Invisible Workstation

by Homemade Modern

Feb 05, 2016

Not everyone lives in the suburbs and has a garage for doing DIY projects and storing power tools. For those of us who don’t want city living to slow down our creativity and desire to build, we created this "invisible" workstation that can transform a wall into an efficient, DIY storage cabinet and work table. It is made from strips of plywood and has a chalkboard finish that makes it look more like a modern piece of furniture than a place to store power tools. <a href="http://eff5c75290b0e498bfcc-cdb2fd2cc8e016557784fa363a2704b5.r93.cf1.rackcdn.com/pdf/RyobiFoldUpStation.pdf" target=_blank>Click here to download Homemade Modern's project plans for this How-To!</a>

• Project Information

  • Difficulty:	Easy
    Categories:	Workshop, Other

• Tools Used

  • 10 IN. SLIDING COMPOUND MITER SAW WITH LASER
  • PHONE WORKS™ STUD FINDER
  • AIR GRIP COMPACT LASER LEVEL
  • 18V ONE+™ 6 1/2 IN. CIRCULAR SAW
  • 18V ONE+™ COMPACT DRILL/DRIVER KIT
  • 18V ONE+™ 5 IN. RANDOM ORBIT SANDER

• Materials Used

  • 1 4’ X 8’ SHEET OF ¾ IN. THICK PLYWOOD
  • 1 ¼ “ SCREWS
  • WOOD GLUE
  • CHALKBOARD PAINT
  • L-BRACKETS
  • HINGES
  • CORD OR CHAIN
  • 3 FLOOR FLANGES
  • 2” PIPE
  • 1” PIPE
  • 90 DEGREE ELBOW
  • 9" PIPE
  • 36” PIPE
  • T-FITTING

Project Steps

1. Step: 1

   Rip cut 5.5” wide strips of plywood with a circular saw. Clamp a straight edge to a full sheet of plywood and cut strips of 4 strips plywood 8 feet long. Cut 5 of these strips 8 feet long. A table saw makes it easier to make precise cuts but a circular saw works fine as well.

2. Step: 2

   Make your cross cuts. Use a miter saw to cross cut the strips of plywood to the lengths shown in the diagram. Cross Cut list: 3’-10” x 2 3” x 55 2” x 10 8.75” x 3 3’ x 1

3. Step: 3

   Assemble the frame. The frame for this station is made by stacking and screwing the pieces of plywood together. Use 1 ¼” screws to screw the layers of plywood together.

4. Step: 4

   Sand the shelves. The shelf pieces of plywood need to be sanded down about 1/16” so that the slide in the notches of the frame.

5. Step: 5

   Cut the door. Measure the size of the frame and then cut a 2 pieces of plywood to use as a door.

6. Step: 6

   Glue and screw the 2 door pieces together. We want the door to be a double thick piece of plywood so glue and screw the 2 layers together.

7. Step: 7

   Paint the door. I painted the front face of the door with chalkboard paint.

8. Step: 8

   Install the door and hardware. Use hinges to attach the door to the frame and use a piece of cord to stop the door at a horizontal open position. Drill holes in the top of the frame and in the door to tie the cord. A chain will also work.

9. Step: 9

   Customize the shelves. You can customize the shelves for different tools and accessories.