting for glue to dry!)
The size is completely customizable to fit your needs, and you can likely find all the lumber you need in your scrap pile.
For this project, you only need about 32″ of 1×8, but you could also use ¾″ plywood pieces, 1×6, 1×10, or whatever width board that you have on hand.
I used walnut for the tray portion of this build and red oak for the dowels. However, any wood type would work fine.
Using different woods for the dowels and tray was a fun way to add some contrast.
Overall Dimensions
The overall dimensions of this project are approximately 7 ¼″ deep, 10″ tall, and 16″ long.
How to Build a Catch All Tray and Key Holder
Grab your wood scraps and let’s dive in!
This is a great beginner level project to help you get some experience with using a miter saw and a drill.
Cut List:
For this build, you’ll need to cut the following pieces.
1×8:
- (1) piece 16″ long (one end beveled 45 degrees)
- (1) piece 4 ½″ long (one end beveled 45 degrees)
- (1) piece 9 ¼″ long
Dowels:
- (1) 1 14″ diameter dowel @ 11 ¼″ long
- (4) ½″ diameter dowels @ 2″ long
Step 1: Assemble Main Catch All Tray Body
First, I cut the two 1×8 pieces that will make the bottom and short side of the catch all tray.
So I cut a piece of 1×8 to 16″ long and another to 4 ½″ long each with one end beveled 45 degrees.
I beveled the ends so that I could glue them up as a mitered joint. However, that’s not necessary.
If you’d rather not do that, you can certainly just cut these ends square and use wood screws to join them instead.
I laid these pieces on the workbench so that the long sides butted up next to each other and put some painters tape across the joint.
Then, I flipped it over, applied wood glue on the beveled ends and folded them together.
I wiped away the excess glue squeeze out and set aside while it dried. If you want to clamp this, you can, just make sure it stays square while it’s drying.
Step 2: Assemble Key Holder Rod
While the glue dried on the tray, I began working on the key holder section.
I cut the wood dowels according to the cut list above and set the 1 ¼″ dowel next to a board. I used that to draw a straight line across the dowel.
Then, I measured and marked along this line where to add the pegs. I marked 2″ from the right end for the first peg, then spaced the rest out every 2 ¼″.
You can adjust your spacing how you’d like to add more or less pegs. Feel free to customize as you wish.
Once they were marked, I used a ½″ forstner bit to drill holes at these marks. I drilled approximately ½″ deep.
NOTE: Be sure to clamp the dowel securely before drilling!
Then, I applied wood glue to the end of the pegs and installed them into the holes.
Be sure to wipe away excess glue! I made sure they all looked straight, then set this aside to dry.
Step 3: Cut and Prepare Key Holder Panel
I cut a final piece of 1×8 to about 9 ¼″ long. To dress it up a little, I trimmed the top corners at 45 degrees, but you could leave these square if you’d prefer to.
You could also use a jig saw to cut an arch across the top as well…again, feel free to make this your own however you’d like 🙂
I marked 1″ down from the top at the center and used a 1 ¼″ forstner bit to drill a hole about ½″ deep at that location.
Once the glue was dry on the rod from step 2, I used some wood glue to install it into this hole. A rubber mallet is helpful to tap it in nice and snug.
Make sure the pegs are straight and facing the right direction before allowing to dry.
Step 4: Install Key Holder to Catch All Tray
The last part is simply attaching the tray bottom from step 1 to the key holder assembly from step 3.
To do this, I used a scrap piece of 1×4 that I had lying around the shop to space the 1×8 piece on the hey holder 3 ½″ from the side edge of the tray bottom.
You are welcome to space this differently, but 3 ½″ seemed to hold 2-3 average sized books well.
I drilled predrilled and countersunk holes through the bottom of the tray into the 1×8 of the key holder assembly.
Then, I drove 1 ¼″ screws through these holes to secure.
Step 5: Finish Key Tray Organizer
The last step is to apply a finish. You can welcome to paint and/or stain as desired.
Since I was using walnut and red oak, I simply applied a natural oil based finish using Walrus Oil Furniture butter. This just rubs in and gives the wood a nice, rich color and feel.
And now it’s ready to hold keys, glasses, wallets, mail, books, phones, whatever you need your “catch-all” for!
Looking for More Scrap Wood Organization Ideas?
If you enjoyed this project and are interested in more scrap wood organization project ideas, here are a few favorites!
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Until next time, friends, happy building!
EASY SCRAP WOOD KEY HOLDER CATCH ALL TRAY
Learn how to build a simple table top key holder and catch all tray! Best of all, it’s a quick and easy project that you can make from your scrap pile!
Materials
- Wood Scraps
- Wood Glue
- Painter’s Tape
- 1 ¼″ screws
Instructions
- Assemble main catch all tray body.
- Assemble key holder rod.
- Cut and prepare key holder panel using miter saw.
- Install key holder to catch all tray.
- Finish key tray organizer by applying a finish.
Learn how to build a simple table top key holder and catch all tray!