Bench Tool Storage Shelves

I saw this in Wood magazine a few months ago and it seemed like the perfect solution for my cramped shop. It’s made from maybe a half dozen 2×4’s, some pegboard, some scrap plywood and a little scrap MDF on the top. Oh, and four 4″ double locking casters from Grizzly — probably the most expensive part, but well worth it.

It’s pretty much all half-lap construction. I modified it to fit these tools, and added a little rack to hang a couple of roller stands. The pegboard is set into grooves that were cut in the centers of the 2×4’s before it was all assembled (clearly). The shelf rails are not adjustable. Well, unless I want to unscrew then and move them. You can also see here how I mounted the tools. I used a dremel tool to saw off the ends of the bolts. There is more scrap pine glued to the bottom corners to help support the wheels.

The spring clamps are on a 1/2″ MDF scrap that I notched for a couple pieces of scrap pine. I glued in the pine, and screwed them into the MDF from the back, then screwed them onto the side of the rack. A bunch of my cheap but incredibly useful clamps go on two sets of these racks. I used a dado blade to notch them out so the bars just fit. I don’t expect this to be a long-term solution because the notched pine is pretty weak.

It was really easy to build. Let me know what you think! (Click for larger images.)

2 Comments

  1. I like the idea and have a similar system my self. However I have not gone so high.

    Once your system is loaded with tools, how stable is it. It seems quite high on a small base with a lot of weight in on the upper half.

    • I don’t shove it around abruptly, but it’s also never felt like it would fall over. When I move it around, I push or pull on the short side. Going on 12 years now, and I still use it all the time.

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