Doortop Stash

Easy to reach but hard to find.

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Pop quiz: What does the top edge of say, your utility closet door look like? I'm betting that you've never seen it, even if you've lived in your home for awhile. And although there's not a lot of room to hide stuff in there, well, if you're like me, the stuff you want to hide is usually on the smaller side. Not many people think of the space inside the door as a hiding spot, but it's right there in easy reaching distance when you need to get to it. And it's devious enough that, yes, I think this trick will still be effective even after I blog it all over the web.

You'll need a suitable hollow-core interior door, a cigar tube, a few tools, and some other odds 'n' ends.

Sections
Tools
Tools (continued)
Relevant parts
  • Washer, Flat, 1" OD, 3/16" ID
  • Washer, Flat, 1/2" OD, 3/16" ID
  • Washer, Split, 3/16" ID
  • Machine screw, small flat head head should be 1/4" diameter, total length about 1/2"
  • Nut, hex threaded to fit machine screw
  • Cigar tube, aluminum, 3/4" OD, 6" length
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Clean tube (optional)  ¶ 

  • Just for appearances, I removed the painted label from my cigar tube. Obviously it's not strictly necessary for the stash to work.

  • Put on protective rubber gloves.

  • Pour out a little Goof-Off in a stainless steel bowl.

  • Dip a Scotch Brite pad in the solvent and vigorously scrub the cigar tube.

  • It takes a bit of elbow grease, but eventually the label should come off.

  • Wipe the tube clean with a paper towel and let it dry.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — Drill cap hole  ¶ 

  • Mark the center of the cap with, e.g., a Sharpie marker.

  • Put a small dimple on the mark with a thumbtack, to guide the drill.

  • Using a brad-point drill, drill a 1/8-3/16" hole in the center of the cap where marked.

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Add Note Edit Step 3 — Countersink washer  ¶ 

  • Temporarily fix the 1" flat washer to a a scrap of wood by driving three small nails around its rim.

  • Countersink the mounted washer slightly, so your flat-head bolt will sit flush against it.

  • Remove the nails and recover the washer.

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Add Note Edit Step 4 — Assemble cap  ¶ 

  • Put the bolt into the washer, and invert it on the benchtop.

  • Guide the bolt through the hole in the cigar tube lid.

  • Add the 1/2" flat washer inside the lid.

  • Add the split washer above the 1/2" flat washer inside the lid.

  • Moisten the threads of the bolt with a dab of thread adhesive.

  • Finally, thread the nut onto the bolt and tighten down using a nut driver on one side and a screwdriver on the other. Don't overtighten.

  • Set the cap aside and let the adhesive dry.

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Add Note Edit Step 5 — Assemble stash  ¶ 

  • When the adhesive on the cap is dry, screw the lid onto the cigar tube.

  • Verify that the hardware inside the lid does not interfere with the closing of the lid.

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Add Note Edit Step 6 — Mark and drill pilot hole  ¶ 

  • Select a hollow-core interior door to conceal your stash. It should be a door you can access with some expectation of privacy.

  • Position the stash closer to the hinge than the knob. It will undergo less acceleration in this position, when the door is opened or closed, and is less likely to rattle.

  • Measure the thickness of the door, and mark the halfway point.

  • Being careful to keep the axis of the drill plumb, drill a 1/4" pilot hole, as deep as you can, on the mark. A brad-point bit is less likely to wander.

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Add Note Edit Step 7 — Counterbore door  ¶ 

  • Using a 1" spade bit, with the pilot hole as a guide, counterbore a circular recess about 1/8" deep in the top of the door.

  • The purpose of this recess is to provide clearance for the washer you mounted to the lid of the cigar tube, so it will sit flush with the top of the door. Thus, you don't need to counterbore any deeper than the thickness of the washer.

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Add Note Edit Step 8 — Drill and shape opening  ¶ 

  • Switch to a 3/4" spade bit and, using the pilot hole as a guide, drill straight down into the door until your bit breaks through into the hollow space inside. This should be about 3-4" down.

  • Use a rat-tail file to shape the opening to fit the tube. If your cigar tube is like mine, you'll need to expand the opening a bit to accommodate the threaded portion at the top.

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Add Note Edit Step 9 — Use it!  ¶ 

  • The washer attached to the top of the stash should fit flush with the upper surface of the door. The fit should be loose enough to lift out easily, but not so loose as to rattle when the door is moved.

  • A small magnet can be used to easily lift the stash clear of the door, as shown.

For more information, check out the Furniture category page.

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Guide Add Note

I found this very easy, although I first used just a film canister, a tad shorter but wider and without a screw top. Just as effective though and flush with the top edge of the door.

Next I got rather inventive and modified the top of a tobacco tin making to notches on the top, indenting it and fashioning a stiff wire to fit inside the indentation and through the notches as a small handle, which lies flat so nothing hangs up when opening and closing the door. Then I used a mortice drill bit and after an exhausting while, and using a chisel and a curette, managed to hollow out a space big enough to fit the tin into.

The real benefit here is not the technique so much as the idea of where to place this thing. I don't know of anyone who would think to look for a place like this as a hidey hole. Many of the others have been over used....hollowed out books, fake light and power switches and outlets, zippered belts, etc.

-Jeeem-

jeeeminthailand, · Reply

Jeeem-

Thanks for your comment. I consciously chose to use a container with a screw-top lid to help alleviate the danger of the container popping loose from the lid, from which it is suspended, and falling into the empty space inside a hollow-core door. If you have a solid-core door or the depth of the recess you cut doesn't penetrate beyond the solid upper rim of the door, this is not a concern.

Cheers-

SMR

Sean Michael Ragan,

Where can someone obtain a cigar tube?

internet, · Reply

internet-

The best and cheapest place to find cigar tubes are on ebay. Though you might be able to purchase one from a local news agents but it is likely to contain the cigar.

Tod Shorter,