Sliding Wall-O-Tools
I built this 8-ft.-long shelf system to take advantage of the narrow
space in the corner of my garage. When the unit is “closed,” I've got
ready access to the tools hanging on both doors. By sliding one or both
doors, I can get to every inch of shelf space behind them. I got
everything I needed to build this unit at the home center for about
$175. The key was to mount the pegboard doors at least 5 in. apart, so
I could load the back door with tools and still have it pass behind the
front door. I bought two sliding-door hardware kits so each door could
slide on its own track. Each kit contains a single length of track
designed to hold both doors, two pairs of door hangers and a tracking
guide designed to keep both doors in line at the floor.
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PHOTO 1:
The doors hang from widely spaced tracks mounted on a 2x10 header. Lengths of slotted angle hold the header securely in place.
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PHOTO 2:
The doors glide smoothly on roller-equipped
hangers. Each track has two grooves, so you can easily change the
spacing between the doors and shelves, if necessary.
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PHOTO 3:
Each
door has its own tracking guide. My system uses two sliding-door
hardware kits. Each kit contains one guide designed for two doors. I
customized them with a hacksaw.
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How to Built It
I installed the shelves first, leaving enough room underneath to store
my lawn mower and other garage essentials (photo at left). All three
shelves came from a single sheet of plywood. The upper shelves are 11
in. wide and the bottom one is 20 in. I used 11-in. double-mount
brackets for the upper shelves and 14-in. double-mount brackets with
support arms for the wide bottom shelf. I mounted the sliding-door
tracks on a 2x10 header that I anchored directly above the wide shelf
with lengths of slotted angle extending from both the ceiling and wall
(upper right photo). To make the sliding doors, I cut a single sheet of
pegboard in half and framed both pieces with 1x2 stock (each door has
four vertical stiles for rigidity). I suspended each door from four
hangers (center right photo) and fastened the tracking guides, one per
door, on the wide plywood shelf (lower right photo). After installing
the doors, I blocked the open end of the tracks with a stop.
Pantry Door Tool Cabinet
Inspired by the pantry cabinet in the kitchen of our new house, I built
this compact version for my workshop. It has the same deep
double-hinged doors that make everything inside easy to reach. I used
3/4-in.-thick stock so I could use screws to hang tools inside. The
thick back made it easy to fasten the cabinet to the wall. I used less
than a sheet of 3/4-in.-thick plywood and two 4-ft.-long continuous
hinges to build my cabinet. I got everything I needed at the local home
center. Including the latch and magnetic catches, my total cost was $75.
How to Build It
1. Cut the cabinet frame pieces to size. Rabbet the sides (A) for the
ends (B) and the back (C). Rabbet the ends for the back, too.
2. Glue the cabinet frame and back simultaneously. Make sure the assembly is square before you drive the nails and screws.
3. Install the shelves (D). Drill holes for router bits and other
accessories before installation. Bevel the shelves' back edges to match
the slope that works best for you. Screw the shelves from the back and
nail them from the side.
4. Cut the door frame pieces. Rabbet the door sides (E and H) for the ends (F and J).
5. Cut or rout grooves in the inner door frame pieces (E and F) for the dividers (G).
6. Assemble the inner doors. Make sure they're square.
7. Round over the edges and rout rab- bets around the outer door faces (K).
8. Assemble the outer doors. Make sure they're square.
9. Cut the hinges to length with a hacksaw.
10. Lay the cabinet on its back to install the doors. Clamp the inner
doors in position on top of the cabinet. Then attach the hinges.
11. Clamp the outer doors on the inner doors and attach the remaining hinges.
12. After hanging the doors, install magnetic catches and mount the latch. Expandable Parts Rack
When I worked on a big project, every surface in my shop used to get
covered with stacks of parts. While visiting a small production shop, I
saw an expanding metal rack in the finish room, loaded with kitchen
cabinet doors.
A light bulb went on in my head and this wooden version now graces my
shop. It's just over 1 ft. wide when closed and expands to just under 7
ft. Wing nuts make it easy to lock in any position. I've used my rack
to hold everything from 12-in.-long shelves to 12-ft.-long baseboard
moldings. I built my rack of poplar for strength, but straight 2x4s
would also work. I used hardwood dowels as support arms and paid $8
apiece for good-quality office-chair-style swivel casters. My total
cost, including 48 support arms, was about $100.
See the Illustration layout
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Instant Surface
In my compact shop, everything has to be portable and stowable,
including my work surfaces. Whenever I need tabletop space for
processing parts, milling boards or even assembling a project, I whip
out this little gem. It's easy to maneuver because it folds flat for
storage and weighs less than 25 lbs. It sets up in seconds and is
surprisingly rigid. I used half-lap joints on the base and heavy-duty
270-degree hinges on the top (see Sources, below). When the table is
folded, cleats extending from the back rail hold the hinged legs, and
hand holes in the top and back rail align to form a comfortable grip.
When the table is set up, the swing-leg assemblies butt against the
back rail and are firmly captured by cleats attached to the bottom of
the top.
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See the Illustration layout
See the Overall Dimension
Expandable Parts Rack
When I worked on a big project, every surface in my shop used to get
covered with stacks of parts. While visiting a small production shop, I
saw an expanding metal rack in the finish room, loaded with kitchen
cabinet doors. A light bulb went on in my head and this wooden version
now graces my shop. It's just over 1 ft. wide when closed and expands
to just under 7 ft. Wing nuts make it easy to lock in any position.
I've used my rack to hold everything from 12-in.-long shelves to
12-ft.-long baseboard moldings. I built my rack of poplar for strength,
but straight 2x4s would also work. I used hardwood dowels as support
arms and paid $8 apiece for good-quality office-chair-style swivel
casters. My total cost, including 48 support arms, was about $100.
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How to Build It
1. Cut all parts to size and drill the bolt holes.
2. Drill angled holes for the dowel support arms (A) in both edges of the uprights (B).
3. Attach fixed brackets (C) to the top of each upright.
4. Rout rabbets in the cleats (D) and attach them.
5. Glue and screw the legs (E) to the uprights after drilling holes and installing the caster sleeves.
6. Attach the foot (F) to the bottom of each sliding bracket (G) and
then bolt these brackets to the scissor arm (H). The bolt head goes
against the bracket, the wing nut against the arm.
7. Install the sliding brackets between the cleats on the uprights and
position them at the bottom. Rotate the scissor arms upward.
8. With help from a friend, stand the uprights opposite one another and
bolt the scissor arms to the fixed brackets on the opposing uprights
(again, bolt heads against the bracket).
9. Install the spacer (J) and bolt the scissor arms together.
10. Install the swivel casters and fasten a mailing tube to store the support arms.
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Source
Woodworker's Hardware, (800) 383-0130, www.wwhardware.com, C374 Full overlay 270-degree hinge, $4 each (2 required).
Small Parts Carousel
While visiting an antique shop, I discovered a way to store all that
indispensible small stuff that used to clutter my workshop. On display
was a rotating bolt cabinet from an old-fashioned hardware store. When
I got home, I design-ed this carousel that rotates on inverted swivel
casters. It's easy to build, because there's no complicated joinery.
All the parts are cut to size and assembled with glue and screws. My
design requires 1-1/2 sheets of plywood, a quarter sheet of 1/8-in.
hardboard, six swiveling casters, a 1-1/4-in.-dia. hardwood dowel and a
3-ft.-long 2x4. I used Tapcon cement anchors to bolt this baby to the
floor. I got everything I needed at my local home center for about
$140.
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Assembly is easy, because everything is screwed and glued. Stagger the
shelves and fasten them to the two narrow uprights. Then fasten these
assemblies to the wide upright.
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The carousel rides on casters and rotates on a large wooden pin.
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How to Build It
1. Cut and smooth the round carousel bottom (A) and base (B).
2. Drill 1-1/4-in.-dia. holes through the centers of both pieces.
3. Cut out the shelves (C). Use the round carousel bottom as a template for the curved edges.
4. Mark the locations of the shelves on the two narrow uprights (D) and
fasten them. Space the shelves to suit your needs, but be sure to
stagger them, so they're easy to fasten (photo at far left).
5. Attach the two shelf/upright assemblies to the wide upright (E). Note: These assemblies must not be mirror images!
6. Fasten the carousel bottom to the completed shelf assembly.
7. Fasten the casters to the base.
8. Attach the six feet (F). If your bin is going on an unfinished cement floor, use pressure-treated 2x4 stock for the feet.
9. Attach the center foot (H) to the base and glue in the dowel (G).
10. Position the base and level it with shims.
11. Anchor the base to the floor.
12. Drill a 1-1/4-in. hole in the glued-up mounting block (J) and fasten it to the carousel bottom.
13. Mount the carousel on the base.
14. Glue and screw the shelf edges (K). Cut them to length after installation.
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See the Illustration layout
Clamp Camp
I've got a lot of clamps, but they don't take up much space. I
simply drilled 5/8-in.-dia. holes through 3/4-in. plywood at a slight
upward angle and glued in 9-in.-long 5/8-in.-dia. dowels. Each pair of
dowels holds six clamps, so I can hang 18 adjustable clamps and four
spring clamps in only 2 sq.-ft. of wall space.