Bunny Hay Rack/Litter Pan Combo

I am very fortunate to have a kind, wonderful friend and neighbor who has a great woodworking shop, as she and her husband are builders -- they actually built my house, which I love! All I did was write up these plans for her, barge in and use her tools and expertise! She's responsible for improving my last version of these plans, which had dowel pins connecting the rack and litter pan for some odd reason. It's nice to get a second opinion, which I rarely have. It took 2 hours from start to finish, but build in an hour or two extra if you're not very experienced as it can take time to think things through. Either way, I designed it this way to keep it simple for all to make. No jig saw or mitered corners, etc. 

This cost me $43.25 plus tax, but I already had the litter pan ($5.75), screws and the 1x1. It was actually 3/4"x1-1/8", so you could improvise on that piece because at Home Depot it's $3.12 per linear foot. Just don't go higher than 1" and you will be able to put in hay easily. 

Hope these instructions work for you, please let me know how it went. 

Click here for the pdf printable version of this post.

Plan:

Supplies:

Required Hardware:

- Table saw to cut boards, -or- get this done at Home Depot. If getting your cuts at Home Depot, ensure that the cuts are exact lengths, as the employees’ precision will vary. 

- Drill

- 3/4” Forstner bit or other 3/4” hole-boring bit

- Bit matching the screws you chose (in my case, T-10)

- Bit or screwdriver matching the hinge screws and knob screw you chose

- Bit to pre-drill hole the size of the knob screw

- Wood glue, if gluing on a handle instead of using a knob set

- Ruler

Recommended Hardware:

- A drill bit matching your 38 screws, to pre-drill holes (keeps wood from splitting)

- Pencil w/eraser

- Drill Press

- Clamps

- Sandpaper

Instructions: 

Please review and observe all safety precautions for each tool you use, including wearing a dust mask and goggles if you're sawing the boards yourself.

Before you begin, ensure all your cuts are precise lengths. If you have a saw, you can make adjustments. 

1. Use your pencil to mark the eight boards you'll be using. 
Mark the two 33” boards “LP Ext” for Litter Pan Exterior. 

Mark the 19.5” board “Flip-Top”.

Mark one of the 18” boards “HR Int” for Hay Rack Interior.

Mark the other two 18” boards “LP Int” for Litter Pan Interior.

Mark the two 17” boards “HR Ext” for Hay Rack Exterior.

2. Start with the litter pan holder. 

Put the box together as shown. “Exterior” pieces will envelop the “interior” pieces, look at the picture to confirm what I mean. 

You will need either an extra person to hold the boards aligned as you screw them in, or some clamps. Put 3 screws in each corner of the box as shown. Pre-drill holes if you can.

3. Prepare the holes for the hay rack dowels.

If using a drill press, set it to make 1/4” deep holes. If using a drill, you’ll have to do the best you can to estimate with a ruler. 

Take your 1x6x18 HR Int board. First, make a pencil line 1/2” from what you decide will be the front of that board all across the board as shown (don't worry, you don't need to put the box together yet). This should be a very straight line exactly parallel with the edge of the board. 

Repeat this with one of your 1x1x18 boards, whichever you want in front.

Take your 1x6x18 HR Int board. For each hole, you’ll make one point mark. This will be for the center point where the Forstner bit’s point will align with. The marks will be on the line you made. Make the marks at 2-3/4”, 5-7/8”, 9”, 12-1/8”, and 15-1/4”. 

Repeat this with the 1x1x18 board you made your line on. It may help to just line up the boards next to each other to make the points match up.

4. Drill the holes. Either using your drill press, or do the best you can to get 1/4” deep holes. Center the drill bit on the points you made.

5. Cut your dowels to size. 

If you used the 1x1 and the nominal length and width is the same as the exact sizes, i.e. if it is truly 1"x1", cut each dowel to 15.75". If you used something slightly different, start with 17", subtract the depth of HR Int and of the HR Int small board you used, then add back 0.5" for the two 0.25" holes you'll be making. 

6. Now make the hay rack. 
Put the box together as shown, but with dowels in. Once again, there will be two “exterior” pieces. However, there are three interior pieces. The 18” board (which will be the bottom) and the two 1x1 pieces for the top.

Ensure that the top of the 1x1 pieces are flush with the top of the exterior boards. 

Either have your partner hold the pieces aligned as you screw them in, or use your clamps (as in the picture). 

Put 3 screws into the two exterior boards corners sandwiching the 1x6 interior board as shown. Then put two screws on the corners sandwiching the 1x1 boards, one screw for each board as shown. 

7. Now connect your hay rack to the litter pan holder.

Put 4 screws approximately equidistant to secure the back of the 1x1x18 HR Int board to the back edge of whichever LP Int piece you designate as the back piece.

8. Now put your plywood backing on the back of the hay rack. You can nail it in, or screw it in. I used three approximately equidistant screws on the bottom, and three on top. 

9. Now put your hinges on. Be sure to position them so the holes are not too close to the screws you put in earlier. Pre-drilling holes before you put the screws in can be a lifesaver here so you don’t split the wood. If you can’t, just stay as far as possible away from your previous screws and drill carefully. 

10. Now either put your handle on as instructed, drilling a hole and screwing it in, or glue it on. Or, glue on a “handle” of your choice, like I did! 

11. Optional — break the edges! This is just taking a piece of sandpaper and sanding all the visible edges of each board to create a mini-bevel. It gives things a finished look. 

12. Either sand off or erase your pencil markings. You’re done! Vacuum off all the dust, put your litter box in and may your buns enjoy.