Make a License Plate Dustpan for Spring Cleaning

I have learned as a homeowner that spring cleaning happens during all seasons. There is always a room, cupboard, shed, garage or barn to clean out. I have also learned that having children means you can never find a dustpan. Yes, I am sure there is something hinky going on with that problem. Regardless of how they disappear, I decided to make my own dustpans. Lots and lots of dustpans. That means that if they all go missing, I am cleaning the rooms of my teenage occupants first. They don't want that to happen!

My husband has acquired many license plates over the years and was more than happy to offer them up for a home improvement project. License plates are the perfect size for a dustpan and they offer a nice thin edge for scooping up the dirt. They are simple to make and by constructing a wooden mold, you can easily form the sides of the license plates for a perfect and uniform shape. Scraps of wood and dowels were also used to keep the cost down. I kind of look at this project as a complete trash to treasure freebie.

Steps to Make a License Plate Dustpan

1
Make the mold. Cut an 11-inch scrap length of 2 x 6, using a jigsaw. A 2 x 6 is actually 5 1/2-inches wide, measure and mark the width of the board, 5-inches wide and cut. It is now 5-inches wide by 11-inches long. Measure an inch from one short and along one long edge and mark. Measure an inch from the other short end and along the same long edge and mark. Use a ruler and a pencil to connect the mark on one long edge of the board with the corner across the width of it. Repeat with the other mark and corner. Cut along the drawn lines. Your shape will look like a trapezoid. The shorter (long) edge of the trapezoid is the top.

2
Center the wood mold on the license plate. Position the plate so that the top is matched to the top edge of the trapezoid. Bend the short ends of the license plate over the short ends of the trapezoid. Use pliers to begin the bend and a hammer to give the bends a nice crisp shape.

3
Measure and cut a scrap of wood 1 1/2 inches wide by 9-inches long. A table saw works well for this, but a jigsaw will do. I used a 1/2-inch thick scrap of wood that I cut to size. This is the wood top of your dustpan and it will hold the handle. Stand the wood top on a long edge. Fit the wood length between the short sides of the pan and flush with the top edge.

4
Staple the license plate to the wood top using an air compressor powered staple/nail gun. Staple to the short ends and along the back.

5
Measure the bottom side of the wood top to locate the center. Mark the center with a pencil. Use a small bit to drill a pilot hole, through the thickness of the wood top, at the center mark. Cut a scrap of dowel 4-inches long for the handle. Use at least a 1/2-inch diameter dowel to provide stability. Drill a pilot hole into one end of the dowel.

6
Insert a 1 1/2-inch wood screw in the pilot hole, on the bottom side of the wood top. Drill the screw through the wood top until it begins to protrude on the top side. Set the end of the dowel over the protruding screw, lining up the pilot hole. Continue to drill the screw into the dowel to attach the handle.

7
Measure a 1/2-inch down from the top of the handle and mark. Use a 1/8-inch drill bit to drill a hole through the diameter of the dowel. Cut a 9-inch strip of leather, jute or twine. Thread it through the hole and tie the ends together in an overhand knot. This will provide a hanger, allowing you to hang your dustpan within easy reach.