PEGBOARDSYSTEM 2009 August Home Publishing Co.PEGBOARD SYSTEMFEATURE PROJECTHeres a tool rack that takes a different approach to using common pegboard. You can customize it to fit your needs and your tools.1www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.ne item common to almost all workshops is a sheet or two ofpegboardandanassort-mentofwirehooksthatholdthe usual items screwdrivers, pliers, hammers, and other hand tools.FALLING HANGERS. One thing that has always bothered me about pegboard storageisthatalmosteverytimeI reach for a tool, the hook comes off with it or falls to the floor.Toavoidthis,Icameupwitha whole new system of tool racks and storageunitsthatstayputonpeg-board.Thesystemusescommon L-hooks, which are available at any hardwarestoreorhomecenter. Thesehooksarescrewedtothe back of each storage unit. (For more on this, see the box on page 4.)WASTEDSPACE.Anotherthingthat bothersmeabouttraditionalpeg-boardsystemsishowtheywaste space.Theydontseemtoholdas many tools as they should.SowhenIdesignedthisnew system,Imodifiedsomecommon tool and clamp racks to make them more efficient. And I added adjust-able shelves and drawers. CUSTOMIZE. Though this system has a lot of interesting features, the best part is how easily it can be custom-ized to fit your needs. You can add more shelves or drawers if you need them.AndwiththeL-hooks,its easy to move things around to make them more convenient.MATERIALS.Thisentirepegboard system is built with common materials found at most lumberyards or home centers.Tobuildtheframe,Iused one six-foot 2x8 and a little less than a full sheet (4x8) of 14" pegboard.Foralloftheshelves,drawers, and different storage units, I simply used pine boards, 34" plywood, and some small pieces of 14" hardboard.O2www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.ABCDSIDETOPRIBDRAWER UNIT(2 DRAWER)DRAWER UNIT(4 DRAWER)SHELFCHISEL &SCREWDRIVERRACKS1 -LONGL-HOOK#/4"SANDPAPER FILE!/4" PEGBOARDSANDPAPERDISPENSEROverall Dimensions: 36" x 72" x 6"Construction DetailsMATERIALS & HARDWAREPEGBOARD FRAMEATop/Bottom (2)1!/2 x 1!/2 - 71BSides (2) 1!/2 x 1!/2 - 36CRibs (2)1!/2 x 1!/4 - 34DPegboard (1)!/4 pgbd. - 35 x 71 DRAWER UNITEFrame Top/Bottom (2)#/4 x 6 - 24FFrame Sides (2)#/4 x 6 - 4!/4GFrame Back (1)!/4 hdbd. - 4 x 23HDrawer Sides*!/2 x 3&/16 - 5!/2ILg. Drawer Front/Back (4)!/2 x 3&/16 - 11#/16JSm. Drawer Front/Back (10)!/2 x 3&/16 - 4&/16 KLg. Drawer Bottom (2)!/4 hdbd. - 5!/4 x 10!!/16LSm. Drawer Bottom (5)!/4 hdbd. - 3!%/16 x 5!/4MLg. Drawer Divider (4)!/4 hdbd. - 2!%/16 x 5!/4 NSm. Drawer Divider (5)!/4 hdbd. - 2!%/16 x 3!%/16SHELFOShelf (1)#/4 x 6 - 24PBack (1) #/4 x 3!/4 - 23SANDPAPER DISPENSERQSides (2)!/2 x 3#/4 - 4!/4RDoor (1) !/2 x 5 - 6STop/Bottom (2)#/4 x 4!/4 - 6TBack (1)!/4 hdbd. - 4 x 5!/2CHISEL & SCREWDRIVER RACKSUChisel Rack (1)#/4 x 2!/4 - 12VScrewdriver Rack (1) #/4 x 2!/4 - 18SANDPAPER FILEWFront (1)#/4 x 6!/2 - 12#/4XBack (1) #/4 x 8 - 12#/4YSides (2)#/4 x 5!/4 - 8ZBottom (1)!/4 hdbd. - 4%/8 x 11#/4AADividers*!/4 hdbd. - 9#/4 x 11CLAMP RACKSBBTop (1)#/4 ply. - 4 x 1212CCBack (1)#/4 ply. - 314 x 1212DDSupports (2)#/4 ply. - 314 x 314C-CLAMP RACKEEBack (1)#/4 x 5 - 11FFTop (1)112 - 214 x 5GGDowels (4) 34-dia. x 414PULL SAW & SQUARE HOLDERSHHShelf (1)#/4 x 3!/2 - 8IIBack (1)#/4 x 114 - 7 (16) #8 x 1#/4" Fh Woodscrews %/32"-dia. x 1#/4"-long L-hooks* #4 x #/8" Fh Woodscrews* #6 x 1" Fh Woodscrews* #8 x 1!/2" Fh Woodscrews* 1" wire brads* Drawer pulls with label holders* 1" x 1" butt hinges w/screws* Hacksaw blade* Toilet paper holder**Quantities will depend on individual needsNo. ???Woodsmith43www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.The frame that the pegboard hangs onismadefromstandardtwo-bylumber(112"thick).Iused 14" pegboardinsteadof 18"pegboard because it will hold the heavy weight of the bins and shelves better.FRAME.Startbycuttingthetop/bottom and sides to a width of 112" and to finished lengths (Figure 1). Thenyoucancutthetworein-forcingribstofinishedwidthand rough length. Also, rip them to fin-ished thickness (114").RABBET. To join the frame, first cut a rabbet on the inside edges of the top, bottom, and sides to hold the 14" pegboard. To do this, I used a dado blade buried in an auxiliary fence on the table saw (Figure 2).NOTCH. To join the sides to the top and bottom, cut a notch on both ends ofeachside(Figure3).Cutthese notches just wide enough to accept the top and bottom pieces.DADO. After the sides are notched, the next step is to cut two dadoes in the top and bottom to hold the ribs, like you see in Figure 5.ASSEMBLY. With the dadoes cut, the frame is ready to be assembled. To do this, first drill and screw the sides tothetopandbottom(Figure4). ABAUXILIARYFENCE!/41CUT RABBET ONINSIDE FACE#12 x 1" FhWOODSCREW!/2 !/2ROUTCHAMFER ALONGFRONT EDGESOF FRAME ASSEMBLY!/8"CHAMFERBITAABCDSIDE1 x 1 x 36" !/2" !/2"TOP1 x 1 x 71" !/2" !/2"RIB1 x 1 x 34" !/2" !/4"BOTTOM1 x 1 x 71" !/2" !/2"PEGBOARDx 35" x 71" !/4"22#/41!/222!/21!/222#/4PEGBOARD FRAME1Pegboard FrameThen cut the ribs to finished length and screw them in place (Figure 5).PEGBOARD.Oncetheframeis screwed together, cut the pegboard tofitbetweentherabbets.Cutthe pegboard so the holes are about 12" from the edge (Figure 6). That way the L-hooks in the storage units wont contact the sides or ribs. And the units wont hang over the edge of the frame. It also means you can use the holes in the pegboard as screw holes.CHAMFER. Finally, rout an 18" chamfer around the outside edge (Figure 7).2536 74No. ???Woodsmith54www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.To help organize some of the hard-ware scattered throughout the shop, Idecidedtobuildfive-drawerand two-drawer storage units.The frames for both drawer units areidentical.Theonlydifferences are the size and number of drawers.FRAME. A frame consists of the top andbottom,twosides,andaback. Eachis 34"pine,exceptforthe 14" hardboard back (Figure 8).To hold the back, a rabbet runs alongthebackedgeofeachpiece (Figure 8a). Rabbets are also cut on either side of the top and bottom to hold the sides (Figure 8b).Now glue and screw the top and bottomtothesides.Thencutthe back to size and glue it in place.Next,chamferthetopand bottom.ThenscrewthreeL-hooks intothebackedgeofthetop.The box below shows how to install them so the unit hangs properly.DRAWERS. The frames are ready for the drawers. I used 12"-thick stock for all the parts, except the 14" hardboard bottoms and dividers (Figure 9).When building either size drawer, thebasicapproachisthesame. Thereareonlytwodifferences the lengths of the fronts and the backs, and the number of dividers. Tobegin,cutthesidesand fronts/backstosize(Figure9). Nowcutarabbetonthefrontand back pieces for the sides. Then cut a groove on the inside face of each piece for the bottom.Next,cut 14"-deepdadoesfor the dividers. On the larger drawers, the dadoes are cut in the fronts and the backs. On the smaller drawers, theyre cut in the sides.Now dry assemble each drawer to determine the size of the bottom and dividers(ordivider).Aftertheyre cut to size, glue and nail the drawers together. Finally, I added a pull with a slot for a label card to each drawer.Drawer UnitBACK!/4 !/2!/4DRAWERFRAMETOP/BOTTOM#/4#/8#/8SIDEa.b.89SHOP-TIP: L-HOOK SYSTEMAll of the storage units and shelvesforthispegboard system hang the same way. Theyreperfectforthis project because, unlike typ-ical metal pegboard hooks, !/8" CHAMFERALLOWS UNITTO BEINSTALLEDON PEGBOARD%/32" #/4" -DIA. x 1 -LONGL-HOOK!/4#/8itsalmostimpossiblefor them to fall out.Tousethissystem,first screw 134"-long L-hooks to thebackofeachstorage unit (drawing below left). Then, to hang the unit, tilt it in the pegboard at a 45 angle (top photo at right). Astheunitislowered, the weight of the unit pulls thehooktightagainst thebackofthepegboard (bottom photo at right). No. ???Woodsmith65www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.Weusealotofadhesive-backed sandpaper in the shop. When I real-izedthatwegothroughaboutas many rolls of it as we do toilet paper, I thought to make a sandpaper dis-penser using a toilet paper holder.Each dispenser is built with 12"-thick stock for the sides and door. ButIused 34"-thickstockforthe top because it allowed me to screw L-hooksinto it(Figure13). Becausethe top and bottom have the same sizerabbets, thebottomis also 34" thick.Before the parts can be assem-bled,severalthingshavetobe done.Firstcut 14"rabbetsinthe SHELFOVERALLDIMENSIONS:4"x 6"x 24"!/8" CHAMFERALL AROUNDTOPOPSHELFx 6" x 24" #/4"#8 x 1 FhWOODSCREW!/2"L-HOOKBACKx 3 x 23" #/4" !/4"#/4#/4220SIDE VIEW!/8" CHAMFEROPTIONAL L-HOOKSFOR HANGINGTOOLS2#/4!/8" CHAMFER1!/222QSTRTOP/BOTTOMx 3 x 6" #/4" #/4"1" x 1" BUTT HINGE.MORTISE HINGES INTO TOP!/8" CHAMFERDOORx 5" x 6" !/2"HACKSAWBLADE#/8" !/2" xRABBET SIDEx 3 x 4 !/2" #/4" !/4"!/4" !/4" xRABBETBACKHARDBOARD4" x 5!/4"!/2"14SANDPAPERDISPENSEROVERALLDIMENSIONS5" x 5" x 6"!/8"CHAMFERShelfSandpaper DispenserWhendesigningthispegboard system, I thought it would be a good idea to have a shelf for small items like glue bottles and wood filler.Thesimplestshelftobuild wouldhavebeenaboardwithtwo mountinghooksscrewedinthe back. But to add more support to the shelf, I added a back (Figure 10).Once I screwed the back in place, I realized it could be used for more than support. So I screwed L-hooks inthebacknearthebottomand usedthemforhanginghandtools (Figures 11 and 12).1011 121314 15 16top, bottom, and sides for the back Figures 13 & 14). Second, cut mor-tisesinthetopforhinges(Figure 13). Drill a finger hole in the bottom to make it easier to tear off a piece of sandpaper (Figure 14). Then cut arecessinthebottomedgeofthe door for a piece of a hacksaw blade to act as a paper cutter (Figure 15). After drilling holes for the toilet paper holder (Figure 16), assemble the dispenser with glue and nails.No. ???Woodsmith76www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.Ive always had a hard time keeping sheetsofsandpaperflat.They tend to curl up when the humidity changes. So, I made this system that keeps them flat and dry. It also lets me store them according to grit.The sandpaper file is a pine box with an open top (Figure 19). Loose dividers made of 14" hardboard, sim-ilar to folders in a file cabinet, sepa-rate different grits of sandpaper and keep them flat (Figure 21).Tobegin,cutarabbetinthe endsofthe frontandback piecesforthe sides.Thencut arabbetinthe frontandsides for the bottom.Tomakeit easiertogetthesandpaperoutof the file, I cut the sides at an angle on the band saw, then bevel-ripped the top edge of the front on the table saw to match (Figure 20).Once all the parts are glued and screwed together, install L-hooks in the back. Cut the dividers to shape withafiletab(Figure21),then label them for the grits you use.Sandpaper FileChisel/Screwdriver RackThepegboardsystemwouldntbe complete without a rack for chisels andscrewdrivers.Sincenotall screwdriversandchiselsarealike, use the ideas shown and customize them to fit your specific tools.With many tool racks, you have toliftthetooltocleartheholein therack,whichmeansyoucant putanything directlyabove it. Instead, these toolrackshave slotsinfrontof the holes, so you can pull the tools straight out.When drilling a hole for a chisel, chamfer the top edge so the ferrule cant slip out (Figures 17 and 17a). Whendrillingforascrewdriver, counterbore the hole slightly larger than the handle so it sits down into the hole (Figures 18 and 18a).V116L-HOOK!/8"CHAMFER#/4" !/4" x 2 x 18"SCREWDRIVER RACK2 21!/81!/8DRILL HOLETO FITFERRULECHAMFEREDGECUT SLOTSLIGHTLY WIDERTHAN SHANK2 21!/81!/8DRILL HOLEDEEP !/2"HOLE ISSLIGHTLYLARGERTHANDIAMETEROF HANDLECUT SLOTSLIGHTLY WIDERTHAN SHANKCROSSSECTIONBEVEL EDGE1#/4866!/2 4%/8!/8" GAP FORSAWDUSTPORTa.a.17181920 217www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.B BDRILL PRESSFENCELAY OUT SLOTS ON TOP PIECE, THEN DRILL HOLES2#/8At this point, the pegboard system isequippedwithquiteafewstor-ageoptions.Butifyouhavesome items that are still a little awkward tostore(likeclamps,saws,and squares),itseasytomakeextra racks to hold them.The rack you see here isnt shown in the main photo on page 1, but its the perfect addition to keep clamps organized and accessible.As you can see in Figure 22, the L-shaped rack is braced at each end by a triangular support. Each rack is the same size, but the slots are custom-ized for different types of clamps.All of the pieces are made from 34" plywood (although hardwood would workaswell).Iusedscrappieces that were too small for projects but too big to throw out.Imadeeachrack1212"long.But theycanbemadeanylengththat accommodates your clamps.CUT PIECES. The rst step is to cut a top,back,andtwosupportstosize for each rack, like you see in Figure 22. Before assembling the racks, add L-hooks, as shown in Figure 22a.SLOTLAYOUT.Next,layouttheslots for the clamps in each top piece. The detaildrawingsinFigure22show racks for the most common types of clamps.Note:Racksforpistol-grip clamps dont need slots. CUTSLOTS.Aftertheslotsarelaid out,youcanstartcuttingthem.I foundthebestwaytodothisisto drill a hole at the top of each slot rst (Figure 23). Then the waste can be removed using the table saw. As Fig-ure 24 shows, I attached an auxiliary fence to my miter gauge to support the workpiece and prevent the waste from kicking back.ASSEMBLY.Oncetheslotsarecut, the rack can be glued up. The top is clamped to the top edge of the back. Then the supports are added.Thisracktakescareofstoring long clamps. A rack for C-clamps is shown on the following page.B BC CSUPPORTNOTE:ALL PIECES ARE#/4" PLYWOODBARCLAMPRACKD DSUPPORT3!/4" x 3!/4"BACK3!/4" x 12!/2"#/4TOP4" x 12!/2"D D11B BI-BEAM CLAMPSTOPVIEW!/2"-DIA. HOLE2!/22#/81#/443B B#/4" PIPE CLAMPSTOPVIEW1!/8"-DIA.HOLE1&/8 1&/81!/41#/444B B%/16"-DIA.HOLEBAR CLAMPSTOPVIEW41 1 1#/42#/8 !/8" CHAMFEROPTIONAL L-HOOKSFOR HANGINGTOOLS2#/4B BTALL AUX.FENCEB BFRONT VIEWTALLAUX.FENCESLOTSCUT INTWOPASSESRAISESAWBLADETO HEIGHTOF HOLEa.b.c. d.a.Clamp Racks222324No. ???Woodsmith98www.Woodsmith.com 2009 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.Saw & Square HoldersC-Clamp RackIfyoutakeacloselookatthetool holders shown in the photos at right, youll see theyre like a combination of the shelf on page 5 and the chisel and screwdriver racks on page 6. Theyre designed to hold up to three pull saws or three squares.For the pull saws, all that needs to be done is to cut an angled slot for each saw in the front of the shelf. Then just glue the shelf to a narrow back. Again, there is plenty of room on the shelf for the L-hooks to screw into.Storing C-clamps has always been a challenge, but as I mentioned earlier, you can easily build a rack to keep themorganizedonyourpegboard system.Thesmallholderyousee here lets you slip C-clamps on or off #8 1 FWOODSCREWx h !/2"5!/22#/42!/2#/4" !/4" 4DOWELxBACK5" 11"#/4"-THICK STOCK -xTOP(5" LONG)1!/22!/4!/8" CHAMFERL-HOOKE EFFG Gapairofdowelswithouthavingto open or close the clamps. The rack consists of a base, a top, and two pairs of dowels to hold the clamps.Topreventtheclampsfrom slidingoffthe414"-longdowels,I drilled each 34"-dia. hole in the back at about an 80 angle (Figure 25a).To provide room for the L-hooks to screw into, I made the head 214" wide and 112" thick. Then I rabbeted the back to fit over the base.The holder for the squares also has slots. But as you can see, these are short kerfs cut in the ends of the shelf for the blade of the square. To keep thesquaresaligned,Icutshallow grooves centered on each slot.H HH HI II I2526a.a.