Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The board under a notch passes the sag check.
- The stand holds the front wheel in two slots. Roll the bike straight in and out; don't lean on the bike or twist the handlebars while the wheel is in a slot, or the rim can bend.
- Slots are 2 1/2″ wide for hybrid and gravel tires up to 2″ (50 mm). Measure your widest tire at its fattest point; the slot should be 1/4″–1/2″ wider.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2×8 lumber, 10′ (board) | $12.00 |
| 1 | 2×4 stud, 8′ (board) | $4.80 |
| 1 | 3″ exterior screws (box of 75) | $12.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | Rubber bumper pads, 1/2″ (pack of 16) | $5.00 |
About $39 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Slotted board 4 notches 2 1/2″ wide × 5″ deep, 14″ apart. | 2 | 54″ | 7 1/4″ | 2×8 lumber |
| B | Cross piece | 5 | 11″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
Cut list
2×8 lumber, 120″ → A 54″ · A 54″
2×4 stud, 96″ → B 11″ · B 11″ · B 11″ · B 11″ · B 11″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Jigsaw (or handsaw and chisel)
- Rasp or coarse sandpaper
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Mark the slots on both boards at once
Choose two straight 2×8s without big knots near the middle. Cut both slotted boards (A) to 54″ and clamp them together edge to edge, ends flush, best edges up.
Mark the slot centres from the left end: 6″, 20″, 34″, 48″. Square a line across both boards at each.
At each centre, mark 1 1/4″ to each side: that's a slot 2 1/2″ wide. Square those lines down both faces 5″ deep and connect them across the bottom.
- Tip Mark an X in the waste between each pair of lines, so you cut on the right side of them.
✓ Every slot is exactly 2 1/2″ wide and the slots on the two boards line up perfectly when the boards are clamped together.
4Cut the notches
Drill a 1/2″ hole inside each bottom corner of every notch, touching both lines. The holes let the jigsaw blade turn the corner and leave a rounded inside corner that won't split.
Cut down each side line with a jigsaw (or a handsaw) to the hole, staying on the waste side so the slot isn't too wide. Then cut across the bottom from hole to hole, 5″ down from the edge.
Clean up the bottom of each notch with a rasp or a chisel so it's flat.
Round the top corners of every slot with sandpaper or a rasp, about 1/4″, so tires slide in without catching.
- Tip Cutting both boards while still clamped together keeps the slots aligned, if your saw reaches through both.
✓ A tire (or a scrap of 2× wood ripped to the tire's width) slides into every slot to the bottom without forcing.
STOP. Clamp the boards down before cutting, keep both hands on the saw, and let the blade stop before lifting it out of a cut.5Join the boards with cross pieces
Stand the boards on edge, slots up, 14″ apart outside to outside, slots facing each other in line.
Set the cross pieces (B) on edge between them, flat on the floor: one flush with each end and one midway between each pair of slots, at 0″, 12 1/4″, 26 1/4″, 40 1/4″, 52 1/2″ from the left end.
Glue the ends and drive 2 screws, 3″, through each board into each cross piece. Predrill to stop the ends splitting.
✓ Measure the diagonals of the base: equal within 1/8″. Sight through each pair of slots: you can see straight through both.
6Pad it and test with a bike
Turn the stand over and stick a rubber bumper under each end of every cross piece, so it doesn't slide or scratch the floor.
Sand all edges, then paint or seal it (garage floors are damp).
Roll a bike straight in, front wheel first, until the wheel drops into both slots. Let go: the bike stands upright on its own, leaning a little.
- Tip If the front wheel turns sideways in the slots, the slots are too wide: glue a strip of rubber or felt to one side of each.
✓ Each bike stands by itself and comes out with a straight pull. Nothing rubs the brake rotor or spokes.
7Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.