How to:

Build a Scratch
Pad Holder
For a Cat:





Jack Wise
English 202C
Preface
If you are a cat owner, you no doubt have a scratching post for
your pet (unless declawed). Scratch pads usually come with a
cheap, cardboard mount that will most likely break under the
weight of your cat after a period of time. Due to the hollow
center, and paper supports, the angled plane of the holder will
buckle under any cats weight. The cardboard mounts are also a
bit of an eye sore, with colorful designs that usually look
inelegant in a homeowners living room. This guide will help you
build an elegant and functional scratch pad holder that you will
feel proud to display in your living room.
Safety Information
Warning: Please read the following information before beginning this project!
This project is intended for people who have prior experience with or are comfortable with using very
dangerous power tools like a circular saw. These tools can cause serious physical harm and even death if
handled incorrectly. Please read the instruction manual for your specific saw in order to safely operate
it.
This project also contains steps that require a hammer and nails. To prevent damage to your hands and
fingers, be as careful as possible when nailing parts together. Use a wall to your advantage when
connecting parts as some situations, especially early on, are very awkward. Never hold a section in your
hand while you hammer, brace one part with your palm, steady the nail with your fingers and carefully
hammer the nail into place.
There are also some steps that have the option of using a power drill to create a guide hole for the nail.
This tool can cause serious physical harm if handled incorrectly. Please read the instruction manual for
your specific drill in order to safely operate it.
Materials
Circular Saw/ Band Saw Wood Scratch Pad
Power Drill Paint Brush Ruler/ Pencil
Hammer Wood Stain & Sealant Eye Protection
Finishing Nails (x26) Sand Paper Ear Protection

Figure 1: A cheap, cardboard pad holder,
Source: PetSmart.com, (c) 2014
Step 1: Collecting Materials
1. At your local hardware store buy a piece of cedar plywood that is 3 x 5 and is 0.7 thick. Also
buy 120 and 180 grit sandpaper, a box of finishing nails, wood sealant and a wood stain of your
choosing. Also remember to buy two fine bristle paint brushes.
2. Go to a pet store that sells Great Choice Play Cavern Cat Scratcher Refills [1]. They are 19 long
and 7 wide which will perfectly fit into the finished holder.
3. Set up your workspace and lay out the wood. It is now time to calculate the dimensions of the
different parts. Lay down the wood and grab a ruler or straight edge and a pencil.
4. Using the ruler and the pencil, trace the part
shown on the right onto your plywood twice. All
dimensions are in inches. These parts will be the
sides of the holder. Tip: draw the straight lines
first and then draw the angled line connecting the
3.00 and 2.70 lines.


5. Now trace the part shown on the right on an open
part of the plywood. This will be the back of the
holder.




6. Trace the part shown on the right onto an open
section of the plywood. This will be the front of
the holder.


7. Trace the part shown on the right onto an open
section of the plywood. This will be the base of
the holder.
8. Trace the part shown to the right onto an open
section of the plywood. This will be the top of the
holder.


9. Trace the part shown to the right onto an open
section of the plywood twice. This will be the
supports of the holder.


10. Now you should have every part necessary traced
out in the proper dimensions onto the plywood.
There should be:
Walls (x2)
Back
Front
Bottom
Top
Support (x2)

Step 2: Cutting the Parts
Caution: Power saws send debris and saw dust flying in all directions at very high speeds. Always use
eye protection when operating power tools. Saws also emit very loud noises of up to 120 dB during
use, hearing protection is highly recommended during this section.
1. If using a circular saw, lay the plywood so that a section of it is hovering off of the side of the
table. Use weight to hold down the other side. If using a band saw this step is not necessary,
just load the plywood onto the saw table.
2. Carefully cut along the lines traced in the last step to make the pieces. Remember, if using a
circular saw, cut pieces will be released from the plywood into open air. Keep feet and limbs out
from underneath the plywood when the final cut is made.
3. Once finished, put the scrap plywood aside and unplug the circular saw. Hearing protection is no
longer needed.
Step 3: Creating Guide Holes for the Nails
1. The Sides: 7 Guide Holes Necessary
Caution: If handled incorrectly, power drills can seriously
injure the user, proceed with caution and carefully perform
the next steps.
a. The lower three nails will be placed 0.35 above the
bottom of the part in order to imbed into the base
piece. The three nails will be placed 5.06, 10.12, and
15.18 from the back of the piece. Using a ruler and a
pencil, mark these three locations as shown to the
right.

b. Draw a line, parallel to the slanted part of the piece
1.85 from the edge. Mark two dots, 1 apart in a
section of the line in-between the first and second
guide holes marked in step a. Repeat this with two
more dots, 1 apart in a section of the line in-between
the second and third guide holes as shown to the right.
c. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on one of the two side pieces. Make sure you are drilling perpendicular to the
marked face of the part and that the bit drills completely through the wood.
d. Lay the first piece (with holes) on top of the second piece, so they line up perfectly, and drill
through to the second piece so that the two sides have identical guide holes.
e. Lay the two side pieces aside.

2. The Back: 5 Guide Holes Necessary
a. The lower three nails will be placed 0.35 above the
bottom of the part in order to imbed into the Base Piece
and the Side Pieces. The two outside nails should be
0.35 from their respective sides and the center nail
should be placed 4.20 from the left edge of the piece.
Using a ruler and pencil, mark these three locations.



b. The upper two nails should be placed 0.35 from their
respective sides, in order to imbed into the two Side
Pieces, and 5.35 from the top of the piece. Using a ruler
and pencil, mark these two locations.





c. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on the piece. Make sure you are drilling perpendicular to the marked face of
the part and that the bit drills completely through the wood.
d. Lay the piece aside.
3. The Top: 5 Guide Holes Necessary
a. Each of the four corner nails will be placed 0.35 from
the two sides closest to them. The lower middle nail will
be placed 0.35 from the bottom of the part and 4.20
from the right side. Using a ruler and a pencil, mark
these five locations.


b. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on the piece. Make sure you are drilling perpendicular to the marked face of
the part and that the bit drills completely through the wood.
c. Lay the piece aside.
4. The Front: 5 Guide Holes Necessary
a. Each of the four corner nails will be placed 0.35 from
the two sides closest to them. The bottom middle nail
will be placed 0.35 from the bottom of the part and
4.20 from the right side. Using a ruler and a pencil,
mark these five locations.

b. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on the piece. Make sure you are drilling perpendicular to the marked face of
the part and that the bit drills completely through the wood.
c. Lay the piece aside.
5. The Supports: 4 Guide Holes Necessary
a. Turn the piece so you are viewing one of the two
smallest faces.
b. The two guide holes should be placed 0.35 from the
bottom of the piece, and each hole should be placed
0.50 from its respective side. Using a ruler and a pencil,
mark these two locations.
c. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on the piece. You only need the holes to go about an inch into the wood, not
all the way through.
d. Repeat steps a, b and c for the opposite side of the piece.
e. Repeat steps a, b, c and d for the second support piece.
f. Lay the two pieces aside.

6. The Base: 7 Guide Holes Optional
This step is completely optional. The Base does not need guide holes as much as the other parts, but it
does make some of the more awkward nailing steps easier.
a. Turn the piece so you are viewing one of the two long and thin faces.
b. The three guide holes will be placed 0.35 above the
bottom of the part. The three nails will be placed
5.06, 10.12, and 15.18 from the right side of the
piece, these holes will match with the holes drilled into
the Side Pieces. Using a ruler and a pencil, mark these
three locations.
c. Ensure that the drill bit you are using is smaller than the nail and then carefully drill out small
holes at each mark on the piece. You only need the holes to go about an inch into the wood, not
all the way through.
d. Repeat steps a, b and c for the opposite side of the piece.
e. Turn the piece so you are viewing one of the two shorter, skinny faces.
f. The guide hole will be placed 0.35 from the bottom of
the piece and 3.50 from the left side of the piece. This
hole will match with the holes drilled in the front and
back of the piece.
g. Repeat steps a, b and c for the opposite side of the piece.
h. Lay the piece aside

Step 4: Connecting the Parts
Caution: If handled incorrectly, a hammer and nails can seriously injure the user, proceed with caution
and carefully perform the next steps.
1. Connect the Base Piece to one of the Side pieces with 3 nails as shown below:









2. Connect the two Support Pieces to the Side Piece with 4 nails as shown below:

3. Connect the remaining Side Piece to the Base and Support Pieces, using 7 nails as shown below:









4. Connect the Front Piece to the Side Pieces and the Base using 5 nails as shown below:

5. Connect the Back Piece to the Front, Side and Base Pieces using 5 nails as shown below:

6. Connect the Top Piece to the Back and Side Pieces using 5 nails as shown below:

7. You should now have an assebled scratch pad holder that looks as shown below:


Step 5: Sanding the Wood
1. Begin by sanding the entire outside surface with the rougher 120 grit sandpaper. This will grind
down any large imperfections before making the wood as smooth as possible. Pay extra
attention to edges of the wood. By the end of this sanding phase the edges should be slightly
rounded from the paper.
2. Brush or blow the wood dust from the holder and then grab the 180 grit sandpaper.
3. Sand the entire outside surface again with the smaller grit sandpaper to smooth any scratches
left by the 120 grit paper. Sand using a uniform motion and pressure to ensure the same quality
of smoothness across the entire holder.
4. Brush or blow the wood dust from the holder.
5. (Optional) If the wood is still not as smooth as desired, smaller grit sandpaper (e.g. 220) can be
used to further polish the wood.

Step 6: Staining the Wood
1. Lay the holder on a layer of newspaper to protect the surface the holder is resting on from being
stained.
2. Dip your paintbrush in the stain and brush a moderate amount onto the wood along the grain
1

until the entire surface area is painted (you do not need to stain the supports or inside faces of
the pieces as they will be covered by the scratch pad).
3. Let the stain sit for 5 15 minutes, allowing it to soak into the wood.
4. Wipe the excess stain from the wood, along the grain, with a clean rag or paper towels.
5. If more color is desired in the wood, wait 4 6 hours and then repeat steps 2, 3 and 4.
6. Once the desired color is reached, wait 4 6 hours for the stain to completely dry then lightly
sand the entire surface with a clean piece of the 180 grit sandpaper (or 220 if used) to even the
surface.
Step 7: Sealing the Wood
1. Using a clean brush, lightly apply a layer of sealant onto the wood. The more thinly you can
brush the layer the better as it will make the surface slightly rough.
2. Let the sealant dry for 4 6 hours before handling again.
3. Once the sealant is dry, apply a second, very thin coat to the wood and let it dry for 4 6 hours
again.
4. Once dry, use the highest grit sandpaper available and very lightly sand over the sealant to
smooth any bumps or bubbles that may have formed in the process. Caution: the sealant is clear
and if too much pressure is applied scratches may be visible on the surface. Make sure you sand
as delicately as possible during this step.
5. Brush or blow the dust from the holder.




1
Along the grain means to paint in the direction of the natural lines of the wood. This ensures that the bristles of the brush will reach every
crevice in the wood.
Step 8: Inserting the Scratch Pad and Displaying
1. Place the Scratch Pad into the holder so that it sits on
the supports. The fit will be slightly snug but this will
prevent the pad from sliding when a cat is using it.
2. Display it in your living room for the world to see!
Congratulations, you have just built your very own
scratch pad holder!



References:
[1] http://www.petsmart.com/cat/scratchers/grreat-choice-play-cavern-cat-scratcher-refills-zid36-
5151385/cat-36-catid-200086?_t=pfm%3Dcategory