Garden Tool Storage

I had a growing pile of outdoor and garden tools.. They all sit in a corner waiting to be sorted in the hunt for "just the one i need to day", they take to falling over in a carefully choreographed order to cause the maximize damage, disorder or pain.... not to mention, once almost locking me out of the shed its self with a very well placed fallen crow bar...

Some thing had to change! - it did.. i actually had an idea and managed to put it together and it ACTUAL worked!

What I used;

• A Pile of "wanting" hand tools
• A couple of planks (i used a couple from a pallet(100 mm x 20 mm)
• A length of PVC 60 mm pipe ( this was a bit laying around the shed)
• A pile of my favorite hex head roofing screws - 60 mm( so useful for every thing!)- to fix the planks
• A pile of my favourite hex head roofing screws - 30 mm - to fix the "holders"
• Hack saw ( i used my recipo saw of cause)
• Power Drill
• Pipe vice dog
• Socket set : to fit roofing screw
• 1 x 20 mm spade drill bit
• 1 x Twist drill (sized to the shaft size of the roofing screws)
• A ratchet tie down
• A spirit level
• A file
• Ear muffs, eye protection....
• Bench vice
• Hammer

1. I took the ratchet tie down and fed the long end around behind the garage wall uprights ( between the metal cladding and the upright.)
2. Place one of the planks up in the estimated position against the uprights, fed the tie down through the ratchet, wrapping it around the face of the plank and ratcheting it up tight - so it held the board in position.(Diagram 2.)
3. The top edge of the plank represented the line at which the handle of the tool would need to be clear with out out the head striking any thing above it. With a sea kayak stored above this rack position, i experimented until i found the height that worked the best. (undoing the ratchet and doing up till i found the sweet spot)
4. Having found the best height, i drilled the roofing screw shank hole through the plank at both ends in a position to match the shed framing uprights, then a small pilot hole into each upright.
5. Then along comes my favorite roofing screws - a couple of taps with a hammer to get them started, finish off with a hex socket..
6. Release and remove the ratchet tie down ( didn't have the right clamps)
7. Placed the second plank, directly below the first, about 100 mm off the floor level, and fasten to the uprights using the same roof screws.

1. The holders are made out of lengths of the 60 mm OD pipe, cut in to 2 sections per tool position, with the ideal length of each section depending on the thickness of the tool handles you are using.(the length determines how much clearance there is for the top of the tool when the handle tip reaches the bottom of the pipe section - see Diagram 7)
2. Once you have worked out the right length for your sections, clamped each section into the vice, (recommending using a pipe dog for better grip)
3. Using the spade bit i first drilled through one side of the pipe section, then careful to not let the bit start, used its center to mark the inside wall opposite this first hole.(Image 1.)
4. Then changing to the twist bit, i drilled out the marked hole via the spade hole. (so the pipe ends up with one large hole and one small hole opposite.)
5. Taking the pipe section out of the vice i run over all the cut edges with a file to take off the rough edge.

1. Take the right size socket for the roofing screw, fit a long straight extension and then pop a roofing screw head into the socket.
2. Starting at one end, hold a pipe section vertical with the top in line with the top of the plank.
3. Pass the socket and roofing screw through the larger hole, tap the end of the extension with a hammer to get the screw started.
4. Using the socket wind the roofing screw until the pipe section is just pulled up against the plank, then back of slightly so it can still rotate freely around the roofing screw. (Image 2.)
5. Next, take the next selected tool, place a pipe section around the handle and figure out the clearance required from the first tool.(so it can hang and be removed with out clashing with the first) (Diagram 5.)
6. Repeat this process until you have all the pipe sections fitted to the top plank.
7. Then move down to the bottom board and place a bottom pipe section for each tool directly below the top, this time screwing the roofing screw in firmly so the pipe section cannot move.(Image 3.)

Self explanatory i know:-)...

1. The purpose of the rotating pipe section ... should become clear - as you pull the tool up, the pipe section can also rotate left and right on the planks as well as pitch forward towards you as the handle end comes up through the pipe section. (Diagram 6. & Diagram 7) All of this movement allows better clearance above, particularly for the long handled tools.
2. Hey presto.. i haven't needed to fight with my garden tools in that pile in the corner again.. and haven't "barred my self from getting in to the garage by conveniently fallen crowbars...(still figuring out how to hand the spade and fork though.. any idea..)

..... Why the mix of out of number sequence drawings and photos?

While i was building the rack i took all the normal instructable photos, then by the time i came to write the text, having made some storage changes on my PC, i couldn't remember where the photos where.. "oh well never mind.. i spent a pleasant evening drawing the concepts.. only to then find the photo's at the last minute before up loading the drawings.... :-) OK... ill use them both....