She Turned a 4×4 Wood Post Into a Back-to-School Crayon Organizer

Crayons and colored pencils need to stay within reach on a kids’ art table, but separate cups and bins can take up much of the surface meant for drawing. DIYer Emily Burmeister used a two-foot piece of 4×4 lumber to put the storage into one narrow strip of wood instead.

Nine holes drilled about 3.5 inches deep create separate compartments for sorting crayons by color, with larger supplies grouped at one end. Finished holder fits about 100 crayons and 30 colored pencils while leaving the main work surface open.

Pencil Holder Starts With a Two-Foot 4×4

Burmeister cut the 4×4 to about two feet, creating a long base that could sit across much of her kids’ art table. Pencil marks across the top set the positions for nine storage compartments, with consistent gaps between each opening.

Solid lumber provides enough depth for crayons to stand inside the wood without passing through the bottom. Its weight also gives the finished holder a broad base that resists movement when kids pull supplies from different sections.

Wood-Boring Bit Creates Nine Deep Compartments

Large wood-boring bit removes material from each marked position. Burmeister drilled down about 3.5 inches, leaving wood beneath each recess rather than cutting through the 4×4.

Hole diameter accommodates groups of crayons instead of individual pieces. Nine repeated openings turn one solid beam into several built-in containers without dividers, jars, or attached parts.

Repeated Holes Form the Storage Layout

Drilling leaves nine circular recesses running in a straight line across the top. Spacing keeps enough solid wood between them to preserve the structure while dividing supplies into separate groups.

Openings near each end sit back from the edge, so the outer walls retain enough thickness to contain pencils and crayons. Rounded corners reduce the block-like profile of the original lumber.

Bare Wood Shows the Organizer Before Finishing

Completed drilling reveals how much storage comes from the depth of a 4×4. Each recess extends into the lumber while the exterior remains one continuous piece.

Burmeister considered dark stain but kept the natural wood visible after seeing the grain. That choice also makes the bright crayons the strongest color on the finished organizer.

Lacquer Seals the Exposed Wood

Clear lacquer goes across the top and sides with a brush, following the direction of the grain. Finish deepens the grain contrast without covering knots, lines, and color shifts in the lumber.

Sealing the surface also changes the raw construction lumber into a finished desktop piece. Rounded edges and the clear coat give the long 4×4 a smoother surface around small hands and loose art supplies.

Finish Extends Around Each Opening

Burmeister brushed lacquer around the rims and into the drilled compartments instead of treating just the exterior faces. Crayons and pencils therefore sit against finished wood rather than rough bore marks.

Clear finish collects more inside the deep openings, where excess material has fewer places to spread. Once dry, each recess retains its exposed wood interior while matching the sealed top.

Color Groups Give Each Hole a Job

Finished organizer uses the openings as color categories. Blues, greens, purples, browns, pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows occupy separate sections, while colored pencils stand together at one end.

Grouping supplies this way makes the storage system visible at a glance. Kids can reach for a color family without emptying a mixed crayon box across the table.

Long Shape Keeps Supplies in One Row

Nine compartments spread storage across the length of the wood rather than building upward with stacked containers. Colored pencils need the extra height, while shorter crayons remain visible above each opening.

Single-piece construction also keeps every color group connected. Picking up or repositioning the organizer moves the entire supply station at once.

Crayons Stay Visible From Above

Close spacing within each compartment lets a group of crayons stand upright with their wrappers and tips exposed. Purple, gray, brown, and pink sections remain distinct without labels.

Circular recesses use most of the available width in the 4×4 while leaving strips of wood along both sides. Supplies stay contained without extending beyond the footprint of the lumber.

Finished Organizer Holds More Than Crayons

Colored pencils occupy the openings at one end, showing how the same drilled storage can handle taller supplies. Crayons fill the remaining compartments according to color rather than size.

Burmeister reports fitting about 100 crayons and 30 colored pencils into the finished piece. Similar compartments could also accommodate markers, pens, or paintbrushes as school supplies change.

Nine Holes Turn the 4×4 Into a Crayon Organizer

Finished holder keeps colored pencils at one end and separates crayons by color across the remaining holes. Burmeister fit about 100 crayons and 30 colored pencils into the two-foot piece.

Side-by-side view shows the full change from marked 4×4 lumber to finished organizer. Drilled recesses create the storage, while clear lacquer seals the wood without covering its grain.