Sometimes you have to build some simple shop storage, nothing fancy, but it needs to get items organized and “out of the way.”
I recently acquired a selection of practically new battery powered DeWalt tools, and they were cluttering up the workbench and work surfaces in the shop. I did not want to just shove them anywhere, so I was looking for space in the shop where it could be stored, but accessible.
As I looked around, I saw that I had roughly 8 inches from the bottom of my workbench lower stretchers to the floor, and the area underneath was 24” deep and 64” long. I could build a small tool locker and keep the items there. Then if I needed one of them, I could just pull them out for use.
The locker would be built of ¾” thick plywood, to make it sturdy.
- Front & back pieces, 26” wide x 7” high
- Side pieces 23” long x 7” high
- Bottom piece 25-1/4” x 22-1/4”
I would need two pieces of 2’ x 4’ x ¾” plywood to do this.
I cut them to the dimensions needed on the tablesaw
I used a dado set to make ¾” wide x 3/8” deep dados on the two front & back pieces to hold the two side pieces in place. I then made a ¾” wide x 3/8” deep dado on all four pieces to hold the bottom piece in place. To protect my main fence, I used an “L” fence on the tablesaw to keep the blades away.
The assembly was fairly easy. Glue up and clamp the pieces together. I checked for square, then cut the bottom to the exact dimensions necessary. After glueing up that as well, I put in finish nails to help hold everything in position.
To keep the dust off, I used some 1/8” hardboard to make a cover of it, so it would still fit under the workbench. I now have the tools safely stored and out of the way.
I had previously built a charging area for my battery powered drill/drivers, so I just added the chargers and batteries for my new items there
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