License Plate Pencil Cup
3 Materials
$0
15 Minutes
Easy
I had a couple of old license plates hanging around and I figured we could put them to use somehow. These pencil cups come in handy. I actually use them in the shop. One holds pencils and utility knives, while the other holds my chisels. Go ahead and make one! See how we built this license plate pencil cup! Here we go...
We began by measuring our license plate and then dividing by 4, in our case 12 inches / 4 inches = 3 inches. We'll cut a piece of wood just shy of 3 inches square. I'm using a piece of scrap pallet wood for this project.
Next, we fold the license plate every 3 inches. There will be 3 folds. Need a license plate? See where to get one on my blog!
Figure out where you want the bottom of the pencil cup by placing a couple of pencils in and see how far you want them to stick out. That's where you'll attach your wood inside the cup.
Once you know where you want to place your block of wood inside the cup. Clamp, drill holes and screw the block of wood inside the license plate, assuring your bottom edges are level. I used two 1" screws close to the edges as seen in the picture below.
Now you have a cool pencil holder! This project is super easy, takes about 15 minutes and is a good addition to your office or workshop. Like I said, I use them in my shop - but I may make another one for my office as well!
Where will you use this pencil cup?
Where will you use this pencil cup?
Suggested materials:
- License plate
- Scrap wood
- 2 1" Screws
Top Hometalk Projects
These Upcycling Ideas Will Blow You Away!
18 Ideas to Keep You From Feeling Blue
Hometalk's Top 20 DIY Crafts For Kids
17 Benches You Can Build This Summer
18 Adorable Bird Feeders You'll Want To Make Right Now
30 Essential Hacks For Cleaning Around Your Home
23 Adorable Ways You Can Make Your Own Coasters
Popular Project Book
Join the conversation
2 of 82 comments
![Sabrina's Organizing]()
Sabrina's Organizingon Dec 20, 2019So cute!
![Ilene]()
Ileneon Feb 15, 2020I’ve had the same personalized plate for forever. When I moved to a different State I was able to get the same plate. For sentimental reasons, couldn’t part with old one. Now I know what to do with it. Thank you for this great idea.
Your comment...
Popular Project Book
Have a question about this project?
How do you keep the bottom of the license plate from scratching the table or anything that it is placed on? License plates are somewhat sharp.
Another piece of wood at the bottom exposed just enough to lift license plate cup off the surface
If the bottom edge/seam is secured to a block of wood with 2 nails,how is the top edges held together?
The license plate is stiff. I don't think it would need a brace of any kind.
Like this, but I remember cutting my foot on the edge of a plate while washing a car.
Did you tape the top edges?
Thanks, Andrew. I'll have to check the edges of mine - it's an old personalized plate that belonged to my mom. Right now it's over the work bench in the garage, but this would be nice!