Every year we compile the DIY tool storage builds our readers have shared – the builds that solved real problems, used creative materials, or achieved something we hadn’t seen before. This year’s roundup is 20 builds spanning beginner to advanced, cheap to considered. Every one of them teaches something.
Best beginner build: The pipe clamp rack (Aaron) – Two 2×4 rails mounted to wall studs, with pairs of 1-1/2-inch holes drilled every 4 inches through both rails. Pipe clamp pipes slide through the holes; the clamp body hangs below the bottom rail. The system holds 30 pipe clamps, sorted by pipe length, in a 6-foot section of wall. Cost: two 2x4s and a Forstner bit. Build time: 45 minutes. Readers have submitted this one more than any other in recent memory, which is the right kind of validation.
Best intermediate build: The flip-top tool stand (Carmen) – A rolling stand with a 3/4-inch plywood top that pivots on a central axis. One side holds a benchtop drill press; the other side holds a benchtop belt/disk sander. Flip the top and you switch between machines in 5 seconds. Both machines stay permanently mounted; only the orientation changes. Cost: about $80 in plywood and hardware. The pivot mechanism is the clever bit – two heavy-duty hinges on the centerline of the top, with a locking mechanism that locks the deployed tool flat and level.
Best advanced build: The plane till with humidity control (Marcus) – A wall-mounted till for 12 hand planes, built from quarter-sawn white oak, with a removable back panel that hides a small ultrasonic humidifier. The humidifier maintains 45-50% relative humidity in the till microenvironment, preventing rust on the plane irons and bed surfaces. Cost: about $300. The humidity control is overkill by most standards. By Marcus’s standards, it’s the minimum acceptable. Share your best tool storage build of the year below.