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 base tray passes the sag check.
- Holes are 2 1/2″: they take round handles up to about 1 3/4″. D-grip shovels go handle down, blade in the tray.
- Long tools lean and load the rack high. Fill it from the middle out, and put the heaviest tools (spades, mattocks) in the back row.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2×4 stud, 12′ (board) | $14.40 |
| 4 | 1×4 pine board, 8′ (board) | $35.20 |
| 1 | 23/32″ sheathing plywood (CDX), 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $42.00 |
| 2 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $18.00 |
| 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 $132 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Base | 1 | 79″ | 16″ | 23/32″ sheathing plywood (CDX) |
| B | Runner Paint or seal it before assembly: it sits on the concrete. | 2 | 79″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| C | Tray lip, long | 2 | 80 1/2″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| D | Tray lip, short | 2 | 16″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| E | Post | 4 | 25 1/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| F | Holder board 24 holes, 2 1/2″ hole saw. | 1 | 79″ | 16″ | 23/32″ sheathing plywood (CDX) |
| G | Side rail, long | 2 | 79″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| H | Side rail, short | 2 | 13″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
Cut list
23/32″ sheathing plywood (CDX), sheet 1 of 1
2 × 2×4 stud, 144″ → B 79″ · E 25 1/8″ · E 25 1/8″ each
2 × 1×4 pine board, 96″ → C 80 1/2″ · H 13″ each
2 × 1×4 pine board, 96″ → G 79″ · D 16″ each
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 23/32″ sheathing plywood (CDX): rip into strips 16″, 16″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- 2 1/2″ hole saw with arbor
- 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. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
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.3Build the base tray
Lay the two runners (B) flat on the floor, 15 1/2″ apart outside to outside. Set the base (A) on them, ends flush, and drive 1 5/8″ screws down into each runner every 8″. The runners keep the plywood off damp concrete.
Glue the short lips (D) to the ends of the base, bottoms flush with the bottom of the base, so they stand 2 13/16″ above it. Then the long lips (C) along the front and back, running past the short ones at the corners.
Predrill and drive 1 5/8″ screws through the lips into the plywood edges every 6″, and 2 at each corner through the long lip into the end of the short one.
- Tip Drill a few 1/2″ drain holes through the base so rain off a wet shovel doesn't pool in the tray.
✓ The tray sits flat on the floor without rocking, and the lips are tight at every corner.
4Drill the holder board
On the holder board (F), draw two lines along its length: 4 13/16″ and 11 3/16″ from the back edge.
Mark the hole centres on the lines: 5″, 11″, 17″, 23″, 29″, 35″, 41″, 47″, 53″, 59″, 65″, 71″ from the left end, and on the second line 8″, 14″, 20″, 26″, 32″, 38″, 44″, 50″, 56″, 62″, 68″, 74″, staggered between the first so the handles don't crowd.
Clamp the board to a bench with a scrap underneath. With a 2 1/2″ hole saw, drill until the pilot bit pokes through, then flip the board and finish from the other side. Holes cut from both sides have no torn edges.
Sand the inside of every hole and round its edges so handles don't catch.
✓ 24 clean holes, none closer than 1″ to an edge, and a tool handle drops through each one.
STOP. A hole saw grabs hard when it jams. Use the drill's side handle, hold it with both hands, run it at low speed, and clear the dust often.5Stand the posts
Stand a post (E) in each corner of the tray, inside the lips, its wide face against the end lip. Predrill and drive 2 screws, 3″, up through the base (between the runners if you can reach, or at an angle from inside the tray) into each post.
Then drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, through the end lip into each post.
- Tip Clamp each post to the lip while you drive the screws; it keeps it from twisting.
✓ Hold a level against two faces of each post: plumb.
6Add the holder board and side rails
Set the holder board on the posts, flush with their outside faces, and drive 2 screws, 3″, down through it into the top of each post.
Screw the long side rails (G) across the front and back of the posts, 13 1/2″ up from the floor: 2 screws, 1 5/8″, into each post. Then the short rails (H) across the ends.
The rails stop the rack leaning and keep handles from swinging out at the bottom.
✓ Push the top corner sideways and front to back: the rack stays square and doesn't wobble.
7Pad it and load it
Stick a rubber bumper under each end of each runner so the rack doesn't slide on the floor.
Seal or paint all of it, inside the tray too: tools come in wet.
Load tools from the middle out, heads in the tray and handles up through the holes.
✓ Loaded, the rack sits flat and a tool lifts out without the rack tipping toward you.
8Finish
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.