Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Design and Construction => Topic started by: Subversive_plot on April 03, 2021, 18:46

Title: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Subversive_plot on April 03, 2021, 18:46
Sometimes old equipment I've made has to go, either because it's not needed, or I didn't build it right in the first place.

I had an old plant stand that I used to have for orchids indoors during the cold months. It was not sturdy enough, I replaced it with a better built one.  The old one sat in my tool storage for years, but was never a good shelf for storing much. Renovating the tool storage, it had to go, but there were lots of good materials in there, the wood was all sound!  First picture is the old stand, cut apart.

I needed a new storage rack to replace an old one, made of plastic (not very useful).  Could I re-purpose the materials and part of the structure of the plant stand, into a tool rack?  Answer, yes!  See photo 2!  I had a piece of 16 inch wide shelf board for the base. The only materials I needed to buy were some new screws and casters so that I can wheel the rack to the places I need it.

Unlike the old one, the new rack holds all my garden tools (Photo 3).  The look is a little rough, I have not yet decided if I'll re-paint it.  BTW, the canoe paddles are for when it rains really hard in the garden.

The point is, when you have to tear something down, sometimes it presents an opportunity to build something new. Before hauling the remains of an old project to the landfill, it's worth considering whether you have an immediate need that can be served by re-purposing the materials.



Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: snowdrops on April 03, 2021, 19:53
Well done, looks very sturdy
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Plot 1 Problems on April 03, 2021, 20:23
A man after my own heart, whenever possible I try to re-use old stuff!
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Aunt Sally on April 03, 2021, 22:34
That looks really useful, SP.
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Subversive_plot on April 04, 2021, 01:48
Thanks everyone.  I built the original project when I was a graduate student, in my late twenties. I'm 63 now, so although that old plant stand served a purpose, I was glad to turn it into something more useful after all this time!

I made it so that there were variably shaped slots for tools of different sizes and shapes. In the third picture, if you look at the far left on the top, there is a corner designed just for small tools, such as pruners, machete, a small saw, and so on.
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Growster... on April 04, 2021, 05:27
Love it!

I'm even down to saving any bits of wood down to around 1'0" long, and it's amazing how useful they'll turn out to be later on!

Without raining on your parade, I've spent these cold days making new racking for the GH using all the poles I didn't use for the fruit cage! It's a great way to stay awake all night, working out how to do it all...

(As an aside to your great machine, is it strong enough to hold on to when you need to get up from kneeling down and weeding? It certainly looks it)!
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Subversive_plot on April 04, 2021, 09:19
Growster, it probably would be strong enough, but I've designed it for use in the garage and driveway area. Soil would probably wreck those new casters underneath it all!

With projects like this, I do as you described with your greenhouse racks; I puzzle it out at night.  I sometines find that is also a way to fall asleep!

Feel free to post pictures of your greenhouse racks in this thread, I love seeing how others re-purpose materials.
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Growster... on April 05, 2021, 07:17
Thank you, SP, that's very kind of you!

It's still work in progress, but here's the latest layout...

The ali tube and connectors are cut down from a fruit cage we bought a couple of years ago, when we thought we needed more protection. After much 'humming and haaing', it wasn't what we wanted, and I was kicking myself for getting such great stuff and not using it for something else - hence the GH staging! The shelves are just watering trays, supported on a few timber battens, clipped (with the fruit clips) to the tube, and can be shifted around or even taken off if we need something taller to grow there...

It meant that I could rebuild the wooden staging we've had for years, and is still in good nick, hence the partially built shelves and workspace at the end, next to the water butt! The plastic shelving is only used as a temporary measure when hardening off outside etc, and at the moment, is pretty well redundant, but will be useful soon! (I hope - if it ever gets any warmer)! The toms will go along there, in pots and trays on the floor.

Last night's thoughts were to get rid of the temporary fly-away GH you can just see outside, as it's so ugly there, and the zip's busted, so maybe a new layout in its place, using the cover much lower down on these plastic shelves outside could get all that sorted...

(Just noticed that you have to lie down to see the staging - it was edited, but didn't seem to work - I'll have a look at it again!)
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Growster... on April 05, 2021, 07:25
Try this one, it's landscape, but shows most of what went on...

Sorry about that!
Title: Re: Project: Plant Stand to Tool Rack Re-build
Post by: Subversive_plot on April 06, 2021, 04:00
Try this one, it's landscape, but shows most of what went on...

Sorry about that!

In the first photo, I was wondering how you got all those plants growing sideways without all the soil falling out!  :D :lol:. Seriously, it looks like you are making good use of all those materials, adapting them as time goes on to fit the next need, constantly evolving.