How to Make a Flip-Down Wall-Mounted Coat Rack
Updated: Aug. 25, 2020
Time An hour or less
ComplexityBeginner
Cost$20-50
Introduction
This project is one that you can personalize to your own taste and will be a useful piece in your home. We had some fun and used ebiara (red zebra wood) but if you have some 7-in. wide pieces in your scrap bin, you can build this project for less than $10. The only difficult part of this project is cutting the angles into the pivoting parts. We used a hand saw and a homemade miter box, but a powered miter saw or a plastic, store bought miter box works great.Tools Required
- Drill press
- Hand saw
- Miter saw
- Nail gun
- Table saw
Materials Required
- 1" x 7" board
- 1/4" dowel
- Keyhole hangers
Cutting List
Project Plans
Project step-by-step (6)
Cut parts to width
Mark a 2-in. line on the board. Align the mark with the kerf in your crosscut sled and clamp a stop for consistent cuts. Alternate making 2” pieces and 1” pieces without moving the stop block by adding a 1” spacer between the stop block and the board for every other cut. Make the cuts and alternate placing a 1-in. spacer in between the stop and board to make pivoting parts.
Learn how to make a simple crosscut sled from the Family Handyman archives.
Make and line up a drilling jig
Cut a piece of plywood approximately the size of the drill press table. Using glue and brad nails, fasten two scrap pieces to the plywood to form a 90-degree angle. Using a 1/4” drill bit, set the depth to bore a hole through the material, but not the jig. Center a mark 1-3/4 in. from the bottom edge of one part. Holding the marked part in the jig, align the point of the drill bit with the mark. Clamp the jig into place.
Drill the holes
Clamp the parts into the jig and drill 1/4-in. diameter holes through the parts.
Make a miter box and cut the angles into the pivoting parts
Cut a 45-degree angle and 60-degree angle from a scrap board with a miter saw. Glue the three parts to a scrap piece of plywood with the blade of a handsaw in between as a spacer. Once the glue has dried, hold the pivoting parts against the scrap board and cut the different angles into the edges of the parts.
Sand and assemble the rack
Using 220-grit sandpaper, sand the sharp corners of the parts and rough edges around the holes. String the parts onto the dowel, alternating the wide and pivoting parts. Apply the finish of your choice.
Attach the keyhole hangers
Trace around keyhole hangers placed on the top and bottom of the 2” wide parts on either end. Use a 5/8-in. Forstner bit to drill 1/8-in. deep holes to recess the hanger then drill a 3/8-in. deep hole with the same bit in between the other holes for screw clearance. Chisel out the waste. Fasten the keyhole hangers into the recesses.
Keyhole hangers are great to have in your workshop for future projects. Buy some from Amazon.
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