REVAMP REPAIR recycle
Brush up your woodwork skills by upcycling an old broomstick handle and pallet to make this beautiful boot rack for the hallway
Add a spot of storage and a touch of rustic decoration to your hallway with this boot rack made from pallet wood. With the ingenious addition of hanging pegs cut from an old broom handle, it can be used to keep boots, hats and coats stowed neatly off the floor. Pop smaller shoes on the top shelf, along with baskets for keys, or even a couple of pot plants to bring the outdoors in.
SHOPPING LIST
Pallet wood measuring approx. 7.5 wide x 2cm deep Hammer crowbar (or second hammer) Sandpaper or electric sander Pencil Tape measure Hand saw Wood glue 45mm panel pins Broomstick handle 5-8mm drill bit Flat wood drill bit or hole saw (same diameter as the broom handle) Electric drill Outdoor paint Two 40mm corner braces or 90° brackets
1 Dismantle the pallet
using a hammer and crowbar (or a second hammer). Collect all the pallet wood safely and remove any nails by hammering their pointed ends. Sand the wood to a smooth finish. Using a pencil, tape measure and hand saw, mark out and cut three 90cm lengths. This length will dictate the total length of the boot rack – two pieces are for the top shelf and one is for the back panel.
2 Now measure and
cut four 20cm lengths for the side panels. Finally, measure and cut two 16.5cm lengths to span the depth of the rack. Now take the back panel you cut earlier: this needs to be slightly shorter than the top shelf, by the thickness of two side panels. Mark the thickness of a side panel by laying it on the end of the back panel. Repeat this on the opposite end and cut the back panel to size.
3 To create the
front chamfers, lay out one of the side panels flat. Lay another panel perpendicular to it and on its side, in line with the top. Mark its thickness with a pencil. Using a straight edge and pencil, join the top of this line with the bottom-left corner. Cut along the line. Repeat this step for the opposite side.
4 Now all the shapes
are cut, secure the pieces together with wood glue and panel pins. Start by securing a side panel (1 x 20cm length and 1 x chamfered length) with a length spanning the depth (16.5cm). Now secure these parts to the underside of the top shelf. Repeat for the other side. The remaining length is the back panel. Lay the rack vertically and place the back panel in position with glued ends inside the side panels, and hammer pins from the outside. 5 To create the
pegs, mark out 16.5mm intervals along the length of the broomstick. Cut down the lines using a hand saw. This should allow approximately 9-10 pegs. Finish by sanding one end of each peg to give them a slightly softer, rounded finish. 6 Lay the boot
rack on its back and find the vertical and horizontal centre points on the back panel. Draw a faint line along the full width through the centre points and mark out the peg locations along it with 8.5cm gaps. Drill a pilot hole for each peg, then use the flat drill bit or hole saw to widen them. Sand the holes and apply wood glue, then hammer in the pegs.
7 Sand the boot
rack until smooth, brush away any sawdust, then paint. Secure the rack to a wall using two brackets or corner braces attached to the wood that spans the rack depth.