I built a wooden umbrella stand for our entryway.
Most umbrella stands you can buy are plastic or metal, and I could never find one that suited the entrance. So I made one instead. I picked up the lumber at a home center, and because I wanted a bright, airy look, I left the wood its natural color. The wood does get wet from umbrellas, so I applied a protective finish — but I chose a clear one.
The result is exactly what I hoped for: the light natural wood adds some warmth to the entryway. Materials came to about ¥6,200 (roughly $40), and the build took two weekends including drying time between coats.
In this post I’ll cover the dimensions, material costs, and cut list, then walk through cutting, assembly, and finishing with photos. I’ve also left in my one real mistake — I should have painted before assembling — in case it saves you the same trouble.
The design was inspired by a video from the Japanese YouTube channel yupinoko’s DIY Life — “Rainy-Season DIY: Towel Drying Rack & Umbrella Stand.” The video is in Japanese.
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@yupinoko
Finished Size and Look
Here’s the finished stand with its dimensions.
Width and depth: 7-7/8″ (200 mm)
Height: 23-5/8″ (600 mm)
It holds about four or five full-length umbrellas. The structure makes it easy to change the width, depth, and height, so just adjust the cut list if you want a different size for your entryway.
Materials and Tools
Materials (about ¥6,200 / $40 total)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Lumber (total) | ¥3,500 (about $22) |
| Wood glue (Titebond) | ¥680 (about $4) |
| Finish (water-based clear) | ¥1,700 (about $11) |
| Brush | ¥150 (about $1) |
| Small stainless dish (drip tray) | ¥200 (about $1.30) |
| Screws | A few hundred yen (I used what I had on hand) |
| Sandpaper | A few hundred yen (I used what I had on hand) |
Tools I used
- Circular saw / jigsaw
- Cordless drill/driver
- Clamps
Power tools aren’t strictly required — hand tools will do the job. If you have the lumber cut at the store, a cordless drill/driver alone is enough.
Lumber and cut list
I bought the lumber at a home center.
① 1-3/16″ × 1-3/16″ × 78″ (30 × 30 × 1985 mm) Japanese red pine square stock ¥428 (about $2.70) × 2
②-1 1/2″ × 3-9/16″ × 71-5/8″ (12 × 90 × 1820 mm) hinoki cypress board ¥1,480 (about $9.40) × 1
②-2 1/2″ × 3-9/16″ × 23-5/8″ (12 × 90 × 600 mm) hinoki cypress board ¥988 (about $6.30) × 1
Here’s how those pieces get cut down.
①: frame members for the body
②: slats for the sides
Plus: I made the drip tray base from offcuts.
Cutting the Lumber
I did most of the cutting with a circular saw.
(Having the home center cut the boards for a small fee is also an option.)
Batching identical lengths with a circular saw sled
This build needs a lot of identical pieces, so I used my shop-made circular saw sled.
As in the video below, clamping a stop block lets you cut the same length over and over.
I wrote up the sled build in the post below. If you own a circular saw, I really recommend making one.
Pieces cut to length.
Ripping thin strips with a saw guide and double-sided tape
The long rips for ② won’t fit on the sled, so those get cut with a circular saw guide rail instead, as in the photo below.
When you’re ripping something this narrow it’s hard to hold down properly, so I stuck double-sided tape on the underside to keep the workpiece from shifting mid-cut.
All the parts are cut.
My Mistake: Finish Before You Assemble
At this point I went straight into assembly — but I should have applied the finish first.
This is a slatted design, and once it’s assembled the inside faces are very hard to reach with a brush. On an umbrella stand the inside is exactly where the water goes, so that’s the surface you most want sealed.
If you’re building one, sand and finish everything right after cutting, then assemble.
Building the Side Slat Panels
Tacking the slats with wood glue
First I assembled the thin side pieces into panels.
Titebond holds the slats in place while I work.
Glued up.
I did the same for all four slat panels.
Drilling pilot holes, then driving screws
Next, screws.
I used 3/4″ (20 mm) slim screws.
Drill pilot holes first so the wood doesn’t split. Driving screws straight into stock this thin will split it more often than not, so don’t skip this step.
All four slat panels screwed together.
Assembling the Main Frame
Now the main frame.
In the photo the parts are just set in place, not fastened yet.
Fastening from the inside with a Kreg pocket hole jig
You could just drive screws from the outside, but I also wanted to try the Kreg pocket hole jig, which lets you fasten from the inside. The screw heads stay hidden, so the outside looks cleaner. (Skipping it is perfectly fine.)
I covered the Kreg pocket hole jig in this post.
These are 2-1/4″ (57 mm) screws.
Driving the screws from the inside.
Toe-screwing the slat panels
The pocket hole jig won’t work on the side slat panels.
Instead I drove screws in at an angle from the inside.
Start by drilling angled pilot holes.
The trick to drilling at an angle: start the bit perpendicular to the surface, go in a little, then tilt to the angle you want.
For the slat panels I used 1″ (25 mm) mini screws.
Then drive the screws along the angled pilot holes.
Make two of these.
Clamping up in a U-shape and closing the box
Set the assemblies up in a U-shape to start joining them.
Clamp the U-shape together. Holding everything firmly with clamps makes this a lot easier.
I used the Kreg jig earlier, but there’s no room to work from the inside here, so these go in the ordinary way — screws from the outside.
The slat panels are a bit awkward to reach, but same as before: angled screws from the back side.
Three sides done.
Same again for the rest, and all four sides are together.
Making the Drip Tray Base
Now for the base that catches the water.
Using offcuts, cut a 5-7/8″ × 5-7/8″ (150 × 150 mm) square, then notch about 1/4″ (7 mm) out of each corner.
I used a jigsaw, but a hand saw is fine too.
Drop the base in.
It isn’t fastened — it just sits there, so I can lift it out for cleaning.
That would work as is, but I found a small stainless dish at a 100-yen shop, so I set that in as a drip tray.
I’ll see how it works in daily use. It’s not fixed down, so if it turns out to be unnecessary I’ll just take it out.
That’s the assembly finished.
Sanding and a Clear Finish
A finish goes on next for durability. An umbrella stand gets wet, so a wood protectant makes a real difference to how long it lasts.
As I mentioned earlier, I wanted the inside sealed properly too, so this should have gone on before assembly.
Surface prep (120 → 400 grit)
Sand everything as surface prep — 120 grit, then 400.
Two coats of water-based clear protectant
I wanted to keep the natural wood color, so I went with a clear finish — a water-based wood preservative in clear.
The product I used is only sold in Japan. A comparable water-based clear wood protectant available in the US:
Brush it on.
I let the first coat dry, then applied a second.
Finished
Done!
It brightened up the entryway just like I hoped. Natural wood softens the space, so the clear finish was the right call.
Summary
Looking back on the build, here’s what matters most.
- Size: 7-7/8″ (200 mm) wide and deep × 23-5/8″ (600 mm) tall — holds four or five full-length umbrellas
- Cost: about ¥6,200 (roughly $40) — ¥3,500 (about $22) in lumber plus finish, glue, brush, and tray
- Lumber: 1-3/16″ (30 mm) square red pine for the frame, 1/2″ × 3-9/16″ (12 × 90 mm) hinoki for the slats
- Finish: a water-based clear wood protectant if you want to keep the natural color — two coats
- What I’d do differently: finish before assembly. On a slatted design the inside faces are nearly impossible to reach afterward
- Handy to have: a circular saw sled (batching identical cuts), a Kreg pocket hole jig (hidden screw heads), and clamps (keeping things square)
The structure is simple, so changing the dimensions to suit your entryway is easy. If you’ve never found a store-bought umbrella stand you actually liked, this one is worth a weekend.
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