Rolling Tool Tower

My shop is small so I need to use the space efficiently. That’s why I built the tool tower you see in the photo at right. The tower allows me to stack tools that would otherwise be stored in many other places throughout my shop.

I sized the tower so my air filter could sit on the top shelf. This way, the air filter can be quickly moved anywhere it might be needed.

The shelf just below the top is adjustable. It can be easily raised or lowered as needed to accommodate items of various sizes.

I use the middle shelf to store my planer. The height of this shelf and the open sides are positioned so I can pass stock through the planer as well as store it when not in use.

Figures 1 and 2 The tower is simple to build. First cut four pieces of MDF to size for the shelf platforms. Each shelf sits in a rabbet along the edge of a sturdy frame, like you see in Figure 1 at right. The end of each frame piece is mitered at 45° and then glued together. The shelf and framework provide stability as well as a place for securely attaching long upright supports with screws at each of the corners, as shown in Figure 1a.

Two 2x4s provide the base for the tower. I extended the base past the width of the tower for greater stability (Figure 2). You’ll want to add large casters to the ends of the base before screwing the base securely to the bottom shelf frame (Figure 2a).

After installing the adjustable shelf pins, add the shelf and the tower is ready to use.

To see other ideas for shop storage, just visit PlansNOW.

Happy 4th of July,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

Woodsmith Tips

Rolling Tool Tower