Let’s Build a Laundry Drawer!

DIY Laundry Drawer Plans

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Materials I Used to Build the Laundry Drawer

• Wood
• Wood Glue
• Clamps
• Screw
• Drill
• Drawer Mounts
• Laundry Drawer Plans

Step 1: Cutting Pieces for the Drawer

It takes 7 parts to make the body. So not many. If you would like a set laundry drawer plans with dimensions then I have that available, it also comes with a CNC cut file if you have a CNC. I personally painted my cabinets so I just used whatever 3/4” sheet material I had scraps of which is MDF in this case.

I start by laying the side pieces on their back and attaching what will be the bottom. When joining things together, it will be the same process on everything, I used DAPs weldwood wood glue then predrill and run in a screw

Step 2: Preparing the Toe Kick Plate and Attaching Laundry Drawer Sides

This ledge here will be where the toe kick plate goes in, which is this board here. I’m using it as a spacer to make sure the bottom is attached square. After using it to align the board from the inside, I also used it as a spacer to guide me on where to pre drill and run in a screw. Double checking that it worked; it did, so I continue attaching. I used this trick again when I needed to run in the center hole. As long as the board is flush to the front, it will indicate where the 3/4 material starts for the pre drill hole.

After attaching the first side, I attached the second side the same way. However since the toe kick now can’t fit inside to check for square, I just used a tape. I measured the top, then made sure the bottom matched before driving in my screws to attach it.

Step 3: Attaching the Toe Kick Plate

Next is to attach the toe kick, which should line up perfectly flush to both of the side pieces and the front and the back. Same with the back board that will make up the back of the platform once this cabinet is stood up right. Perfect, that is the bottom done so now lets flip this around, but still leave it on it’s back, and start working on the top boards. This board here will join the sides out on the back edge while also giving me a place to screw it into the wall later on when installing it in the space.

When joining something flush like this, I like to move my work piece to the edge of my workbench if possible. This way my drill has room to go in straight instead of at an angle where I could blow out a screw.

Step 4: Attaching the Last Board

The last piece to attach here is a similar board as the last but this one joins the front edge of the sides. Since I can’t use my workbench to rest it against, what I like to do is use a clamp to act as a third hand. These squeeze clamps are great to hold them in the general area while I get one side at a time perfectly placed and attached. This board will give me something to screw up into a countertop later when it gets installed.

Step 5: Adding the Back to the Laundry Drawer

Ok, with that attached, now let me spin this around, tilt it up, and just like that we have a cabinet. Oh, I forgot the back. Hold on, that’s a quick add. Lets just lay this thing back down, but this time laying it on it’s face. I made the back from 1/4” mdf as it doesn’t need to be super thick. 1/4” material will do a great job at holding it square and keeping it from racking.

You’ll see that my back is in two pieces. That’s because I’m using scraps and don’t care about the back, which will be on the inside and never seen, has a seem. If it does bother you though, you can always make it from one solid piece

Alrighty, and now that’s a completed body. So for now, lets just slide this on over to make room for me to bring in the parts to build out the inside drawer that will hold the hampers.

Step 6: Securing the Fit and Attaching the Sides

All of these parts are also included on the plans and cutlist but I grab for what will be the bottom first. I personally always like to make sure it fits within the body before attaching things just because I have been known to grab the wrong part before but once I made sure it fit, I attached the two sides which look like wings. These have dados cut into them for the bottom to slip right into.

This bottom will be locked in once the front and back are attached, but I went ahead and threw in a few screws. I went to the back and attached the specialty designed back. These slots and these predrilled through holes are needed for the under mount drawer slides that I’ll be using.

If you use my exact dimensions then you can not only use the exact hampers that fit in this laundry drawer but also the exact drawer slides. However, know that if you want to change dimensions then you’ll probably have to get different drawer slides and change the design of this back part. Another option is to change the dimensions to what you want, but then use side mount drawer slides and not worry about the under mount ones. Lots of options.

Step 7: Completing the Front Assembly

Going to the front of this assembly, I attach the large front panel. This might seem big and boring right now but you’ll see why the scale is needed. For now, let me go ahead and put it inside the body to make sure it all looks good……annnnd it does. It’s as simple as that, now everything here on out are finishing details.

Step 8: Making the Laundry Drawer Slide!

I could attach the under mount drawer slides to the bottom side of the cabinet. Looks like this here. Then go to the inside of the cabinet and attach the rails with screws. To connect the two, I could carry the inside portion over to the body, set it on the rails, then push it in until the two components clicked together. It’s so satisfying. Then since I’m making mine look like two doors and a top drawer, I crawled inside and attached these pieces to the outside by screwing them in on the inside while Jacob held them to the correcting spacing.

Conclusion: The Finished Product

It’s kinda hard to get a good angle of this cabinet because the space is really tight but without the counter top in place you can see how it works. Two hampers fit perfectly on the drawer so that you can pull it out and toss in your clothes, then hide them away again by pushing it in. Soft closed of course.

Even with the countertop on, I have plenty of room to take the hampers in and out or simply toss in clothes then reshut it. I love how it looks like three components. Where as the unit on the left really is a top drawer and two doors on the bottom.

I have a four part series of videos where I cover how to properly paint MDF, how to build custom cabinets, how to upgrade store bought cabinets, and also how to build a countertop from scrap 2x4s! So basically if you want to see how I built out the entire room you’re looking at, then check the links in the description. If you can imagine it, you can build it and I hope I’m an inspiration or guide to help you get started. I’ll see you on my next project.

Additional Things I Used to Build This Laundry Drawer

• ISOtunes Ear Protection
• Armor Tool Mobile Workbench
• Wilker Do’s Mobile Workbench Upgrade Plans
• Bessey Clamps
• Triton SuperJaws

If you’re looking for a place to store your firewood that also is super cool to look at, check out this firewood holder DIY. Before, I would just have my different sizes piled up in containers around the hearth, which was really unattractive. So on a whim I threw these together. The three compartments allow me to separate small, from medium, to large pieces of wood. Grab a set of plans and let me show you how I build them.

Let’s Build A Firewood Holder

DIY Firewood Holder

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I’ve created a set of plans to make building this firewood holder quick and easy!

Materials I Used in this Build:

• Wood
• Nails
• Screws
• Firewood Holder Plans
• Wood Glue

Step 1: Selecting Material and Cutting to Size

I did design and build these on a whim so when selecting material, I just looked around my shop to see what I had already that would fit the sizes. I found this stack of 3/4” cut off from some shelves I tore a part that I’ll make the body from. Then for the back, I have some 1/2” plywood from who knows what.

I started off by ripping the sheets down to width needed. If you want exact dimensions, I have a set of plans available over on my website. I tilted the blade over to then cut in the angles needed to created the pointed miters. Since there are a lot of repeated parts, I set up a stop block so that I could make them all the same. When you do this, you want to make sure to set the stop block back far enough so the board won’t be touching it when it contacts the blade. As this is what can cause kick back.

To save from switching the blade back and forth, after cutting one side with the needed angle, I would flip the board and cut the other side since it still had a 90 on one end. This will leave the remaining board with angles on both end, that I can chop up for the mitered parts. I personally like to always do a test first and a dry fit to make sure things are going to work as I have them planned. That looks good though.

Step 2: Banding the Edges of the Firewood Holder

Now I just needed 12 of them total so I locked in the new distance for the fence for this part and chopped up the remaining bit into pieces.

This project only consist of four different parts. What I’ll call the side, the tops which are slightly longer than anything else, the horizontal shelves, then the mitered points. Keep in mind that it would be simple to add more to subtract the number of cubbies, depending on your spaces needs.

Alrighty, now I’ll edge band the edges that will be facing the front. Actually, on second thought, I like the idea of painting them instead. Note: that if you edge band you’ll need to do that before joining the parts together, but if you want to paint, then you can go straight into assembling.

Step 3: Assembling the Firewood Holder Cubicles

For assembling, I started off on top of my workbench and what I did is apply some wood glue, I’m using DAPs weldwood here, to every joint, then pin nailed things together using my 23 gauge nailer. This is a pretty weak joint until the wood glue has time to set up, so I was being careful as I was moving it around to attach the next leg. If I didn’t have a 23 gauge, I would have used a 18 gauge instead.

After getting a few attached, I thought it would make things easier to do it on the ground so I could see everything clearly as I was attaching legs. So I moved it down to the floor and continued. I would juke and jive to create the points of the cubbies, then attach the horizontal that will create the separation between.

I paused when I got to the very top because the way I have it designed, the top edge will actually be seen. With that, I edge banded both of these parts before adding them on. This is as simple as heating up an iron and warming up the glue on the back of the banding until it sticks to the plywood edge. This will be slightly different than the ply, but it doesn’t bother me.

Step 4: Painting the Firewood Holder Cubbies

 I left that where it sat to give that glue time to set up and dry. While it was, I grabbed pieces that will make up the back from my 1/2” plywood scraps. I also grabbed the pieces that will make up the sides. I want both of these to be painted the same color as my wall which means I need to give them a few coats before attaching the cubbies.

Since I have the paint out, I also wanted to paint that front edge of the cubbies. I first give them both a good sanding to get them smooth. Now when working with plywood, there are typically voids on every single edge. In order to get a smooth looking paint surface, I apply some wood filler on a putty knife. I’m using DAP Premium wood filler. This stuff not only dries fast but is easy to sand and is great to color match if you are staining something.

After letting it dry for about 30 mins, I came back with a sanding sponge to knock it down flat so that I could roll on the paint onto the pieces of the firewood holder.

With finishing out of the way, let me just push this button here to raise my finishing shelf up and locate the hardware I’ll need to attach the cubbies to the back.

Step 5: Shaping the Back to Fit the Firewood Holder Cubbies

I started with a back slightly larger than what I needed, then plopped the cubbies down onto it and lined it up so that the bottom cubby was flush to the end of the plywood. I used my pin nailer to just tack things in place to start. The end is easy as it should be flush, but to make sure the rest weren’t crocked, I pulled a tape to get the spacing perfect before tacking the rest. With it not able to fall off now, I tilted the entire unit on it’s face so that I would have access to the underside to throw in screws. Here, I made sure to pre drill to prevent splitting.

Step 6: Securing the Firewood Holder Cubbies to the Back

The top location is easy to locate because you have a visual on where the shelf is located. However, the second one is tricky because it’s in the middle of nowhere. What I do is grab a speed square, this Crescent one has an additional 6” flip out rule so that I can position it in the center of the shelf, go down to the dimension needed, and pre drill. If you don’t have this speed square or another long one, then a level would also do the trick.

For the angled portion of the shelves, the speed square wouldn’t work, so I grabbed a scrap and cut in an angle at the tip. This way I could rest it on the shelf and allow me to mark the height. Making sure to keep it in the same location, I moved the scrap to the face closest to me to now drop it down back to the line I made which gives me the location of the angled shelf to pre drill and attach a screw.

With the back on, this thing now feels really secure and strong. I flipped it up to take a look. I actually think it looks pretty good with a square back on it and was considering leaving it as is but then I decided to stick to my original plan and make the back flush to the geometric shape. I wasn’t able to locate my palm router, which is actually the ideal tool to trim the back off, so instead I put a flush trim bit in my router table and trim it off that way. The key here is to keep the unit nice and flush on the table as you move it along.

I laid the unit over and attached the side. This will help support the horizontal shelves that will actually be supporting the load of the firewood.

Step 7 : Installing the Firewood Holder and Cutting Firewood

 Last thing to do was install them. Now I personally wanted mine up off the ground so I wouldn’t block an outlet I have over on the right hand side. Then I also like to use this area for storing my games and puzzles. With that, I propped the units up, found the studs, then drove a few screws into the back of the unit to attach them.

Ok lets load it down and see how much it can hold. Now that, is much better than before. Instead of ugly boxes and totes, I now have a nice firewood holder with dedicated space for the wood. This will allow me room to store and separate all different sizes of firewood during winter. Then I personally like the look of wood enough to keep it full year round, but I could also store other kinds of nicknacks during spring and summer should I want to.

What do y’all think about them? Remember how easy it is to make larger or smaller. I even think they would look good horizontal, depending on your space. I have a set of plans for this project as well as many other over on my website. In fact, if you want firewood storage ideas, I have a few of them.

I’ll see you next time.

Material I Used For This Build:

• ISOtunes Ear Protection
• Armor Tool Mobile Workbench
• Wilker Do’s Mobile Workbench Upgrade Plans
• Bessey Clamps
• Triton SuperJaws

Trying to hide your dirty laundry? Why not build out a DIY sliding laundry cabinet right next to your washer and dryer?!? Check this easy DIY project out!

A few weeks ago I built out my laundry room with new cabinets. During that project, I built a custom cabinet that holds two laundry hampers on a pull-out drawer. That way the hampers inside are hidden when the drawer is closed, but easily accessible by a simple pull of the drawer handle.

This is such a quick and easy build! I love it so much so I wanted to share it. Check out the video to see how it went together.

Sneaky Drawer Plans (+ CNC file!)

DIY Laundry Drawer Plans

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Things I Used in This DIY Sliding Laundry Cabinet Project:

• MakeByMe
• HomeByMe
• DAP Weldwood Wood Glue
• Hamper Baskets
• Drawer Slides
• Locking Device
• ISOtunes Hearing Protection (use code APRIL for 10% off)

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up at the top of this page for my newsletter so you don’t miss new projects!

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Looking to build your own DIY nightstand or end table? Check out this project where I show you how to building you own, plus the DIY plans!

Today I’m showing you how I built an end table that has two built in hidden storage compartments!

Check out the video above to see how I did it.

End Table or Night Stand with Secret Storage Plans

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Also, find the End Table or Night Stand with Secret Storage Plans here!

Things I Used in This DIY Nightstand Project:

• ISOtunes Hearing Protection (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• Stealth Mask Respirator (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• DAP Weldwood Glue
• DAP Weldwood Instant Wood Adhesive

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Looking to add storage space to your kitchen with DIY toe kick drawers? In this project, I’m showing you how I turn my hollow toe kick area of my kitchen!

Turn cabinets into hidden drawer storage! This is a great way to find more storage space under your cabinets.

Things I Used in This DIY Toe Kick Drawers Project:

• ISOtunes Hearing Protection (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• Stealth Mask Respirator (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• Triton Multi Tool
• DAP Weldwood Glue
• Brad Nailer
• Melamine Edge Banding
• DAP DynaGrip
• Felt Bottoms

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up at the top of this page for my newsletter so you don’t miss new projects!

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Looking to build your own DIY wall mount bike rack that swivels? Check out this project and my free DIY plans where I show you exactly how!

Today I’m tacking some efficient storage for a bike! Check out how I built a wall mounted bike rack, that swivels to move the bike flush with the wall and out of the way. This is a very easy build with big organization results. Check it out!

Bike Rack Plans

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Find the free bike rack plans for this rack here!

Things I Used in This DIY Wall Mount Bike Rack Project:

• ISOtunes Hearing Protection (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• Stealth Mask Respirator (use code APRIL for 10% off)
• Armor Mobile Workbench
• DAP Weldwood Wood Glue
• Stud Finder
• Swivel Hardware

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up at the top of this page for my newsletter so you don’t miss new projects!

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Table of Content

• Let’s Build a DIY Tool Chest
• Material I Used in This Build
• Step 1: Cutting out the Pieces for the DIY Tool Chest
• Step 2: Assembling the Deck
• Step 3: Building the Back Wall
• Step 4: Creating the Side Walls
• Step 5: Piecing Together the DIY Tool Chest Doors
• Step 6: Leveling the Ground That The DIY Tool Chest Will Be On
• Step 7: DIY Tool Chest Internal Assembly
  • Catchy Side Walls!
• Step 8: Squaring Up the Side Walls
• Step 9: Attaching the Roof of the DIY Tool Chest
• Step 10: Attaching the DIY Tool Chest Doors to the Side Walls
• Step 11: Placing Add On’s to Maximize the DIY Tool Chest
• Things I Used in this DIY Tool Chest Project:

Let’s Build a DIY Tool Chest

Tool Chest Plans

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Materials I Used for this Build

• Wood
• Screws
• Nails
• Pegboard
• Hask
• Saw
• Drill
• DIY Tool Chest Plans

Step 1: Cutting out the Pieces for the DIY Tool Chest

I spent the first few hours just cutting my material. I developed a full set of plans that include a cut list of every part needed to save you some time. I wheeled my armor workbench over to my miter saw and started chopping. Maybe I should’ve labeled the parts as I went but oh well. Learn from my mistake and makes sure to label your parts as you cut them.

After my lumber wsa cut I moved on to my sheet pieces, once again utilizing my armor work bench for transportation help here. I used a triton track saw to cut down the sheet pieces. I’ll be using plywood for the base and smart side for the walls.

Step 2: Assembling the Deck

Since this will be close to the ground all of these parts are made with pressure treated wood. I started by laying out my boards then screwing things together. to make placing the studs quick but accurate i cut a spacer to the needed length and moved that along as I was assembling. After attaching the top and bottom blade I grabbed the sheet of plywood for the decking and put it in place. I went around the edges with some screws to secure the pieces together. With that I moved the deck off the bench then started on building what will be the back wall.

Step 3: Building the Back Wall of the DIY Tool Chest

On this wall I switched over to using the nail gun and this really helped speed things up. You can again see that I am using a space here to make locating the position of horizontal short two by fours easier. I place it on one side, then after securing it moved over to the other side. on the next two by four i no longer have the availability to face nail so I threw in a few toe nails.

Next I brough in the siding and attached it. with this wall being so wide it requires two pieces to make it up. the overlap is placed in the center and each was cut so that one side has the tongue and the other side has the groove. You’ll also notice that I am switching to a coil nailer here when attaching the siding. This is for no reason other than because I didn’t have a shorter nails for my other gun.

Before moving on there is one more component to this wall which is a ripped two by four piece that goes along the top and will eventually have hinges that attach the roof to the body. I did this by setting the depth of the bit to the depth of my hinges the routered the location. Next I attached it to the top of the back wall. I used a brad nailer to stick it temporarily in place so I wouldn’t have to hold it in while driving the screws.

Step 4: Creating the Side Walls

An important thing to note here is these part should be mirrored and not identical. To prevent mistakes I always lay out my pieces first to check how everything lines up. It helps me check for length and direction of angles. Once it looks good I took a nail gun to attach it all together. Once I got the frame correct I dropped the siding in place to be attached. Attaching the siding before assembling can be tricky because there is always overhang on certain sides so I’m always paying attention to the orientation of the walls and which sides need to be flush vs overhanging.

With the walls built I mortised out the location of the hinges where the doors will later be attached, they screwed the hinges in pace.

Step 5: Piecing Together the DIY Tool Chest Doors

These are very simple construction of an outer frame that is screwed together then siding attached to one side. I recommend attaching the siding flush to one side first, then pulling or pushing the siding Oslo that its flush to the other. This will square up the walls without you having to pull diagonal measurements.

Step 6: Leveling the Ground That The DIY Tool Chest Will Be On

As you can see, I set pavers down on the ground first, making sure they were level and square. So that the deck can be placed directly on top and flush up to the front end of all three pavers. Now we can add the back wall. This wall is directional, not only by the upper 2×4 blockings but also the bottom has the siding overhanging so that when its placed on the deck the siding extends past it. It should fit perfectly. If it does, attach it to the deck with nails. Next thing to add is the workbench/top shelf piece.

Step 7: DIY Tool Chest Internal Assembly

I first made a kick stand to assist in holding it up. This is just made from some scrap cuts. I needed it in the center then flipped it into place. After attaching this to the back wall I started adding the side walls. Again these have the overhanging siding that creates a catch at the bottom.

Catchy Side Walls!

The back stud of the side wall slips into the work bench piece. You could make it easier on yourself and cut an extra 1/8 of an inch or you can cut it exactly 1 and 1/2 inches and body slam and spartan kick it into place.

Once they are both in place, the bottom can be put into place with nails but switched to screws when attaching them to the back wall so the hardware would squeeze it together while securing. I also drove in a few from the outside.

Step 8: Squaring Up the Side Walls

In the design that can be found in the plans there is a diagonal wall that goes from each wall to the back wall. i would use a framing square on the front opening to get the wall square then drive in screws to secure the wall in position. I recommend pre-drilling here because it does take both hands to get it done. After knocking out one side I repeat it on the other. Next I added in another piece to connect the two diagonal pieces then screwed down the DIY Tool Chest.

Step 9: Attaching the Roof of the DIY Tool Chest

Since the roof is huge and heavy I wanted to make attaching it easier. I grabbed the board from the lid that attaches to the hinges and attached it by the hinges first. Next was to set the roof in place. It should overhang on the three front sides. And the back 2x that I just attached the hinges, slips right into the back framing on the lid. Now the lid can be attached to the 2x and everything will be connected.

I used my Triton Jigsaw to cut out a quick notch on the side so that when the lid is lifted it will pop into place and hold itself up. You could leave yours as is, but I bought some struts for mine to assist in the lifting and holding up part. They pop right into place when attached to the silver hardware i added when building the wall.

For roofing material you can go with anything of your choice, of course, but I went with metal panels. the trick is to use a panel to make a straight line on the panel you need to cut. I used some crescent shears to cut through the metal to create pieces needed to cover the whole area. Before laying down the roofing, I added drip edge. I used some nails to attach it in place on the front, right, and left sides. Next, the panels can be added directly on top. I used roofing screws to attach the panels and overlap them by one corrugation until the entire thing was covered.

Step 10: Attaching the DIY Tool Chest Doors to the Side Walls

This step is super simple. The doors get attached to the hinges on each side wall. Easy! Take a second to stop and check out how it all works!

Step 11: Placing Add On’s to Maximize the DIY Tool Chest

First up is a way to lock it up. if this thing is going to be outside and holding valuables then adding a hask will give you a way to throw a lock on it.

Next is adding a peg board for easy hanging of your tools. I used my triton track saw to cut two pieces the same size as the door, then screwed them into the inside framing of the doors. I also added some tough built wall organizers so that I can quickly and easily hang my tools.

Now, I’m only adding one shelf but I recommend planning out what you want to house in here so that you can deck it out to meet your needs. As you can see there is plenty of room still in here to add shelving.

And you’re done! You’ve built your own DIY Tool Chest. If you’ve got the itch for another project I have tons of plans on my website ready to help you tackle any project. Thank for following along!

Things I Used in this DIY Tool Chest Project:

ISOtunes Ear Protection
ToughBuilt Tool Belt
ToughBuilt Saw Horses
ToughBuilt Wall Organizer
Crescent Utility Sheers
Triton TrackSaw
Triton Jigsaw
Armor Workbench
Wilker Do’s DIY Miter Saw Stand
Wilker Do’s DIY Ultimate Workbench
StealthMask Respirator
Framing Nailer
Trim Router

f you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up at the top of this page for my newsletter so you don’t miss new projects!

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in this way.)

Wondering how you can turn your wall into a cabinet? Check out this DIY project where I added extra storage space to my bathroom with a wall cubby!

In this video I’ll be showing you how I tore into a wall to create a built in cubby. I did this project in my bathroom but the same steps can be taken in any wall in order to create a beautiful storage spot. Lets get started. 

Things I Used in This Turn Your Wall Into A Cabinet Project:

• ISOtunes Ear Protection
• Stud Finder
• Triton Multi Tool
• DAP Weldwood Glue
• Wilker Do’s DIY Miter Saw Station
• Wilker Do’s DIY Table Saw Push Stick Caddy
• 16 Gauge Nailer

The first thing to note is this wall I’m using is non load bearing. It’s just a partition wall between the bathtub and the toilet. Also since the shower is separate, I figured there was no plumbing above the tub that would be in my way. Other than a vent tube which I’ll get into later. All that to say: I recommend doing this project in a space that looks like the inside will be relatively empty. 

To get started, I first figured out where I wanted the cubby to be. I used a level to draw some lines that would put it in line with the floating shelves I built in my last video. Then I used a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall. 

The easiest thing to do would be to build a vertical cabinet in between the studs and never have to touch them. However, I wasn’t a fan of that arrangement…I really wanted something horizontal. The only problem with that is that means I would have to cut into the studs. In my situation this isn’t a problem because this wall isn’t load bearing, so I marched forward with my plan. 

With the placement laid out, I next cut into the drywall, which is an intimidating step to start.

I grabbed not only a shop vac but also my ISOtunes as this is a very noise step, especially in a small space. They actually make a drywall saw that you can use for this step but since I have a multi tool, I went with that. It will drastically sped up the process. I would go over my pencil mark and score a line, just to first establish where the cut needed to be. So that next I could make another pass but deepen it until I felt the blade punch through the back. 

To keep the dust down you can see that I just dragged the shop vac along with my cut. Once it was cut all the way through on all sides, I cut the top right corner out so that I could create some sort of hand hold for pulling the piece out.

It was here I realized my mistake….this cut was the finished cubby size I wanted, but in the next step I’ll have to add 2x4s to both the top and bottom which is shrink my hole by 3”. To fix this, I simply cut back 1 1/2” from the top and bottom. If you do this project, figure out your wanted finish size, then add 1 1/2” to both ends before making your cubby cut. : ) 

This next step you’ll be able to completely skip if you’re not working around a tub, but let me explain this PVC pipe in my wall. This is something called a vent tube which is just an empty PVC pipe that goes up to the attic, connects to the other plumbing vent tubes in the house then goes up to the roof. It’s sole purpose is to allow air into the system so plumbing can drain. I was hoping it would be tucked off to the right but since it’s right in my way, I had to either reroute it, or shorten it. I decided to shorten it.

To still keep it’s function, I cut this pipe shorter then used a special cap called an Air Remittence valve which can be placed anywhere in the system and will still allow air into the plumbing so things are able to drain.

Then I went up to the attic, find this one particular line and capped it off so no moisture would fall into my partition wall here. 

I didn’t have enough room on the front to work in this valve so I cut a small access on the backside to do this work. After attaching the valve, I placed a grate on the toilet side so it could be accessed later, then carried on the tub side with my project. 

With the plumbing removed, next I worked on cutting the studs out. I used a combination of a sawzall with a short blade on it, and a multi tool. First a sawzall to cut through the bulk of the stud, aiming to keep my tool and blade level with the drywall cut here. Then a multi tool to finish off the back 10% of the cut without getting into the drywall on the other side. It’s a little bit of a pain because of the screws going in from the drywall on the other side, but it work eventually. 

Next I cut some 2x4s to length and attached them to the studs in the wall. This is where I’m sure I’m going to get complaints. If this were a load bearing wall, I would have built a true header to go from the far left stud to the far right on both the top and bottom, but since I know the framing of my house, I knew that wasn’t needed.

Instead, I just needed to stabilize the studs and connect them so they wouldn’t be loose and floating around in the walls, which these boards do. If you’re wondering, they don’t extend all the way to the left stud because it was another 13’ inside the drywall and I couldn’t access it with a drill. 

Ok, with that framed out, now it was time to head to the shop and start building the cubby that will fit inside it. 

I built this from the same Maple I built the floating shelves from and I started off by ripping all my needed boards at the table saw, then cutting them to length at the miter. The aim here is to build something that will sit inside the 2x4s of the walls then add trim to cover up the drywall. 

I recommend figuring out your dimension then taking off 1/4” to ensure it fits nice and easy. For example, my dry wall opening was 32 1/2” long, but I made my cabinet 32 1/4”. Then the same on the height. You can make it a little small to ensure it goes in smoothly then center it up with shims.

Actually, before putting it in, I needed to add the back! You can go with any material of your choice here but I cut up some masonite strips in my shop then used a router to bevel both edges. This way after painting and attaching to the backside of the cabinet, it looks like paneling which just gives the cubby some texture. 

Now once I put it in place, it’s bottom is resting on the 2×4 on the bottom and I’ll screw it directly down to that once I like it’s left to right position. After getting the bottom secure, I also put in two screws on the top, making sure to push the cabinet in as I was doing so. 

And just like that I’m done. For finishing touches, I applied a bead of caulk around the trim then did some touch up paint but honestly this is a pretty quick and painless project that completely enhances this space. It not only helps finish out this entire space as far as looks go, but gives it some function as I now have a spot to store containers of items instead of them clogging up the perimeter of my tub. 

I personally love it! And now seeing how simple it was, I’m already looking at different areas in my house that could use a cubby just like it. If this is on your to do list then I hope my experience has given you an idea on what you can expect.

I’ll see you on my next project. 

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Wondering how to organize your hardware? Check out this DIY project where I show you how I build this in-wall hardware storage organizer!

In this video I’ll be tackling a project I’ve been wanting to do since building my shop….in the wall hardware storage. Now before you freak out on me in the comments, it’s important to note that this is an interior wall. It holds 157 containers, and was very simple to do. Lets get into how I did it. 

Things I Used In This Organize Your Hardware Project:

ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection
Wilker Do’s Dust Collection Cart
Track Saw
Plastic storage containers
Half Lap Jig
Armor Tools Workbench
Armor Tool Pocket Hole Jig
Brad Nailer
Titebond Thick & Quick
Bessey Classic Clamps

This is the dividing wall between my metal shop and my woodworking shop. I started by unscrewing two panels on the far right of it and moving the sheets out of the way. 

So my original plan was to rip both 4×8 sheets down the center, place the top half of the top sheet and the lower half of the bottom sheet back in place then have containers in between. This would allow all containers to be within my reach by standing on the ground. With that, I used my track saw and ripped down the boards in the middle. Then I went back to my wall and started clearing out spay foam insulation. 

As I said in the intro, this is an interior wall so I don’t mind giving up the insulation here.  

My intention was to build a shelving system, made from dados essentially, that would accept a plastic storage container I found that fit perfectly inside the wall.

Ok ok, lets build some dado shelves. ….dado shelves?….yeah I think that’s a fitting name.

To make these, I first started by grabbing my dado stack and placing 1/2” in my tablesaw. I’ll be using a Half Lap Jig made by Rockler to make sure I can get these repeatable cuts accurate in both spacing and size. The jig is intended to be used for single pass operations, buuuuut since dado stacks don’t go up to 1” (which is what I needed mine to be cut at), I did a test piece to figure out how to make it work for a two pass operation. 

I started by cutting in a rabbet on the end, then measuring over the distance I wanted between my containers and making a mark. I butted the edge of my rabbet up against the metal key then adjusted the fence over so my mark was in line with the blade. I pushed it through to make the cut, then moved the board over so this fresh dado was now sitting on the metal key. Then I continued the process. 

To make the second pass to enlarge the dado, I repeated the same process. I started with my rabbet, lining up the stack so it was just outside of that first pass. Once it was cut in, I pushed the inside edge up against the metal key then adjusted the fence on the jig so the stack lined up perfectly for my next cut. This locks in the spacing so now I could make a cut, then as long as I placed the inside edge up against the metal key, it would hit where I needed it to and enlarge the dado to 1”. 

Since I planned to do plenty more of these boards, I made two pencil marks on my fence to mark each location.  

When making the dados, I left my boards wide enough to create matching pairs of shelves. To get individual shelves, I used my track saw to split it down the middle. Doing it this way ensures they in fact match and the slots will line up with one another. 

I repeated the process because the studs being 16 on center is juuuust wide enough for two rows of containers. In fact, it is just a tad bit too wide. I did a mock up on my workbench before putting things together and I was short by exactly 1/2”. That’s an easy fix though. I cut a piece of 1/2” plywood down to the same size and stuck it in between the two inside shelves. There. Perfect fit. 

The outside shelves are simple enough to attach, as they go directly on the inside face of the studs. However, I did stick a counter sink bit in my drill and pre drill the placement holes. This way I could move my mobile workbench into place then easily attach the unit while holding it in position.

You’ll see that I started off quite small, that’s because I wanted to test that this would actually work before diving in. But so far so good I’d say. 

Moving on to attaching the center section. For this part I started off using pocket holes. I pulled out my Armor Tool Pocket Hole Jig and drilled in about four holes along this length. Remember that Armor made the height of the jig the same as a 2×4 so you can easily place supports under longer work pieces.

Once I drilled in the pocket holes, I did a few more countersunk holes then attached the dado shelves to the center filler piece of ply. I once again prepped by placing screws in the pockets before setting it into place, then adjusted the left and right position so the gap was equal on both containers. Woo Hoo!!! It’s working!

Alright, theory was proven, I felt like I had a working system so I continued on! This time I cut dados in larger sheets that would fill up the entire length of the bay. In fact, I used the half sheet I wouldn’t be placing back on the wall, to make up all my shelves which meant I didn’t have to buy any material for this project. 

I repeated the process to hang things, but this time after the first shelf went up, I used a level and a scrap piece of wood to make sure they were truly in line. 

You can see I just spanned across the distance with the wood, and placed the level on top. I did the same when it came time to install the center section but instead of using a piece of wood, I inserted two containers with the front lip poking out, and placed my level across their fronts.

On this one, my stud bay was slightly off 16” and I didn’t need the 1/2” spacer between my center shelves so I instead butted them back to back to one another. So be sure to measure each stud bay before making your components. 

So it was when I attached this second long center that I started rethinking my design. I was worried that a few pocket holes wasn’t going to be enough support once I had all of these containers filled. I ended up taking it down and making a flange for it instead. This is just a piece of ply that I made a few inches wider that the shelves and attached it directly to the back with screws. To make this easily I made a quick spacer. I used the spacer to not only align the shelves perfect center along the length of the flange but also as a guide on where to drill my holes and hit wood and not a dado. I also used a counter sink here to make sure the screws wouldn’t be proud of the back surface. 

This is important because next I placed the center section back into place, and used the flange to attach it to the wall. 

The next bay was exactly the same except I had a wire running down one of the studs. To compensate for this, I built some small stand offs on the back of one of the shelves This allowed me to straddle that wire so it wasn’t crushed or in the way, but I could still attach it to the inside face. Next I added in the center support then repeated the process for the last bay. 

Now, something I wish I would have done more of…adding in smaller containers. These look small, but are actually a very useful size, they come with handles that attach the lid, and are even colored where you can associate certain hardware to certain categories if you wanted to. Also, the box is a ready made shelf! I didn’t see the sense on making something new when it came with something perfectly fitting so I just took the container to my bandsaw and chopped it up. Then made some shelves for them to rest on. See the rows were about one container too short to fit nicely between the studs. So after cutting up the rows, I also cut up a row into individual cubbies so I could add one slot to each row. ….if that makes sense. 

After attaching some shelves, I use a quick setting and multi surface glue from Titebond called Thick and Quick. I placed some on the bottom then clamped it in place for a short time to attach them. 

While those were setting up, I cut and attached some flat shelves to the other stud bays. Just so stuff couldn’t fall into the wall and you couldn’t look down the cubby and see the wiring. 

As I said in the start, I planned to use half and half of each section buuuut I diverted off that plan when I opened the wall and remembered all my wiring. The bay on the right with the outlets is filled with too much to use and the bottom half also has too much wiring. Hence, why I went up taller than I originally expected. No problem though, I’ll just keep my most commonly used hardware either on the French cleats on my main workbench, or within the section that is reachable. Everything above that will be less common items that I’ll pull in a step stool for. 

The last finishing touch was reattaching all the sheathing I took down in the start to cover back up the insulation parts.

Then it was just a matter of filling it up! Total it holds 142 of the larger containers and 15 of the smaller ones. Although I might come back and add in more small ones.

Oh…and for a labeling system, I keep it easy and adjustable. Instead of a label on front, when I empty a box into the container I simply cut out what it is and stick it inside the container so it faces the front. 

Once I have all my hardware on the wall, I’ll come back and group things together by category so that all my exterior screws are together then in order by size…or all my machine screws, or fastening hardware for example. 

I imagine people will say this is a lot. But remember when you are building storage solutions that if you build it to your current inventory it is already too small. If you’re going through the effort of the project, then build in room for expansion.

I hope you enjoy this one! I hope it inspires you to organize a section of your space, and I’ll see you on whatever I’m building next. 

(Most of the links listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Want to accomplish some cheap and easy shed organization projects? Check out this DIY project where I show you how I organized a bunch of tools in my shed!

Last week I showed you how to build some custom ramps for a small shed which you can find here. This week I’ve built a handful of small organization features inside the shed to help maximize the space inside.  I managed to keep all my chainsaws, weed trimmer, garden tools, and a variety of other things tightly tucked against the wall.  I can’t stand clutter! These little projects are really gonna help this shed stay nice and organized.  If you haven’t already, check it out down below.

Things I Used In These Shed Organization Projects:

ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection
Drills
Custom Tool Belt
Super Jaws

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Four projects to help you with shop organization, only using scraps. Organize your bench cookies, finishing attachments, right angle jigs, T-Track clamps, and more!

Organizing a shop is very important to me and is something I always find enjoyment in. The first rule to organizing in my mind is to make dedicated “home” for what you have. For example: If you do not have a specific spot designated for your clamps to go and then they will end up just collecting all around your shop. However if you make a clamp rack then you have a dedicated spot you’re able to store your clamps. I have about five or six different things laying around my shop that are in need of “homes”. This week I decided to take some time to design and build a few simple organizing solutions.

Things I Used In These Shop Organization Projects:

• T-Track Table
• Right Angle Jig
• T-Track Hold Down Clamp
• Push Blocks
• Drill
• T-Track Hardware Kit
• Self-Centering Bit
• Brass Setup Blocks
• Brad Nailer
• Glue Bottle
• Glue Brush
• Bench Cookies
• Bench Cookie Finishing Cones
• Super Jaws
• Hack Saw
• Loctite Adhesive
• Miniature Bar Clamp
• Router
• 3/4″ Straight Bit
• Universal T-Track Material

Making a Slide Out Shop Organizer

When I’m making holders for something around my shop I’m constantly looking around trying to utilize as much wasted space as possible. Since I had some smaller items which needed a home, the space underneath my fold-down workbench caught my attention. (you can find a tutorial on how I made this workbench here) It turns out a lot of the items I’m looking to store will fit within the few inches of space I have between the wall and the workbench whenever it is folded in the down position. Even though I have wall space above the workbench which I could place all of these items, I would much rather store them under the workbench to utilize this space and leave the remaining wall space for something that needs more room.

To make this work I needed something that slides along the wall under the workbench. This way, the items will be out of the way, and when needed, I can simply slide the storage system out, grab the tool that I need, and then slide it back into its little nest.

This is a great project to use up scrap wood in the shop. I made all of the small holders, grab handles, and slide rails completely from my scrap bin.

I started with a 2×4 that I ripped down the middle on the table saw. I decided to fashion my sliding rails out of each half of the board. Using the tablesaw, I cut in a rabbet along one side of each board. I made this rabbet ¼” x ¼”. (You could make this go faster by using a dado stack.) With a single blade in the saw, I cut in the rabbet by moving the fence over little by little until my rabbit was complete on both boards. I tested the slot with a scrap piece of quarter inch material before moving onto the next step. Once I knew it had plenty of clearance, I moved on to mounting the top rail.

I installed the top rail using a level and a countersink bit. If you do not have a countersink then use a small bit to pre-drill so that you don’t end up splitting the ripped 2×4. I used a 3” screw to go into the stud.

Before attaching the bottom rail I cut my quarter inch plywood to size at the tablesaw. I then cut in a handle hole using a forstner bit. Note: if you were redoing this project I recommend skipping the handle hole because I found it much easier to glue a piece of wood to the surface so that it’s standing off the material and can be located much quicker than a through-hole type handle. Of course this is just a personal preference.

With the back cut to size I placed a spacer on my shop floor and attached the bottom rail in place, again using a countersink and three inch screws. Note: I didn’t want my bottom rail resting on my shop floor so I placed a spacer under it while attaching it to the wall.

At this point, I can slide the entire piece of plywood back and forth on the rails. I moved a few things out of the way so that I could remove the back and continue working with it.

The items that you store on here are completely up to you. If you’re not working with limited space like I am (with my folding workbench) then the options are endless on what you can store on something like this. Also, the way that you store the items are completely limitless as well. I went through my scraps and found small pieces of wood in order to make a few small holders. For things that were in packages, I used screws in order to hang them. So figure out what you would like to store then figure out the easiest way to attach them to the board.

Once I had all my holders figured out I put the board on the rails, hung all of the items I had in mind, and that’s it!

I think this is great in order to use wasted space, like my case with the folding workbench but since I have to store it under/behind something I made sure to use items that are not reached for on a daily basis. That’s another rule of mine to organizing….keep the things you constantly use easily assessable. The things you don’t use all the time can be stowed in places not as readily assessable but still assessable.

Organizing Rockler Bench Cookies

Bench cookies are extremely handy but I’m tired of them just lying around. I decided to make a dispenser similar to a hockey puck dispenser. Three inch PVC fit around the bench cookies perfectly so I figured out the height I needed and cut the PVC using the miter saw.

In order to make a dispenser, I needed a slot at the bottom, just large enough to grab and slide out one cookie. So, I set one bench cookie down in front of the PVC and marked its height on the piece of PVC using a pencil.

Using the miter saw, I plunged the blade down to about the half way point. From here I was able to hold the PVC in place using my SuperJaws while I used a hacksaw to cut down to the cut line and create my slot.

I use a all-purpose adhesive to attach a small semi-circular piece to the bottom of the PVC in order to make a bottom “shelf”, keeping the pucks from falling through. I was a little impatient here and wanted to keep moving instead of waiting for the adhesive to dry. So, I pre-drilled a couple of pilot holes, then screwed the wooden shelf to the side walls of the schedule 40 PVC.

For this kind of job, I would typically screw the pipe directly to the wall but since the screw heads would then interfere with an already tight fitting bench cookie, I decided to make a small “saddle” for the pipe to rest in. I found a piece of scrap ¾ and simply traced the circular profile onto the material, cut out the shape using a jig saw, and then screwed it to the wall after countersinking a hole. Note: If you do not counter sink the hole here, the screw head will interfere with the PVC.

After the saddle was mounted to the wall, I used the same adhesive to attach the PVC to the saddle…..and yes, this time I patiently waited while it dried before filling it with the bench cookies : )

Once the glue is dry you now have a bench cookie dispenser where you can grab a cookie from the bottom and place it back into the top when you’re done with it.

Bench Cookie Attachment Holder

Storage for the attachments that go on top of the bench cookies is super easy. I cut a square piece of material just big enough for the attachments to sit on and drilled a hole in the center. I then found a small scrap that is probably a ¼” x ¼” and cut a 45 along the top to give it a small point.

I put this small pin in the middle of my square material, placed the cookie attachments on top of the pin, and then slowly lowered the pin through the square material until the attachments just barely touched the square material. Finally, I glued it in place and called it good! I used two pocket holes on the bottom of the platform to attach it directly to my wall. Now I can easily grab however many bench cookies and attachments I need with ease and return them to their little homes when done.

Storing T-Track Accessories

The T-track table is extremely useful however the accessories were just lying around and really getting on my nerves. To organize these I decided to use a section of the T-track, which they are designed to fit into, to store them.

I grabbed a track, slid on a couple of accessories, and then marked a cut line. I then cut them to length using a miter saw. I am only stowing two types of accessories on each T-track. This way I am not locking any accessories between other accessories forcing me to remove things that are not of use in order to get to what I actually need. Basically, I will be able to slide off what I need from either the right or the left.

I grabbed some 3/4″ scrap wood and use my router with a 3/4″ square bit inside of it to cut a dado. I did not make the dado on center because I will be using screws to a attach this to my wall and need room for them. The tracks come with screw holes to attach to the wood. I would first use a self-centering bit to pre-drill these holes then use some small screws to attach the track to the wood.

I located where I wanted it on my wall, pre-drilled a couple of holes, and then attached them permanently in place near the T-track table. Now I can slide the accessories on and off from either the right or left.  From here I simply repeated these steps with all of the other accessories that I had.

Even though all these projects are extremely simple, it makes a big difference in my shop. If you have a lot of small items just laying around your shop then I really urge you to take the time and make some dedicated homes. It doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time consuming. I did these in a day and didn’t spend a penny.

If you liked this project and want to stay up to date with what I’m building, then be sure to sign up for my email newsletter and you’ll get an email when I post something new. See you soon!

*Disclosure: Some links in this email are affiliate links meaning, I may get a commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support in this way!

Thinking about building your own bathroom mirror with storage? Check out this awesome DIY project where I framed mirrors, plus extra bathroom storage!

This week I am moving to my master bathroom to get a project done that has been on my list for years. I have a huge one piece mirror in my bathroom, an outdated light fixture, and absolutely no storage space other than the top of the counter.

So for this week’s project, I am going to be updating the look and the function of this entire space. I will be doing that by adding a frame to the mirror but instead of keeping the mirror as a single long mirror, I am going to make it look like it is two separate mirrors and also building a storage cabinet in between them. Here is a photo of the before and after so that you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.

Bathroom Cabinet With Framed Mirror Plans

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I do have a set of plans for this if you’re interested in building one yourself. Keep in mind before tackling this project that I am attaching the frames and the shelving unit directly to the mirror, so if I ever change my mind and want to take them down, the entire mirror will have to be disposed of.

Bathroom Cabinet With Framed Mirror Plans

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Now if you look at my mirror, the right side and bottom side are butted up against the wall and the back splash of the counter, this leaves the top and left side exposed. I could put the picture frame on the mirror on both of these edges; however, I am trying to maintain as much mirror space as possible, so the first thing I’m going to do is cut a board for the top and the left side of the mirror. This board will need to be the exact thickness of the mirror so that it sits flush with the surface. I will use these boards later to mount the picture frame to.

So the first thing I did was take measurements of how long and tall my mirror is. Then I went to the shop and grabbed a 2×4 which I then cut in half by resawing it. Now this left my board too thick to use but since I have a thickness planer, I decided to take off a little material at a time so that I can make sure this I got it down exactly flush with the the mirror. If you do not have a thickness planer, then just make sure to resaw your material to the exact thickness of your mirror. You can use cheap material like a 2×4 so in case you mess up, it won’t be expensive material. All of it will be covered up eventually.

I determined the width of these boards by going off the left side wall space that I have around my mirror. So if your mirror already goes all the way to the edge of your wall, then you will not need to make a board for the left side and the top will be optional.

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I attached the boards by using a combination of Liquid Nails adhesive, and hot glue. The hot glue dries very quickly so it will temporarily keep the board in place while the Liquid Nails has time to dry and cure. I smeared Liquid Nails up and down the board then put about three dabs of hot glue to temporarily hold it in place. Do this with your boards then apply pressure until the hot glue dries.

Making Frames For The Mirrors

To make the picture frames, I went to the big box store and looked through the moulding/trim aisle and I picked out the moulding that I thought would look best; however, I still thought it was a little plain so I also picked out a smaller strip of decorative moulding that I will later glue and attach along the perimeter.

At this point  I measured my wall space and figured out how big to make the frames so that I would still have room left over for a storage unit in the middle. Once I had my dimensions I used the miter saw to cut a 45 degree angle on all the ends of the moulding.

Once you have all four pieces cut, do the same for the second picture frame. They should be identical. To attach them, I used pocket holes. I used one pocket hole in each corner and positioned the pocket hole so that it was at the thickest part of the moulding. Be sure to use glue on these joints.

With the picture frames made, now you can apply any additional decorative trim you want. (or you could leave the frames as is!) To add additional trim, I used glue and brad nails. I would line it up to be flush with the outside edge and then just nail it down.

Once the picture frames were completely to my liking, I applied a coat of stain, (I used the color dark walnut). After the stain was dry, I applied three coats of spray lacquer.

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Making The Bathroom Storage Cabinet

I have a few 3/4″ cutoffs from previous projects that I was able to use for this portion of the project so I didn’t have to buy any material; however, I do have a cut list and material list in this set of bathroom cabinet DIY plans if you do need to buy the material to make this.

I first started by making the sides of the storage unit. Instead of cutting it into two pieces at this point, I plan to use dados for the shelves so I left the two sides as one board right now. Note: If you do this method, be sure to include the 1/8″ of your table saw blade for when you cut it down into two pieces later on.

Next I went through and marked out where all of my shelf locations will be for the shelves and also for the drawers. Then I used my table saw and a dado stack to cut in all the dados. If you do not have a dado stack or do not want to mess with cutting dados, you could also use a butt joint and just screw in the shelves from the outside of the side pieces. Since this is for the bathroom, it will be more than enough strength for you.

Once I had all of the dados cut then I set my fence to rip the board down the middle and I cut it directly in half so now I have two sides where the dado slots will line up perfectly to one another.

I grabbed more material and started cutting all of the shelves. While I was cutting, I also cut all of the material I will use later for the drawers.

I would first use my table saw to cut the material to the width I needed then I set up a stop block at the miter saw to cut the boards to length.

I then glued and nailed the shelves into their dado slots. My side pieces are a little warped, so I used clamps to hold them in place while I used a brad nailer to tack them down. Note: Make sure you are lining these shelves up flush with the end so that the unit will not have a problem butting up to the surface of the mirror later on.

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Making The Drawers

I actually tried a different method on making the drawers this time. I first grabbed all of the pieces that will make up the front, back, and sides of the drawers and I put my dado stack in my table saw and then cut a dado along the bottom of all four pieces.

When that was done, I grabbed the side pieces and then cut a rabbet on both edges. Note: to do this safely, do not use the fence. I used my miter gauge on my table saw and attached a temporary stop block so that I could butt the side piece into the stop block and make the rabbet then back the piece out, flip it around, and make the other rabbet.

In the above photo the top piece is the front and back of the drawer, and the bottom is the side.

To assemble the drawers, I used glue and brad nails.  You will want to attach the three pieces, the back and the two sides first. Then glue in the bottom and then attach the final four sides. This creates a drawer.

Note: I originally did not plan to put sliders on these drawers but instead decided to put them on a shelf where they will slide in and out on; however, these drawers are too shallow to not be on a slider. They end up being able to pull out far to easily. I plan on remaking these drawers to include sliders but that might be something you want to do from the very beginning.

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Finishing The Bathroom Cabinet

Next I cut some more pieces that will be the face frames of the storage unit. These pieces are for aesthetics only, to make the unit look beefier than it is. These I glued and nailed into place making sure the outside edge was flush with the body.

Now to come back and fill in all the imperfections from the plywood and also the brad nails, I used joint compound. This stuff is really cheap and very easy to put on and it dries very quickly. You can apply it with a putty knife.

While that was drying, I started attaching the faux fronts to the drawers. To do this, I used hot glue to temporarily hold the face into place so that I could move to the inside and attach it with screws permanently. Put two dabs of hot glue on the drawer front, then press it into place making sure that it lines up squarely. Hold it in place while the hot glue has time to dry. Once you have all of the faces in place, you can come back and add screws to the inside of the drawer to permanently attach it.

Next, I grabbed some very generic crown moulding from the big box store and used a brad nailer to attach it along the top. I did this to give it some sort of finished look but it’s completely optional. To make sure that these are lined up level, I first used a speed square to draw a line that I used as a gauge when lining these pieces up.

Now these cuts are mitered and to make the cuts, you can hold it into place vertically, standing up against the fence of the miter saw. It’s the same exact way that you make mitered cuts except your piece is not laying down flat, instead it’s standing up on its edge.

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I gave everything three coats of paint. Three coats might not be needed but with this being raw plywood and using a primer and paint in one, I thought it needed three. I did use a semi gloss finish since this is going to be next to the sink.

Installing Everything!

On my counter, I have a slight curve from where my back splash meets the counter surface and since my storage unit has a 90 degree square cut on the back end, this was going to be a problem. So I grabbed a piece of cardboard and held it onto the end of my counter top and used a pen to trace this profile onto the cardboard. I could then take the cardboard and cut it out using some scissors then hold it to the storage unit and trace it out using a pencil. This now gives me a guide to use on how much material I need to take off. Trace this profile on both sides of the unit.

I turned the unit on it’s side and used my belt sander to make this slight radius. You could using a palm sander or a sanding block if you don’t have a belt sander or you could use a ROS as well.

Next I cut a back for the unit and glued and attached it. I’m using 3/4″ material for the back. The way I determined this thickness is I set the unit in place then used a long level to see where it sat plum (plum means completely vertical). It turns out that 3/4″ material would push this unit enough off of the mirror for it to be plum. I would suggest setting your storage unit in place and figuring out how thick or thin you need your back material for your unit to stand perfectly plum. I took the storage unit inside and set it on the counter to make sure it was going to fit. Turns out it did. Yay!

Alternative Design:

Something I thought about doing was to not attach a solid back to the unit, but instead add thin strips along the back (to push it off the mirror the needed amount). This way the mirror would show through each of the top shelving spots. However, I didn’t think about doing this unit it was too late in the project so if you want to do this, you’ll need to add these back strips when building the cabinet and extend the shelves to be flush with them or you’ll have a gap between the back of the shelf and the mirror for things to fall down into.

To start attaching things, I started with my left picture frame since that is the wall that has the exposed edge. Why this is important is almost no wall is going to be square so if these are going to be slightly out of square, I want that to be on the right side of my mirror since that is where no one is going to be looking or seeing since there is another wall over there.

To attach the frame, I used Liquid Nail Mirror. Now it’s important to note that this is a special Liquid Nails adhesive that will not damage the look or function of the mirror. Also something important to note is this is going on a reflective surface so you don’t want to put any of the adhesive close to the inside edge of the picture frame or you will be able to see it whenever you look into the mirror. So if you notice, all of my adhesive is placed along the outside edge of the picture frame. I also used a few dabs of hot glue once again to temporarily hold it in place while the Liquid Nails had time to dry.

Once the left picture frame was in place, I turned the storage unit around, applied Liquid Nails and hot glue, and attached it so it was flush against the left frame.

I repeated the process with the final right picture frame. If you notice in the below photo and look along the top right of the picture frame, you will see the board that I attached to the wall earlier (on top of the mirror). This is because the mirror is slightly out of square by around 1/2″. This isn’t a big deal to me since it’s in the top far right and nobody should really see it; however, I did come back with some dark walnut stain that I used for the picture frames and applied it to this board so that it blends in a little better.

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Now it was just a matter of installing the new light fixtures of our choice. I was exhausted at this point and my husband had just got home so he ended up installing the lights for me so I could just sit there and take a break. What a nice guy.

Now you can add your choice of drawer pulls to the drawer fronts and slip them into place. Load down the unit with all of your stuff then stand back and admire how your new space looks!

I cannot tell you how pleased I am with this project. It’s a very simple project that completely changes the look of this small space and it’s relatively easy considering I didn’t have to knock out anything or tear out anything other than that old light fixture. I completely recommend this if you have a single long mirror that you’re wanting to update the look on and add a little function; however, keep in mind that another option would be to keep the mirror as one long mirror and just apply a frame around the entire thing and not add the storage unit, but if you’re lacking on space, adding the storage unit is completely doable.

Total cost was $66 for the moulding, $13 for a thing of paint, and $5 for a container of liquid nails….so $84! Again, I did not have to buy any material for the storage unit since I used scraps laying around but the set of bathroom cabinet plans I put together includes a shopping list and cut list if you do not have scraps.

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If you liked this project and want to stay up to date with what I’m building, then be sure to sign up for my email newsletter and you’ll get an email when I post something new. See you soon!

*Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links meaning, I may get a commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support in this way!

Thinking about building your own DIY Countertop Wine Rack? Check out this project you can do to add wine storage to your kitchen counter!

The holiday’s are upon us and I was wanting to build a few easy and fun Christmas presents for neighbors, some close friends, and also a white elephant gift exchange. So I decided to make a mixture of some fruit and veggie trays, which if you missed the post, you can find the DIY veggie storage rack plans here. Another thing that I wanted to make was a wine rack holder that can sit on a countertop. I figured these are a pretty universal gift that pretty much any family should be able to get some use out of. If you are looking for some quick and easy DIY Christmas presents, then I definitely recommend both of these.

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I do have a free set of DIY wine rack plans available if you would like to make your own.

For material you can use any 1x wood that you want. If you need to purchase material for this project, then you can go to the store and purchase a 1×8 pine board; however, I wanted to use material that I already had so I decided to use 2x4s.

Since I’m using 2x4s, I first had to resaw them which means I’m going to be turning the 2x4s on their end and running them through my table saw to cut them in half. This is a pretty dangerous process so I don’t recommend doing this if you’re a beginner. Also, regardless of how new or not you are, I definitely recommend having a good, stable push stick if you’re going to attempt to do any resawing.

Before resawing, I ran the 2x4s through the table saw to cut off the rounded edges that come on 2x4s. The reason I do this is to make the glue up process later on easier. Then I resawed each length in half.

Next, I cut all of my pieces to length. I’m using my table saw to cut these to length.

Now is the glue up. I wanted my board 6 1/2″ wide so I am taking two pieces and gluing them up together. In the clamps, in the photo below, I have three boards utilizing the same clamps but they are only glued up in pairs. Let the glue set for about an hour or until it’s dry.

Once the glue is dry, take them out of the clamps and run them through a thickness planer to remove the excess glue. If you don’t have a thickness planer then use a ROS sander or a palm sander.

Now you can make your marks on where the slit cuts need to be. I did this by using a speed square.

Since all of the boards are identical to one other, I taped all four boards together so I could cut them with one pass.

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I cut them out using my band saw; however, if you do not have a band saw you can use a router or you can use a jig saw. If you do use a band saw, using the fence is very helpful here. Also you want these to have a snug fit so don’t take off too much material with the first pass.

These pieces now break away very easily and you can actually use the band saw to clean up the ends; however, i decided to break off the majority and use a chisel to finish up the cut.

You can use one of the end pieces as a test fit to make sure that the slots are cut wide enough. If the board doesn’t slip in all the way, then just take it back to the band saw or jig saw and widen the slit just slightly. You do want these to be a snug fit though.

Now you can start slipping the boards together in a crisscross pattern. Use the photos below for a reference.

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Everything fit really well so I disassembled it and threw on a quick coat of stain before moving forward. Note: Since I’m using pine and it’s known to be really splotchy when staining, I use a pre-stain wood conditioner first. I’m using Early American as the stain on this one.

Once all the pieces were dry I grabbed the end pieces and used my nail gun to attach them.

And that’s it! Now I have a wine rack that will hold 8 bottles of wine and since I used material I already had laying around, it cost me $0! I just need to make a few more now.

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I hope everybody has a very Merry Christmas!

If you liked this project and want to stay up to date with what I’m building, then be sure to sign up for my email newsletter and you’ll get an email when I post something new. See you soon!

*Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links meaning, I may get a commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support in this way!

Before I was storing all my sockets, wrenches, ratchets, and screwdrivers in cases under my workbench…but if you haven’t discovered it yet, I hate things tucked away where they aren’t seen. So problem solved with just few hours of work. : )

Remember that everything on this is customizable, so if you don’t like the way I’ve design a holder, just browse around online to check out other designs, or design your own!

Wall Braces:

1) I found a scrap pine 1x and ran it through my table saw with the blade at a 45 degree.

2) I first located the studs on my wall (related video here), then used 2″ screws to attach it in place. I don’t add the second brace until later, but it is 7″ above the first.

Note: When making your holders, in most cases you need to make the back piece (that is connected to the cleat) long enough, to where it goes down at least to the bottom of the brace on the wall. If you don’t make it at least as long as the brace then it doesn’t sit as snugly when you hang it. The only exception is when you are hanging something real light such as the paddle bits and screwdrivers.

Wrenches and Sockets Holder:

These measurements are taken with zero being the left edge:
Top: 2 9/16″, 3 1/8″, 3 11/16″, 4 1/4″, 4 3/4″, 5 5/16″, 5 15/16″, 6 9/16″, 7 1/4″, 8. (1/4″ set)
Center: 3/8″, 1 1/8″, 1 15/16″, 2 11/16″, 3 5/8″, 4 9/16″, 5 9/16″, 6 5/8″, 7 1/8″. (3/8″ set)
Bottom: 1/2″, 1 5/16:, 2 3/8″, 3 3/8″, 4 3/8″, 5 1/4″, 6 1/2″, 7 13/16″. (3/8″ set)

2) Before drilling my holes, I grabbed two spare pieces of scrap and used my miter saw to cut a 10 degree angle on one side. Then I used my nail gun to temporarily attach the work piece to these ‘ramps’. This will allow me to drill a consistent 10 degree angle on all these holes so the dowel will be slightly angled up.

Note: If you use this trick, be sure you are facing your work piece the correct way or your dowels will end up being angled downward. The bottom of your holder should be closest to the drill press, so the top is closest to you.

3) Next I drilled my holes using a paddle bit. Since I have both 1/4″ and 3/8″ sockets, I first drilled all my 3/8″s then went back and drilled the 1/4″s.

4) Then I grabbed some 3/8″ and 1/4″ dowel rods and used my scroll saw to chop them up, then glued them in place.

Tip: There were a few times when either the socket or wrench was too small for the dowel rod….so I would take the piece and stick it in my drill (don’t tighten down the chuck too tightly), then while I pushed on the trigger, I would hold the piece against my sanding block and it quickly takes off material. Just keep taking off material until the wrench/socket fits to your liking.

So in the above photo, you can see that I tried a different design to start with…..and it worked fine even without the back coming down to the bottom of the brace, but after I built that one I was still needing to build something for the sockets and I thought it was wasted space to build a whole separate holder, so I scrapped that design and built that one you see on the left. I wanted to show you though in case you don’t have sockets to store, to give you another option to consider.

5) Last thing on this holder was to add a side holster for my socket driver. Just another piece of scrap where I used my scroll saw to cut out a slot then glued it on the side.

3) Then once I screwed the cleat onto the back piece, I glued then clamped the slotted platform on the back and let it dry.

1) I grabbed some 5/8″ dowel rod and cut a length of 12″.

2) Then I cut two end pieces and put a 5/8″ hole in 5/8″ from the side with a paddle bit.

Note: I chose to come in 5/8″ because this gap determines how far off the back piece my rod will hang and I need it to be big enough to allow my handles to slip in. So I grabbed my biggest handled tool (the square nose pliers) and used these as a gage.

3) Once I cut the back and screwed it to the cleat, I glued the rod in the end pieces then glued them on the back piece. Then I flipped it over and put in two brad nails on each end piece.

Note: I positioned the rod assembly 3 1/2″ from the top of the holder so that the back wall would help keep the tools closed while they were hanging. Play around with different placements before sticking it permanently to figure out where works best for your tools.

4) Since these are really light, I went ahead and skipped making a back and just attached this platform to the cleat itself. I glued then nailed along the bottom edge of the cleat.

Screwdriver Holder:

1) Here is another non-exact science one…I lined what screwdrivers I have up then traced around them with a pencil. I would hold one in place and trace then, while still holding it in place, line up the next one so I could make sure I was getting the spacing correct. Drop the first one, trace, then repeat.

2) Next, I used my scroll saw to cut out each slot. I made each slot 1″ deep.

3) Then since these were light weight tools as well, I again skipped the back and just glued/nailed it directly to the cleat.

Note: Again, I positioned the platform along the bottom edge of the cleat but this time it wasn’t just for esthetics. Some of the shorter screwdrivers need a back wall to keep them from tipping out of their slot. So by placing it along the bottom, the tools use the cleat as a backing.

And as of now, those are the only tools I needed to hang. : ) What do you think?

Every time I visit Home Depot (which is a bunch) I take a look at the Oops paint and pick up colors I like for 50 cents. Well, pile that on top of the fact that I already have a lot of paint and stain and poly containers, I just end up with an unorganized mess. I looked around online for how other people were storing their containers but really couldn’t find anything so I decided to design my own.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

It measures to be 52″ tall with the casters on, is 21 1/2″ wide, and 12 1/2″ deep. The shelves for the small sample pots can hold 24 containers, while the shelves for the quarts can hold 8 each. So total I can store 32 quarts containers and 72 samples. …that’s a lot.

So pre-cabinet, I had all my paint stored in these boxes under my workbench….as you can see the cans are all piled on top of one another and I’m running out of room.

Then I also had this corner of my shop that was being used as a storage spot by my husband for things such as these rolls of rubber, a useless stool, and a vacuum attachment….(? Random). Anyways, so I moved said useless things out (meaning I shoved them in the attic) and started taking dimensions for a paint cabinet.

Note: I doubt anybody will need this detail buuut just in case….see that brown air vent on the wall in the corner? Well the vents are facing the wall with the window and since I planned on putting my cabinet there, I didn’t want to create a problem with air not being able to circulate so I took it off then just simply flipped it around so the vents now faced towards the open shop. Cool. Back to taking measurements.

Before I give you step by steps let me give you the general directions of my thoughts.

I wanted a cabinet where the paint would be in single layers so I could easily see all the colors on the lids, I also wanted it on casters and for the shelves to be on sliders. Well, knowing how much sliders cost from building my pantry I knew I wasn’t going to be able to afford sliders for a shop paint cabinet, so I used the same principal from my laundry basket holder and just modified it some so that if I only pulled the shelf out part ways without keeping a hold of it, it wouldn’t tump over. It might seem cheesy to some, but it was either this or no cabinet at all and at the end of the day…it does work. : )

Alright, lets get to those steps. Note: I had purchased a lot of cull wood for 50cents each almost a year ago and still had it sitting around, so I actually didn’t have to buy any wood for this project.

1) I grabbed 3/4″ plywood and used my table saw to make my cuts. I started by cutting the top and the bottom, then the sides. (Click on the photo to see the dimensions I used.) Then I used my Kreg Pocket Jig to join it all together.

Tip: I don’t have the right angle clamp (because I didn’t buy the master system : / ) So I enlisted the help of my speed square and Irwin clamps to help keep the board in it’s place while I screwed it together.

2) After checking for square I cut the back piece from 1/4″ plywood then used my nail gun and 1″ nails to attach it to the frame. 

3) To get ready to install the supports that would hold the shelves, I grabbed some 3/4″ pine and first cut the board down to 12 1/2″ long then cut 1 1/2″ wide strips. Since I wanted 7 shelves, I cut 28 strips total.

4) Next I started putting the supports in. I laid the first two down flush with the bottom and sides then used my nail gun and 2″ nails to attach them. Tip: After putting the support in it’s place use a clamp to clamp it to the frame’s wall so it won’t move when you shoot in your nail.

5) I planned on making my shelves out of 1/2″ wood but wanted a 3/4″ space for it to slide in and out. Instead of using a tape measure to line out where the next support needed to be placed, I grabbed a scrap piece of 3/4″ wood and used it as a spacer. So my bottom support is already in place, I would grab my spacer and place it on top then put my top support on top of that and nail it in place. Now repeat on the other side.

Note: I went ahead and threw in my shelf just to get a visual, but I will cover making the shelves later on.

Alright, let me pause and give you more of my thought process. With the amount of space I had, I figured that I would make four bottom shelves for the quart size containers and three upper shelves for the sample pot containers. After doing some measuring I needed 5″ for the quarts and  3 1/4″ for the pots.

6) To make things easier for me I made a spacer 5″ tall and would place it on the top support I just installed then while holding the support with one hand, I would use a square to transfer the line to the outside of the board so that I knew where to nail it.

7) Then I would ditch the square and use a clamp to hold the support in place while I went along my line with my nail gun and nailed the support in place with 2″ nails.

8) Once I finished my fourth quart size shelf slot I made a 3 1/4″ spacer and made the three remaining shelf slots.

9) With all 7 slots nailed in their place, I cut all the shelves out of 1/2″ plywood. The opening is actually 20 1/4″ wide, but I made my shelves 20″ so it would have some wiggle room. So they are 20″ wide and 12 1/2″ deep.

10) Next I cut 1″ strips to make a front lip on each shelf. Tip: I actually measured and cut these individually because each shelf is slightly different. Some were 17 1/4″ while another was 17″ 3/8″. Might not be a big deal to you, but I wanted to give you the heads up before making a bunch of cuts. I used 1 1/4″ nails to attach the lip to each shelf.

11) I purchased 90 lb casters (so 360 lbs total) from Walmart for $2 a piece and screwed them onto the bottom. I don’t recommend buying these, because they are kinda puny, but I’m on a tight budget so I’ll just have to upgrade later.

: D It looks pretty good I think!

12) Before I loaded her up I wanted to paint it. Ever since painting my pegboard grey and green, I decided to start painting more things that color combo and kinda make it the colors of my shop. So next I primed then painted.

WilkerDon’t: Since I made each shelf lip exact with it’s slot, I should have marked them before pulling them out and scattering them around to paint. But. I didn’t. So when it was time to put them back in I had to play shuffleboard a little until I matched each shelf with it’s slot. So, if you don’t make your lips a universal length, then make sure to learn from my mistake.

13) Once everything was dry I threw all my containers in and started adding accessories. I screwed in two screws onto the top left and right corners so I could hang paint keys.

14) I found some 1 1/2″ PVC and cut it down with a hacksaw then shoved some pool noodle in the bottom.

15) Then screwed it onto the side

And now I have a spot for my tiny brushes.

I will say that after painting the slider slots, the shelves don’t move as easily as they did unpainted, although it’s still fine (I’m just being picky). I will rub some grease on the slots to help it along. If you can afford sliders, then that would be an upgraded option. If you can’t, then this route definitely still works even if it’s a little simplistic. Like I said…for me it was either no paint cabinet or find a way to make it for almost nothing so all said and done I’m very happy with it!

….one more corner of my shop has just been funtionalized. (<– not a word, but I’m using it). : D

Total Time: 6 hrs

Total Cost: $9

If I add in the cost of the cull wood I bought originally it probably tacks on an additional $6.

Ladders are handy to have around but can be difficult to store. It’s simple to throw a couple hooks on the wall and store it on it’s side, but then a whole wall is knocked out of use. That is why storing it on the ceiling is the route I wanted to go with the two I have.

Here are photos of the finished hanging assembly I made.

Handyman put out the above photo where the concept is, you stab one end of the ladder in, then it will roll through until you have enough room to stab the other end. Really simple concept and super functional. Buuut, I have two ladders that flare out at the bottom instead of remaining one length like theirs. Which of course, could be compensated for in the build, but I thought it much simpler (and just as functional) to have a roller bar on one end and a plain ole hook on the other, so that’s what I did.

If you think my set up will work for you, here is the how-to:

What you will need for one holder:

1) I wanted my ladder to be as low profile as possible so instead of making my 2×4 16″ long like Handyman, I measured how deep my ladder was and just added a couple inches to give it room to tilt, and it came out to be 10″ total. So I grabbed a couple scrap 2x4s and cut two of them to length.

2) Next I purchased 3″ right angle brackets and 1/4″x1″ lag bolts then bolted them in place.

Tip: When bolting on the right angle bracket, don’t just guess at where it needs to be. Take a spare piece of wood and butt it up against your 2×4, then put the bracket in it’s place. This way the spare wood is representing where the ceiling will be and the bracket will be sitting flush against the 2×4 and (eventually) the ceiling when all four bolts are in.

The next part calls for 1/2″x2′ threaded rod. Below is a photo, and it is found in the hardware section of Home Depot.

5) Now, before you can put everything together, your 2′ PVC will need to be cut. The hardware and the wood takes up 6″ of the threaded rod, so your PVC only needs to be 18″ long. I used a simple hack saw in order to cut mine to size.

6) Now it’s just time to put everything together. You put the PVC over the threaded rod then put the hardware on both ends then put the rod through the holes of the 2×4, and then put on the remaining set of hardware on. That probably sounds confusing, but it actually isn’t. You need hardware on both the inside and outside of the 2×4 so that you have some way of isolating and holding the wood in place to tighten it down.
The order starting from the left outside going in is: Nut, flat washer, 2×4, flat washer, nut. Then you have your PVC/Rod combo. Then nut, flat washer, 2×4, flat washer, nut.

And now you have a hanging holder…ok that’s a dumb name, but I don’t have anything better. : )

7) Next I located the studs and bolted it onto the ceiling using 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ lag bolts.

8) Then I measured down 4 1/2′ and made a mark for where I would put my hook. Even though my ladder is 6′, I will need some overhanging in the holder so it doesn’t fall, and I wanted my hook to be grabbing on the last step.

Tip: I found these hooks at Home Depot for around $2. In order to put it in, I used a 1/4″ bit to drill a pilot hole then just screwed it in place with my hands.

That lip you see there on the hook keeps the ladder from rolling forward.

Since I also have an 8′ ladder, I just repeated my steps and created a second assembly and utilized more wasted ceiling space!

I know I’m bias, but I think this completely rocks!

**Update** Below is a video showing the build process:

The absolute last thing on my laundry room renovation list was to build a pantry and as of today I can now proudly put a check by it. There was so much that went into this build I’m not sure how well I am going to consolidate all the steps and information into a coherent blog post but if you are interested, here is my attempt….

THIS! is the finished product. All 8 regular drawers pull out so nothing gets shoved to the back and forgotten about. The top left has drawers made to hold boxes in an organized fashion. One for smaller boxes, and one for larger. The top right is a wine/liquor pull out rack.

1 Sheets ½ birch plywood

1 Sheet 1/2x2x4 birch plywood

1 Sheet ¼ pine plywood

12 22″ full extending ball bearing slider
Note: If you know you are going to paint your unit, then buy something cheaper then birch. I wasn’t sure, so I spent the extra bucks to give myself the option of staining it if I wanted to.

Main Body:
1) I cut the sides and the top from the 3/4″ birch.

2) Using the Kreg pocket jig I made the pockets that I would use to join the top to the sides. Now they say to put the holes in the position where they are going to be seen the least, so since this was the top and my unit is over 6 feet, I faced them up.

3) Next, using the same dimensions as the top, I made the bottom. Then used the Kreg to make the pockets and then screwed it in place.

4) So far so good. I set my unit up then cut the back from the 1/4″ pine and put it in place using my nail gun.

5) Again using the same dimensions, I cut and put in my top shelf but used the 1/2″ birch.

6) In preparations to put in my center divider I took two scrap pieces of ¾ wood and glued/nailed them together then stuck them on the bottom. This gave the unit a more sturdy footing, and also will give the divider good support once it’s in.

Next was to put in the divider and let me tell you, it was a pain! I wanted to try and make both sides as equal as possible so that the drawers would be the same size. I got close, but not exactly equal. Also you can see my center footing from the last step came out a little off center. No big though because a kickboard will be installed later. It’s really important to get this divider level though because it will affect the drawers. I found it best to lay the unit on it’s back and crawl in one of the compartments.

7) I cut the divider and made my Kreg pockets. Then using the help of my very patient husband, I grabbed my pencil, torpedo level, and tape measure and made sure sure sure that the front and back were level then the top and bottom were level, then the bottom’s front and back were level…then screwed everything in place. The left compartment is 14 3/4″ and the right is 14 7/8″. Being slightly different sizes doesn’t really matter as long as you have the measurements straight before making the drawers.

Woohoo! It’s starting to look like something!!

8) Now I started putting in the sliders. The hardest part of this step is just making sure that the sliders are level and line up with their counterpart. I found it easiest to lay the unit on its side then go through and screw on the row of sliders. Then flip the unit over and screw in the other row.

I set the sliders 7/8″ back from the front so that I could use 1/2″ wood to make a face plate.

9) Time for the drawers. Looking online it seems that the right way to make drawers is to use the dadoe and the rabbit joint. Here is a great how-to if you have the right tools. I didn’t, and with the sliders, wood, and Kreg pocket jig making this an already expensive project, I wasn’t about to spend more. So I went forward with the elementary way of making drawers…by using the butt joint with good ol glue and nails.

10) Then I put the slider on the drawer and put the drawer in the compartment.

Box Compartment:
Now for the top left space, I knew I wanted to have two pull out drawers designed for boxes and ended up making one drawer for regular-to-big boxes then one for smaller boxes, using 3/4″ wood for dividers.

1) My first step was to put the unit back on its side and install the divider that would split off the two box drawers. To cut out some of the heartache I made four kickstands out of scrap wood to the wanted height then just laid my divider on top and made sure it was level then screwed it in. Note: I put the pocket holes facing right on all my dividers. However, after the sliders are installed they are barely visible.

WilkerDon’t: I got the divider in, then went to install the sliders and realized that I wasn’t going to have enough room to get in the back to put in a screw. ….eh. So simple, but still I overlooked it. So I had to take the divider back out. Put in both sliders. Then put the divider back in. So make sure you put your sliders in before making the spaces too small. ; )

2) After the first divider was in, I repeated the process with the second one. Only this time, I installed the sliders while the board was still loose, then installed them both as one.

Note: When installing hardware on a loose board, just remember to keep track of which side is the front/top/back/bottom, so you don’t end up installing it in the wrong position.

3) Next I made the drawers for the boxes and slid them into place.

4) I went through and cut face plates for the drawers from 1/2″ birch and nailed them in place.

Pullout Wine Rack:
Ok, now I got started on the last compartment. I planned the top right section to be a wine/liquor rack that would…you guessed it…be on sliders. : ) I wanted two tiers and for them to move independently of one another. I wanted it to be able to hold a wine bottle or a liquor bottle and I wanted a design that was low profile so I could not only utilize the space best, but also have it look nice.

1) Using a piece of ¾ wood, I figured out where my slider would be sitting and drew a line. Then looking around my shop at all the circle items I had, I thought this blue cup was the perfect size for making the semi circles that would hold the butt of the bottle.

Note: Sliders have two parts; the outer shell slider, which is bigger, is screwed onto the unit then the smaller inner slide is screwed onto the ‘drawer’ then you put to two together to get a sliding drawer. So when you are on this step make sure you are using the bigger portion of the drawer as your line guide. If you use the smaller one, then after you cut your semi-circles out and put the drawer together, your bottle will rest on the metal and not the wood cut out. This turned out to be a moot point for me because I had to build up the material on the sides in order to compensate for the shorter bottles, but if you use only one piece of wood, make sure you take into consideration the bigger slider portion.

2) After making sure I liked the spacing, I clamped the piece of wood down and took a jig saw to it

3) To make the piece that would be holding the neck of the bottle, I first found the center of each one of my semi’s then marked it on the edge of this fresh piece of wood. Then I took a holesaw and used it to cut out smaller semi’s. After all the holes were punched, I went back through and sanded them out.

4) After it was cut out, I used it as a template and repeated the process to make a two more identical to it. (explanation in step 6)

5) This is the step where I start to compensate for my wine bottles being shorter than the opening of my space. For the piece that holds the butt of the bottle, I took the wood with the cut semi’s then also took a piece that was the same size then nailed them together. I did not cut semi’s in the back piece because the solid board acts as a good stopper for when the bottle is in it’s nest.

6) Then I took the three pieces of wood with the smaller semi’s and glued and nailed them together. This way when both sizes are placed in the opening, a shorter bottle will rest on the first cut out, but a longer bottle will be able to rest on the second or third cut out. Now that both sides were assembled I cut a bottom out of 1/4 wood and glued then nailed everything in place. Note: This bottom piece is only in place to connect the two sides so they move as one instead of separately.

7) Now I screwed in the sliders and made sure my design was going to work…

And looky there…it works! Now I think wine is suppose to be stored where it’s touching the cork, but I drink $8 bottle of wine and wanted them flat. If you drink good wine and want it stored properly then just don’t cut down the butt portion so much and it will raise it up to be at an angle.

8) Since I wanted two tiers, I played with different heights then figured a good measurement to install the second level and still allow enough room for a bigger liquor bottle on the bottom. Then I installed those sliders and made a second wine rack that was identical to the first.

9) Next I cut a footer and installed it.

And….that’s it! Well, apart from moving this heavy sucker inside.

If you are trying to build a pantry and I can help answer any questions or elaborate on any of my own steps, just holler!

Total Cost: $348
Breakdown: Wood: $163, Sliders: $185
Total Time: Two weekends

Man, I was a busy bee this weekend. Just doing projects like crazy and it was great!

Since I have stacked my washer and dryer I have started to store my laundry soap and dryer sheets in a utility closet door I have in my laundry room (instead of the drawers that came with my set). This is a problem because the space is so tight that everything just kinda piles up after a while and turns into a mess. Solution? …Pinterest people. Pinterest is always the answer.

Inspiration:

I ended up having to tweak it some, but not much. Instead of making mine one unit, I broke it up into two pieces in order to break up the weight (the sucker isn’t exactly light), and also because my door knob is the long lever kind and not the round knob kind so with two pieces it was easier to go around it’s path. Before:

After:

Before you get started!!

• Before doing anything, check to make sure your doors aren’t hollow. If they are, look into how much weight they can hold. Since mine are solid, I have not done any research on how to hang stuff on hollow core.

• Figure out how far off the door you want your shelves to come. I measured my laundry soap to get an idea. I also use Oxyclean but the round containers were too large, so I am going to buy those cereal containers to transfer them to. Then they will store nicely on my shelves.

• The further off the door you come, the further in you will have to build your unit because you don’t want it running into the door frame when you try to shut the door.

In case you are interested in my numbers: the top piece is 20″ wide, 41″ tall, and 7″ deep. I came in 3″ on the left, and 1″ from the top and right side, then 1 ¼” from the bottom.

3) Now since I planned to put extra dog/cat food on this shelf I wanted my support bar to be higher up so it will be holding in the middle of my (planned) tall containers. I cut a 1 ½” piece and did the same old routine: pilot hole first then follow with a wood screw. And there you go guys! One down.

5) Same steps apply for the top. Since I am using scrap pieces I had to ‘scab’ together two pieces in order to get the height for the sides. I grabbed two scab plates from Home Depot and after making the cuts, I used the plates to piece them together. You can see them in the below picture. After making the sides, I cut the bottom and screwed them together.

6) Next I cut the two shelves and screwed them into place as well. At this step I actually had my laundry soap (which is the tallest item) in the shop with me just to make sure that I would easily be able to get it in and out of the shelf. This helped determine where I would place the support bar as well.

7) I’m all about priming the wood early before spaces get too small. So next I primed.

8) I cut the support bars and stuck those guys in place.

My husband asked why I didn’t put tops on either of my pieces. I didn’t want to because it would add more weight and not any function. It would waste good wood I can use for another project. It would create something else to move around when putting something on or off the shelf. So…my answer was ‘I couldn’t think of a good why I should.’ If you don’t like the esthetics of it without the tops, then just cut you another piece and slap it on!

9) I threw some paint on both pieces and after they were dry, I took them inside to hang.

10) From Home Depot, I purchased a package of 4×4 inch right angle brackets to help support this bad mamma jamma. Since I only left an 1 ¼” on the bottom I used a vise and a hacksaw to cut two of the brackets on one side (so now it was a 1×4 inch bracket)(no I didn’t find any premade) then attached it to the unit first, then to the door next.

11) Now that the bottom was held in place, I went back to the top and at an angle, screwed in 2 ½” wood screws to secure the top of the unit to the door. Important: If you don’t drill pilot holes normally, that’s fine but when you are going in at an angle on an edge don’t skip the pilot hole!

12) Besides cutting the brackets, just repeat the mounting steps for the top and you’ll be done! After it was up, I went back through with some brown or green paint and painted the bracket to camo it into either the door or the shelving unit.

Now I just need to buy some containers so I can get it full!

As I stated in my first can rack post, I still had some wall space to build another one and this time I took pictures! This one is smaller, but the same steps apply for whatever size you need. Ok, here we go…

Here is the (still drying) can rack:

1) I took the measurements of the remaining wall space I had in my tiny laundry room. I actually had 19 inches to work with, but it turned out that I only used 14 3/4. See my goal was to put smaller cans like cream of mushroom and cream of chicken in this rack. Since I had the extra room, I went ahead and added another condiment row as well.

2) I measured and cut the back of the rack first, then cut the dividers that would create the rows out of 1/2 plywood. I gave everything a quick sand then after things were smooth, I went through and used my nail gun to stick the dividers in place. You might not be able to see the slight difference, but the far left row is larger and the two right are the smaller ones. Make sure you figure out the layout of the cans before you set your dividers, unless you are only working with one size can.

Next I wanted to cut and attach the footer. In order to get the correct depth, I measured the cans diameter and multiplied it by two. Or, you could just lay two cans side by side. : ) Either way, you want one can exposed and one can back between the dividers.

It was wedge making time! I was able to find two wedges in my scrap pile from last time, so I only needed one more. Since I have a working table saw now, it turned out to be as simple as turning the blade at a 45 degree angle and pushing a 2×4 through. I nailed them in place and called it great.

Eh, prime and paint time. So unfun. I’m thinking of having kids so I can have someone that just primes and paints things…..just kidding….

I’d also let them push the lawn mower.   ok ok no kid slaves, I got it.

So I primed and painted everything up to this point because next comes putting on the face pieces and why make life more complicated by making painting spaces smaller? While the main body was drying, I went ahead and cut the face pieces then primed those as well. Once everything seemed dry, I brought the nail gun back out and nailed them in place. Just in case you are interested in my numbers, I made the top, bottom, and middle boards 3 inches. Then the right and left end boards 1 1/2.

I almost forgot about it, but I still needed to cut a board for the footer that would stop the cans. So I cut another 2 inch piece and nailed that one in place as well. After everything was nailed together, I went back with some wood filler and filled in the tiny holes, threw some more paint on it and hung it up on the wall. Well…now I just need to fill her up! : )

Total Time: 4 hours

Total Cost: $0.51 (since I used my cull sheet plywood)

Ok guys, I’m saying this up front so there is no surprise….I forgot to take photos along the way on this build. I got so excited that it was turning out right, that I just kept going and forgot to pause to capture the steps! Sorry in advance. I shall do better in the future.

The Inspiration:

Looking at all the different designs of the can rack rotators out there, I actually liked the horizontal orientation ones better but I only had one potential spot to hang this and the spot would be best utilized by the vertical design. So forward I went.Where I found this particular picture, they did provide free PDF plans for a can rack rotator (In case you are interested, but their plans are not for this picture. So, I basically took this picture out to the shop with me, and used it as a guide.

1) I measured the wall space I had the rack planned for, and cut the back. In the photo, it looks like they use 3/4 MDF. I still had that 1/2 plywood I purchased for $0.51 a sheet, so I decided to use that.

2) Next I took some cans my family uses the most of and laid them out on the board to see which combination would allow for the most rows. It turned out that for my 28 inch wide board three condiment can rows (corn, green beans, etc.) and two soup can rows would be the best use of the space. I cut dividers making sure to leave enough room for one can to be exposed at all time there at the bottom, then glued and nailed them on the back piece.

3) Since I wanted my finish product to be painted, next I primed and painted everything before putting the face pieces on. If you wait until the end, it will just be more difficult to get all the spots.

4) While it was drying, I went ahead and started cutting the face pieces. Two horizontal and six vertical. Since I don’t have any photos of this step, here is the finish product so you can see what I’m explaining…

5) Now I cut the footers you see holding the cans. I made the bottom deep enough so a can will be fully exposed (allowing you room to grab it), and then I made the vertical footer, which stops the cans, tall enough to come half way up the tallest can which happen to be my soup cans.

6) Before adding these front pieces to the build, I sanded then primed and painted them. It is important that if you use plywood to sand these parts smooth since they might come in contact with hands. Nothing worse than splinters (in my opinion).

7) After these boards were dry, I glued then nailed them on in place and then took some time to do a big happy dance!

However, I stopped dancing when I tried it out and it didn’t work. The cans were putting so much downward weight on the bottom can that it couldn’t roll forward. The solution? I needed wedges. Something that would allow the can to roll forward onto the footer. So I stuck a 2×4 in my vise and

created five wedges that I then nailed into place. (see above photo)

8) Mounting it on the wall came next, and keeping in mind that this thing was going to be holding a bunch of weight I took out stud finder and located and marked all the studs.

9) Went back to my scrap wood and cut three horizontal boards then screwed them into place, putting two screws into each stud.

Guess I can go and grab more cans since I now have the room for them!

I plan on making another smaller one for the right side of the wall there, right above the light switch. It will hold smaller cans such as cream of mushroom or chicken.

Total Time: A weekend
Total Cost: $7 (since I used the plywood I had laying around)

**Update**
Since building this can rack, I went on to build a second soup can rack and put together a much better tutorial.

Here is the one I made. I found some 1/2 inch plywood at Home Depot for $0.51 so I used that instead of 3/4 inch. It might not be as sturdy, but it serves its function and after everything was said and done I only had $2.50 invested in materials. Woo Hoo!