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One of things I most appreciate about the designers at ShopNotes Magazine is that their shop benches, cabinets, and tool racks are as attractive and well-designed as any furniture project you may be building in the shop. This wall-mounted tool rack is no exception, another in a long line of ShopNotes fixtures I wish I had in my shop. (Actually, several of them are in my shop.)
It’s considered a weekend project, and I suppose it is if you’ve got a shop full of tools and know how to use them. I expect I’d take a couple weekends to build it–why rush the fun? You can get a look at this and the other projects and techniques in the latest issue, ShopNotes No. 104, on the website. Check out the subscription offer while you’re there, and get yourself a free preview issue.

Workbench Magazine has been doing some interesting things with plywood, paint and stain–creating beautiful furniture that’s well-made, fun to build, and surprisingly in expensive. The current issue, Number 311, is no exception with a couple terrific cabinets for living rooms, family rooms, or where ever you display your favorite books and curios or watch wide-screen TV. But they also focus on storage, and I especially liked the roll-around garage storage cart in this issue. It’s a clever, multi-sided cart that has loads of storage space in a compact footprint. They call it a garage storage cart, but I can see this in use anywhere you need lots of storage, but don’t have much space.

You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tip sent to your email address each week! Go to WoodworkingTips.com and sign up today.

Here’s last week’s tip from ShopNotes online editor Phil Huber:

I never seem to have enough storage space in my shop. This is especially the case when it comes to screws, fasteners, and other odds and ends. Things I need close at hand, but don’t use every day.

So, to store these and other small items, I built a pull-out storage case, like you see in the photo at right. The case is large enough to hold a couple of small plastic storage cabinets with lots of drawers (the kind you find at hardware stores and home centers). I also added a few shelves to store other items.

Since I wanted to be able to move the case, I placed it on wheels (see drawing at right). A handle attached to the side lets me simply pull it out to get to the items and then push it back out of the way again.

The case fit nicely against the wall next to my workbench. It worked so well that I built a couple more cases and rolled them next to one another. Now I have lots of storage in a space that would have gone to waste.

Good woodworking,
Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

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