Up-and-Away Storage
Click image to enlarge.
The perfect place to store small quantities of long,
narrow offcuts and moldings is right over your head. Build this set of overhead
storage racks either in high basement ceilings or in the open trusses in garage
shops. Use 2x6s for the vertical hangers and doubled-up 3/4-in. plywood for the
lower angled supports. Secure each 2x6 into the framing with two 5/16 x 3-in.
lag screws. Screw each hanger into the 2x6 with two offset 5/16 x 3-in. lags.
The angle on the supports keeps stuff from sliding off.
Swing-Up
Grinder
Grinder Stored
Click image to enlarge.
Grinder in Use
Click image to enlarge.
Grinders are great tools, but if your shop is cramped,
their occasional use doesn’t justify a permanent corner of your
workbench. Try hinging your grinder to keep it handy but out of the way when
not in use. A pair of 6-in. strap hinges and a 12-in. hook and eye with an
extra eyebolt are all you need to build this swing-up grinder
base.
First, bend one strap of each hinge. Hold the hinges in
place and mark the bend. Then clamp each hinge in a vise so the mark is just
above the jaws and hammer it over. Mount the grinder on a block of wood and
mortise in the hinges with a router or chisel so the block sits flat on your
bench. Add an eye bolt toward the back of the block and mount the hook and eye
under the bench top to hold the grinder in place when it’s
stored.
A Nest of Crickets
Click image to enlarge.
Click image to enlarge.
Lowboys, stools or crickets—whatever you call them,
these stands are amazingly strong and versatile. There are four separate
lengths for the tops and sides for four different-sized lowboys. You can make
all four “boys” out of one sheet of 3/4-in. plywood. The
progressively larger sizes allow them to nest for storage, making them perfect
for a cramped shop. The 16-in. height is just right for large work that might
not fit on normal sawhorses. For working around the house, that extra height
makes it easy to reach ceilings. If that’s not reason enough, when your
buddies come over to help you cogitate the finer points of your next project,
there’ll be plenty of seating.
Many of
these ideas were adapted from
American Woodworker, our companion magazine.
