Garden Tool Rack

Intro: Garden Tool Rack

This is a guide to making a cheap and simple garden tool rack. This one is for my dad's shed and keeps all the tools safely of the floor.

STEP 1: Tools and Materials

Materials:
The rack was made from the offcuts from the framework of the shed its standard studwork timber (38mmx63mm).

Tools: 
32mm spade bit
Pillar drill
Compound Mitre Saw
Sandpaper
Wood Stain or your choice of finish
Square
Centre Punch
Pencil or marking knife

STEP 2: Marking Up

My rack needed to hold 7 tools and the rack has 150mm spacings between the centres. By careful placement of the tools everything fits. See diagram for marking up. The centres were marked with a punch to aid drilling.

STEP 3: Drilling and Cutting

When drilling with a spade bit I find it best to drill 90% of the way and then flip the wood and finish the hole from the other side, this creates less breakout.

Once all the the holes were drilled the mitre saw was set to 28o and the cuts then made.

All rough edges were then sanded and a coat of stain was given ( I had some blue spare)

STEP 4: Finish Rack Mounted and Populated

The Rack was mounted simply with screw onto the frame of the shed.

Comments

[jtippitt]

What is the length from top to bottom on the timber’s?

[AlexandraD53]

I love this, but I am still a newbie. Can you clarify how I would attach it to the wall?

[KJ-san]

You can use Lag Screws, or any Construction screw larger than #8 size that can go through the rack piece & penetrate the wall stud by at least 1 1/2". This would mean the screws used above would be at least 5" long (3 1/2" rack + 1 1/2" penetration). Lag screws will need pre-drilled pilot holes or the wood will split, where Construction screws typically don't need them. If you cannot find screws that are long enough, you can drill a counterbore up to 1 1/2" deep into the rack piece.

[Nester11]

Where did you mount the screws for the most secure hold? And type of screw. I imagine a lot of weight builds up. Thanks!

[AngryRedhead]

Thank you so much for this!

This weekend my husband and I made these with a few modifications.  We already had a 2x4 mounted to the wall for mounting clothesline hooks, so we notched the boards to accommodate it which actually made for a handy rail for mounting.  Then we notched the bottom of the boards to make securing them easier.  Making 4 of them and spacing them 18" apart gave us more flexibility as far as the variety of tools we're able to hang.

Again, thank you!  We're in love with our new storage!

[guillehady]

what is the measurement in between the slots for placing the tools?

[guillehady]

what is the measurement in between the slots for placing the tools?

[BobS41]

Good idea to go with 4 uprights. What center on center spacing did you decide on for the angled slots? Thanks!

[AngryRedhead]

Roughly 2" if I understand your question and measured correctly. :P

[pcooper2]

Good ideal. In the United States, where we're still stuck in the metrology Dark Ages, wall studs are normally spaced 16 inches (406.4 mm) on center. By doing what you did, the rack will accommodate short, D-handle tools as well.

[Jayefuu]

Your spades are very American :)

[AngryRedhead]

What makes a SHOVEL American? :P

[Jayefuu]

Ours are flatter and less pointy.

[AngryRedhead]

Oh. That's weird. My favorite shovel is the one with the green head since it can move a lot of dirt, but we do have a flat shovel and a drain spade.

For what it's worth, our garden forks are made in England. :)

[pcooper2]

The technical term for what you call a "flat shovel" is most likely a "transfer shovel" — square tip, flat bottom and upturned sides. It's not meant for digging. The purpose of a transfer shovel is to move loose material, such as sand and gravel, e.g., scoop it up from a pile on the ground and put it into a wheelbarrow, etc.

[pudtiny]

In England traditionally Spade = flat blade for digging and a Shovel = deeper wider blade for moving loose material. By changing the head shape to a point instead of the wide blade you now have a digging tool that can hold a lot. The long handle is great for less strain on your back I find.

[AngryRedhead]

That makes sense because I call the flat headed ones "spades" as well but lump them all together as shovels. :P

I learned a really neat trick on "Gardening By the Yard" where you can determine how much soil a shovel can move by placing it on the ground and standing on the head. The steeper the angle, the more soil it can move. So if the handle barely leaves the ground, it's not going to move much. I tested it out on my shovels, and go figure that my favorite shovel has the steepest angle.

Just sharing because I think it's a really neat trick. :)

[pudtiny]

Great tip, thanks for sharing

[neebski]

This is great! thank you for sharing!

[pudtiny]

Nice job, glad I could inspire you