DIY Pull out pants rack

When we commissioned the joinery for our walk in robes (my personal favourite room in the house) I thought I would be able to put a pull out pants rack, I was wrong.  The length wasn't standard and my only option was an enormously expensive brand (around $250 for the mechanism) that I would still have to rejig to fit the space.
Armed with my Kreg jig and google I decided to make my own.  I am thrilled with the results, I was nervous about getting a good finish but it fits seamlessly into our walk in robes.  To find out how scroll below the pretty pictures.

I would never have attempted this project without my fabulous Kreg jig (from Carba-Tec).  With the Kreg I knew I could create the square frame the entire project is based on.  Making the square frame with the Kreg was the easy bit, the rest of the project was a bit fiddly.  Not difficult but time consuming with many trips to the local hardware store.  It cost around $70 (I had some scrap wood) but it looks like it was made with the rest of the joinery, overall it was totally worth the effort.

Measure the dimensions & cut frame pieces:  
I wanted the the front of the rack to run the entire width of the space so that you can't see the drawer mechanism.  So I made the front piece of the frame as long as the width of our space.
The back piece is shorter to allow for the width of the drawer sliders.  
The side pieces are shorter than the full depth to allow the front of the rack to sit flush with the rest of the joinery when the rack is closed.

The Japanese Z handsaw was invaluable for getting the frame perfectly to size.  It allows you to cut a sliver of wood off, a millimeter at a time.  And I find the saw action where the cut is made on the pull towards you, rather than away from you as in a traditional saw, far easier for fine work.  This was a gift from Carba-Tec, they assured me I would find it useful and it truly is.

Mark the position of the dowels:Once you have cut the pieces for the frame mark out the positions of the dowels (see center top below).  Using a straight edge I marked across both pieces of wood to make sure the dowels will line up exactly.  I allowed a gap of 8cm between the center of each dowel and it allows plenty of room for the pants to hang neatly without being crushed.

Join pieces to create the frame:

This is where the Kreg jig comes into its own.  I have bought a right angle clamp (bottom left above) which makes the process even easier as it holds the frame together on the opposite side to the one you are joining.  I am still amazed at how quickly you can put together a really solid piece of woodwork with limited skills.  This is only my second woodwork project and if I can do it so can you.  

Drill holes for dowel sticks:

Use a spade bit for these holes to make sure they are an even width and depth.

We have a dowel jig which allows you to drill straight down into the wood, very useful if you are worried about going straight like I am.  It also held the frame steady while I was working on it.

Cut dowels and put frame together:

Cut your dowels to length with the Japanese handsaw.

Putting the frame together is fiddly!  I found it easiest to loosen the top piece of the frame and then wiggle the dowels into position (very technical wood work language as you can see).  

They fit snuggly so I didn't need to glue them, although glueing one side may have made the assembly process easier.

Paint your product:

I first stained the rack but battled to get the finish even and as dark as I wanted, I was matching to black stained oak.  In the end I used a semi-gloss black spray paint and it worked really well.  I did several light coats and didn't have any drips.  It did mean that I had to create a spraying booth from several cardboard boxes (another trip to the hardware) but the finish was worth it.

Attach drawer sliders to wardrobe:

The sliders were fairly easy to install, they come with reasonably good instructions.  To summarise they come in two pieces.  One piece is attached directly to the wardrobe, the other is attached to the side of the frame.  Then it really is as simple as sliding the two parts together.

What does take a little time (and several trips to the hardware for free boxes) is getting the right screws for each piece.  Your local hardware will be able to advise you depending on the materials you are drilling into and using.

As I said before its fiddly, and it takes a while, but its worth the effort.

All photographs by Eva Burgess.  This post was not sponsored.

See the first Kreg project here.

Holiday break...

School holidays are on us again and I will be taking a break to spend time with my family.  While I am away I plan to read a book to review, the first of a new monthly post that I am planning to add in association with Random House.

And I will be getting excited about the Blogster Awards in the first week of October!!!!
I am delighted to have been nominated in the lifestyle category for this years awards, especially since the prize is a mentorship with Inside Out magazine.  You can pop along here and vote for me by clicking on the Like button.  
Inside Out may be doing a little promo on the finalists on their blog next week, I will keep you posted!

{Vignette above from my kitchen counter}

I will also be working on some long overdue diy projects, I am almost through making an amazing pull out pants rack with my amazing Kreg.  

There will be lots coming up soon, there is nothing like a break to stimulate a whole lot of fresh ideas!  

play stove diy ...my first kreg jig project

Ever dreamed of working with wood but been to scared to give it a try?  Yep me too, but not any more!  Put the Kreg pocket hole jig on your wish list and join me in a home diy wood work revolution!  If I can do it you can too!  How amazing is my first ever woodwork project (below)!!!

I have always liked the idea of woodwork but been to intimidated to try it.  The big saws frighten me, so does the need to drill perfectly straight, and I don't have the tools or skills for biscuit joins.  So when I saw my first Kreg pocket hole diy it seemed far to good to be true.  I watched more tutorials, and more, and more.  One diy project later I can confirm this little jig is as good as they say and should be your next diy tool acquisition.  I used a Kreg K4 Master System, you can buy your own one at Carba-Tec®, either online or in store.

I decided a play stove was the perfect first project, small enough to get done fairly quickly, big enough to really test the jig, and the finish doesn't have to be perfect.  I am delighted with the results, and so is Miss J.  After testing the jig on left over pieces for a while I put the stove carcass together in about an hour.  The square door frame took me about half an hour.  In fact painting and hanging the door took much longer than building the stove.  It was easy, yes easy!  There are a few finishes I would like to improve on, but I doubt you can spot them.  If you want to make one just like mine read on below.  Otherwise hop onto the Kreg website and see what else you could make.  Next up for me is a low bookshelf for the lounge, and benches for our table. perhaps a day bed for the playroom, I have big plans for my little Kreg jig.

What does the pocket drill do:
The genius of this jig is it allows you to join two pieces of wood easily and quickly, while achieving good strength and hiding your joins.  Briefly, to join pieces A and B, clamp piece A in the jig and drill pocket holes using the drill guide holes.  Line up A & B where you want to join them, put the screw in the pocket hole, and screw into place.  The drill guide & pocket make sure that drilling & screwing is perfectly straight every time.

Step 1:
Take cutting list to the hardware and get them to cut the pieces you need for your project.  I used laminated pine because it looked clean and straight and was very reasonably priced.  To get a good finish all edges must be as straight as possible, so tell the cutting person you are using a pocket hole and need a very straight finish.  My local Bunnings was very helpful when I explained what I was doing.

Step 2: 
Mark up the position of the pocket holes.  Kreg recommends the first pocket hole is 5cm from the edge, then every 15cm after that.  To make them less visible I have planned my pocket holes to be on the inside of the box sides and the bottom of the base & top.  
I found is easiest to balance the pieces together and then mark the position of the holes. 
Step 3:
Clamp pieces into the jig and drill the pocket holes where you have marked. Make sure the wood is sitting flush with the base of the jig so that the wood and holes are straight.

Step 4:  
Assemble the pieces and join with the pocket screws.  Line up two pieces as you want them joined, put the screw in the pocket hole and drill to join the two pieces.  Because the screw sits in the pocket and the driver bit is extra long the drill goes exactly where you want it too, you don't have to worry about drilling straight.  Once you feel the drill catch on the tightened screw you are done.

This is the trickiest bit as you need to hold the pieces together as straight as possible while you are tightening the screws.  Use clamps to hold the pieces stable if you have them.  It also helps to push the pieces up against a straight edge.  I found that as I drove the screw into the wood the two pieces pulled out of position just a little.  Sometimes I was able to fix this when I did the next screw, and sometimes I had to sand out the difference.  I am sure that practice will help make this better.

Does it sound easy?  Yes?  That's because it was.  An hour and a half of happy tinkering later my carcass was done!  
Once the carcass is complete simply paint, hang door, attach casters & door knobs for decoration.  
For a great demo of the how the Kreg jig works in detail have a look at this post by DIY Diva.  I was planning to show you how here but this post got to long.

It could not be easier.  Watch this space!!!  I am heading to the hardware soon for my next venture into Kreg diy territory.  Go and check them out yourself online or in store at your local Carba-Tec®

PS this post was not sponsored, all opinions are entirely my own.