Hyper-Organize Your Shop Champlin MN

Hyper-Organize Your Shop

A Hook-And-Slat Wall System Puts Everything At Your FingertipsBy Jock Holmen

I’ve struggled with the clutter in my small garage shop for years. Recently my neighbor remodeled his garage using a commercial wall-slat system. That gave me an idea for designing my own system. I used 1/4-in. and 3/4-in. plywood (Photo 1) to create a hook-and-slat system that organizes all my tools, hardware, shop supplies and hand tools. It’s a flexible system that allows me to make changes easily as my shop evolves. I use the same hook-and-slat system to hang things on a roll-around cart or my bench. I even devised handles that double as hooks so I can hang individual drawers on my bench to put fasteners and hardware right where I’m working. Along the way, I added some pull-out vertical dividers with slats mounted on them. See “8 Great ideas,” page 48, for all these ideas and more.

Photo 1: My entire wall system hangs on this simple hook-and-slat system. To make a hook and slat, I simply glued a piece of 1/4-in. plywood onto a strip of 3/4-in. plywood. 

It’s easy to build

This hook-and-slat system is simplicity itself. Take a strip of 3/4-in. plywood and offset another strip of 1/4-in. plywood to create a hook and its partner, the wall slat (Photo 1). You must shave a bit off the inside edge of the slat (Photo 2) so the hook can slip in and out with ease. After I attached the slats to the wall (Photo 3) I began to invent different holders and boxes for all the tools and hardware I use frequently. 

Photo 2:  Shave the inside face of the 3/4-in. plywood for each wall slat. Remove just enough material (usually less than 1/32 in.) so the hooks slide in and out without binding.

3 Great Benefits

A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place

My system puts everything in plain view and right at my fingertips. No more fumbling in drawers or cabinets. When I’m done using a tool, it goes right back on the wall, leaving my benchtop clutterfree and ready for work. This System Can Hold a Ton––Well, Almost

Trust me—this wall system is plenty strong. The slats can hold up an entire cabinet full of tools without causing you worry. Low Hanging Boxes Keep Benchtop Clear 

All the boxes, like these sandpaper organizers, can be taken off the wall and hung on the bench to bring their contents where the work is. The boxes are designed to sit below the benchtop, leaving the top unobstructed.

8 Great Ideas 

Roll-Around Cart

My roll-around cart normally lives below my bench. When I need to go mobile, it comes out of hiding, ready to be adorned with boxes and dividers that contain the tools I need for a given job. Here I’m getting the cart ready with everything I need for a glue-up.  Pull-Out Dividers

Each divider is task-oriented. This one carries adhesives, countersinks and drivers for asse...

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