Baseball Gear Storage Display

In this tutorial, I show you how to build a Baseball Gear Storage Display.

Even if you don’t need a storage display like this, the woodworking and epoxy techniques in this DIY tutorial can be translated towards any wood project.

My oldest son received a college baseball scholarship.

The day a high school athlete signs a national letter of intent to play college sports is a BIG day. They are finally rewarded for their dedication, hard work, & sacrifice they put forth to their craft for more than half their lives.

Instead of buying my son a gift for his big day, my youngest son and I decided to make him a wall storage rack to display his baseball gear.

2 Pieces of the Hardwood of your choice. I used Cherry. 48"x6"x2" (LxWxThickness).

Epoxy Resin

Red Opaque Resin Dye

White Opaque Resin Dye

Red Glow Powder

Mixing Containers

Mixing Sticks

Mini Torch

Rubber Gloves

3/8″ Cherry Dowel

Odie's Oil Finish

Wood Glue

Silicone Fleur Des Lis Mold

Baseballs

Bat Holders

Staining Brush

Track Saw with Track

Rotary Sander

80 grit

120 grit

180 grit

220 grit

320 grit

Sanding Pad for Normal Use

Sanding Pad for High Grits

Short Leveler

Long leveler

Trim Router

1/4″ roundover bit

SIlicone Tape

3/8″ Drill Bit with Dowel Guide

Heat Gun

Drill Bit Set

Self Centering Drill Bit

Drill

Furniture Wax

First, I made a large resin mold made from a 2'x4' sheet of particle board for the DIY wood and resin river wall art.

Then, I covered the particle board with silicone tape.

As a side note, packing tape is cheaper and will do the job just fine.

Next, I covered the silicone tape with furniture wax which works as a mold release agent.

When I don't have furniture wax in my shop, I use vaseline.

I decided to use a piece of cherry wood for this project.

First, I used my tape measure to find the center of the board which was 5".

Next, I used my track saw to cut a straight line down the center of the cherry. 

I always make sure to cut a nice, straight line down the center of the wood I use for river tables. 

Ultimately, this will be the outer sides after I flip the wood around.

Then, I used my rotary sander to clean up the loose bark and dirt from the entire piece. 

The sandpaper grit doesn't matter during this step since I'm simply cleaning up the sides and edges.

After I prepared the wood, I placed it on the resin mold.

Next, I attached a board (covered in silicone tape and furniture wax) to each end. 

The board has to be slightly taller than the wood and long enough to cover the width of the river.

I used my brad nailer to secure it to each end.

Brad nails are ideal when used on end grain b/c it is easy to remove and the holes close with minimal effort.

Then, I used silicone to seal the crack between the wood and silicone tape to prevent resin from leaking. 

Also, I sealed each end.

Once the silicone was dry, I mixed 48 ounces of resin for the DIY wood and resin river wall art.

After I mixed the resin, I split the 48 ounces into 2 containers with 24 ounces in each.

Next, I slowly mixed in red opaque pigment in one container and white opaque pigment in the other container.

I added more pigment until I achieved the shade of red and white I wanted.

Then, I added red glow powder to the red pigment. 

I had 8 ounces of glow powder from a previous project and thought it would be cool to add it to the baseball storage rack.

My youngest son and I poured the red and white resin simultaneously.

He poured the white and I poured the red at the same rate in order for the resin to meet in the middle. 

It worked perfectly.

We had a little leftover white resin, so I poured it in my fleur des lis silicone mold. More on this later.

To create a resin lacing effect, I used my heat gun and moved the red resin on the white and the white resin over the red. 

The resin looks really cool when it blends together.

Next, I removed the bubbles and made sure the table was level with my leveler.

First, I cut 3 baseballs in half on my bandsaw. 

My apologies, but my camera memory card was full when I did this; therefore, I didn't capture it on film.

Next, my youngest son dropped a baseball in the center.

Then, he dropped one 5 inches from each end of the DIY wood and resin river wall art.

After the baseballs sank into the resin, I used a stir stick with a little dab of white resin to cover the writing on each baseball.

I turned off the light and shined a black light over the red resin to test the glow powder. 

It had a very nice red glow to it.

Finally, we let the baseball storage rack sit overnight.

After the first resin pour cured overnight, it was time for the second resin pour.

As a side note, I didn't want the resin to completely cover the baseball. 

I wanted a portion of the baseball to protrude the surface about 1/8".

You will see why in a later step.

First, I mixed 48 ounces of clear resin and poured 36 ounces.

I used a heat gun to remove the air bubbles.

In order to add a decorative touch to the baseball storage rack, I mixed red opaque pigment into the resin.

Next, I poured the red resin into the fleur des lis silicone mold.

Then, I used my blow torch and heat gun to remove the bubbles.

Once the resin was cured the following day, I installed the baseball bat rack holders.

I prefer to not drill resin, which is the reason I left a tiny portion of the ball protruding through the resin.

First, I drilled the top of the ball with a 1/8" drill bit the same depth as the threads on the utility hook.

Next, I slowly screwed the utility hook in the pilot hole.

First, I removed the fleur des lis casting from the silicone mold.

Next, I used a 1/16" drill bit to drill a hole through baseball hat rack holder. 

The resin is difficult to drill, so I stepped up the drill bit size by 1/8" until I got to 3/8".

The silicone tape and furniture wax made it very easy to remove the DIY wood and resin river wall art from the large resin mold.

Obviously, removing an object from a poorly constructed resin mold could be a nightmare.

To prepare the DIY wood and resin baseball storage rack for the finish coat, I trimmed each end, rounded over the edges, and sanded.

First, I sanded the back of the baseball storage rack. 

I used the 80 grit, 120 grit, 180 grit, 220 grit, and 320 grit sandpaper.

Next, I flipped the DIY wood and resin river wall art over and sanded the front the same way. 

I only sanded the wood and made sure to get as close to the resin river as possible without touching it.

I used Odie's Oil to finish the entire piece.

I decided to use baseballs connected to dowels as glove holders.

First, I used a hole punch to mark the center of the ball.

Next, I started with a 1/8" drill bit and drilled a hole 1.25" in depth.

Then, I used a 1/4" drill bit and finally a 3/8" drill bit.

The dowel I plan to use is 3/8".

In order to secure the baseballs and fleur des lis hat holders to the DIY wood and resin river wall art, I cut 6 cherry dowels with a 3/8" diameter to 3.5" long.

I decided to put the hat holder at the bottom and the glove holder at the top of the baseball storage rack.

First, I centered the fleur des lis hat holders between the baseballs.

Next, I found the center mark between the bottom piece of wood and river using my square.

Then, I put my hole punch through a piece of painters tape and placed the hole punch on the pencil mark.

I marked the location with my hole punch.

The painters tape helps prevent tear out.

My dowel jig came in handy as it helped me ensure I drill a straight hole 1" deep into the wood.

I dabbed glue around the edge of each hole and let it drip into the hole for a few minutes.

After a few minutes, I lightly tapped the dowels in place with my rubber mallet on the DIY wood and resin wall art.

I decided to mix a 4 ounce batch of resin to secure the baseballs and fleur des lis hat holders to the cherry dowels.

First, I poured resin in the baseball hole and coated the edges with a skinny stir stick.

This hardened the soft parts of the baseball.

After the resin hardened, I put a little resin in the baseball and on the dowel.

Then, I attached the baseball to the dowel. 

Also, I used a towel on top of the baseball storage rack to make certain resin did not drip on the finished surface.

To attach the fleur des lis hat holders, I dabbed a tiny bit of resin around the top of the dowel and inside edge of the hole in the fleur des lis.

Next, I gently placed the fleur des lis on the dowel until the tip of the dowel was flush with the surface of the fleur des lis.

I used a simple metal french cleat to mount the piece to the wall.

I put a piece of scrap wood on the bottom of the DIY wood and resin river wall art to ensure the bottom sat flush.

The metal french cleat comes with a level to use when mounting the pack piece to the wall.

Here is the letter I wrote to my son:

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"You have worked hard to shape and mold yourself into an outstanding baseball player.

And, more importantly, we are proud of you for your kindness, loving heart & gentle nature.

Remember, the positive effect you have on those around you through small acts of kindness, love, & generosity are the moments which live in your heart, and the hearts of others, forever.

Keep working hard to achieve your goals and find joy in your journey.

I love you, son - more than you will ever know.

-Dad"

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I hope this instructable provided you with value. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions - I'm happy to help.

Be sure to checkout my YouTube channel and my website for more DIY tutorials.