To clean up the visual mess of cables and a power strip in the living room, I built a power-strip storage box.
I made one design choice I’d change if I built it again — noted at the end.
Beyond just looking better, it makes the room easier to clean (well — easier for the robot vacuum to clean…).
Before & After
Before
Pretty visually messy as in the photo (the power strip itself isn’t in this shot — it was hidden behind the humidifier). I wanted to clean it up.
After
After the storage box:
Inside the box
What’s inside:
Build
The base box
Pine glue-laminated panel.
I bonded everything with glue, no screws. Why glue:
・Easier — no need for fastener-driving technique
・Easier disposal — when this thing’s life is over, it can just go in the wood-burnable trash without unscrewing anything
I’ve been using glue often for small builds.
I used my usual heavy-duty adhesive, but standard wood glue is totally fine for this.
The lid
I cut a notch in the lid for cables to come out (note: as I’ll mention at the end, the placement of this notch was a mistake).
Underneath the lid I glued a strip of wood that keeps the lid from sliding around.
How to cut a rectangular notch (jigsaw technique)
For reference, this kind of notched-rectangle cut comes up often in DIY. Here’s how I do it with a jigsaw:
1. Cut the two side cuts
Make the side cuts along your marked lines.
2. Drill a starter hole
Drill a hole big enough for the jigsaw blade to fit through.
3. Cut from the starter hole
Insert the jigsaw blade in the hole and follow the marked line as ① → ② in the diagram.
Finish
I wanted to keep the natural-wood look on this one, so no stain — just beeswax wax.
What I’d Change Next Time
I noticed this only after finishing…
The cable notch should have been on the side of the box, not on the lid.
I’m leaving it as-is for now.
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