DIY Can Crusher: Easy Woodworking Project for Kids
Looking for a fun woodworking project to build with your kids? This DIY wooden can crusher is a great way to turn a few pieces of scrap plywood into something useful. With a simple design, basic hardware, and a handful of parts, it's an easy shop project that introduces kids to woodworking and basic mechanical principles.
Best of all, once the can crusher is finished, you can put it to work flattening empty aluminum cans and cleaning up your recycling area.
Build a Wooden Can Crusher from Scrap Plywood
This shop-made can crusher is built primarily from Baltic birch plywood. The design consists of a base, a fixed anvil, a sliding crushing jaw, and a long foot-operated lever.
The jaw travels along a plywood track and is connected to the lever with aluminum bar linkages and a pivot pin. Pressing down on the lever moves the crushing block forward, compressing an aluminum can against the fixed anvil.
It's a straightforward mechanism that demonstrates how a lever can multiply force to make a task easier.
A Simple Woodworking Project to Build with Kids
One of the best things about this project is that it doesn't require much material. Most of the plywood parts can be cut at the band saw, and the straightforward construction makes it a good opportunity to introduce young woodworkers to layout, cutting, drilling, and assembly.
With appropriate adult supervision and age-appropriate tasks, kids can help make the parts and see how the finished mechanism works.
Once assembled, the crusher can be placed on the shop floor near your recycling bin. The long lever makes crushing cans easy with foot pressure.
Safety Note: Operate the crusher with your foot rather than your hand to reduce the risk of pinched fingers. Keep hands clear of the crushing jaw and linkage, and supervise children whenever the crusher is in use.
Free DIY Can Crusher Plans
Ready to build your own? Woodsmith has free shop drawings with additional dimensions and construction details to help you make this simple plywood can crusher.
GET MORE DETAILED DRAWINGS → Build a Can Crusher
Before crushing cans, check with your local recycling program. Some recycling facilities prefer aluminum cans to remain uncrushed so their sorting equipment can identify them properly.
Whether you're looking for a quick weekend woodworking project, a hands-on STEM activity, or a fun way to get the kids involved in the shop, this homemade can crusher is a practical project with a satisfying payoff.
More Woodworking Projects for Kids: DIY Bucket Table & Chairs
Keep the kids involved in the workshop with this clever furniture project. Turn a few 5-gallon buckets and scrap plywood into a fun table and chair set, complete with built-in storage for toys and art supplies.
WATCH THE VIDEO → See How to Build the Kids Table & Chairs
