If You Cannot Buy the Rack You Want, Build It.

[loadclear]

I tried to find a wall rack that would hold what I wanted, and couldn't find anything close that was available. The closest I found was on SPC, but they were not in stock.

I hemmed and hawed over what materials to use, and finally decided on rustic looking wood from Home Depot. In hindsight, I would use better dimensional wood, and finish it myself. To say that this wood was "dimensionally variable" is a gross understatement. It was very difficult to make it come out even close to square, and have even joints. All in all, I'm happy though. All said and done, it was about $80 in materials and perhaps 6 hours of labor. I don't have a proper wood shop, and it was built mostly with hand tools.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Looks to be a proper build to me! :clap:

 

[derekflint]

Nice rack !!

 

[weedsnager]

Very nice!

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Well done :clap:

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Nice pipe rack/shelf. Looks great! I like the rustic look.

 

[nevadablue]

Did he say 'nice rack'? 8O
It is nice, good job!

 

[npod]

Very nice! :clap:
The journey to find a proper home for your pipes is never ending.

 

[alan73]

Yes! Nice rack. I love the home made solutions to the rack issue. A nice rack costs a lot , and the sluts are all the same . If you have non traditional pipe shapes they don’t fit into the old school racks.

 

[luigi]

Nice work, loadclear. Love the board at the bottom shelf.

 

[loadclear]

Thanks for the compliments... I actually stole the keyhole design from the rack I saw on SPC. Fits all the shapes I have to include a Churchwarden. It's a 48 pipe rack, I have several to add Most of them currently are a 10 pipe grab bag of MM seconds... awesome deal BTW.

 

[mikethompson]

A nice rack costs a lot , and the sluts are all the same

lol Alan? :P
That's a very nice looking display case for your pipes with the added bonus of the shelf for your jars.

 

[paulfg]

@loadclear

Can I ask for more details on the keyhole pipe slots.How large are they and how did you make them?,also what is the distance between each one.

I to have been looking for a pipe rack/cupboard and ended up buying a ready made wall cupboard that I will try to convert.

 

[loadclear]

The large holes are 1 3/8", and the small holes are 7/8". The overall length of the slots are 2 7/8" including the holes. I don't have the spacing distance in front of me, since I'm at work, but each 24" shelf has 12 keyholes, and they are evenly spaced.
I laid out the 1 3/8" centers and the 7/8" centers, and drilled them using forster bits, after first covering the whole board in masking tape (to protect against chipping). Once both holes were drilled, I used a jigsaw to cut the slot.
Here is the original design that I stole from SPC:
https://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/pipe-furniture/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=58917

 

[paulfg]

@loadclear
many thanks for that information

 

[derfatdutchman]

Very nice looking rack. I like how you incorporated the tobacco jar storage area.

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

I was going to start a thread about finding reasonable and simple pipe racks to purchase. I have looked and looked and they either are not what I am looking for or and in most cases just to damned expensive. After seeing your rack I think I am going to have to try to build one as well. Thanks for the information.

 

[pianopuffer]

Well done!

 

[mso489]

loadclear, welcome aboard. That's a handsome rack and much credit goes to you for working without a woodworking set-up. I've done some projects that way, and it was satisfying knowing the adaptations that needed to be made. There's a little Robinson Crusoe in working that way. The rack looks great, holds a lot, with a nice shelf for tobacco, efficient and practical, and good looking too. There used to be an outfit called Two Cousins that did racks and cabinets to order. They cost more than doing it yourself, of course, but they did a good job and weren't greedy with prices. My wife was in rehab for hip surgery at the time, and I sure didn't have time to build anything, so she gave me a gift certificate for my birthday. I requested a worn barn-wood (weathered red) look. They built it and sent a picture, and a second picture of a more conventional rack, in case I didn't like the worn barn-wood version, but I loved it. When I chose it, they heartily agreed. When it arrived, I loaded the pipes on it and drove the whole kit to the rehab and set it up at bedside. Unfortunately, I think Two Cousins has gone out of business; I'm not sure of their status, but people have gone looking and not found them online.