Bucket Loads of Storage

I have a relatively small shop - 12' x 24'. Since I do a lot of turning - from large salad bowls to pens, bottle stoppers and night-lights - I keep a large stock of small parts and pieces. (Actually, I'm a bit of wood junkie and can't throw stuff away.)  I also have an old yellow cat that helps spread wood chips around the house.

I needed a storage solution that was portable enough to keep outside the shop and compact enough that it wouldn't take up the entire [unfinished] basement. For years, I've converted cat litter pails into small part storage bins. But they were often in the way on the floor.

At first I tried just bolting pails to the wall - but then they weren't portable. Then, recalling how I had attached a shelf to the wall above my daughter's desk, I employed the same hangers for my storage bins.

Cut 8" x 48" strips of 3/16" hardboard (plywood would work also) and 3/4" x 48" strips of red oak 3" wide. Then, cut a 45-degree bevel on one side of the oak strips. Glue these to the hardboard as shown in photo 1. (Note: no screws or nails since more cutting comes later!) Making this long section ensures uniform spacing of the beveled edges.

The 48" long glue-up was then cut into 7-3/4" lengths and a section glued/screwed to the bottom of each pail, (Photo 2), using a 1" wood screw and a fender washer (Photo 3).

Next, cut 1" x 3" x 44" and 1-1/2" x 3" x 44" hardwood strips to attach to the wall studs. I simply attached the top 1" strip to the wall, hung a couple empty pails, and attached the 1-1/2" strip at the appropriate distance below.  Here's a detail of how the pails hang (Photo 4).

Note: by using a thicker lower strip, the pail has a slight up-hill cant so things won't slide out. The extra thickness in the top wall strip allows the top pail hanger to fully seat on the wall strip before it contacts the wall (Photo 5).

To remove a pail, simply lift it straight up about 1-1/2", and it pulls away from the wall rack.  The lids keep out dust and are handy for labeling contents (Photo 6).

A. J. Moses is a registered Member of the WWGOA.

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