My most used group of braces has been stored in a pile on a shelf:
Bracing Situation.jpg
This structure was one of my first projects using a dovetailed drawer. It was made many years ago. It was used for shelving around my computer and its components. It has been repurposed as a shop shelf for over a decade.
The first step of this project was cutting hollows for the brace handles and in the case of the corner brace to hold the chuck.
The Layout.jpg
The lumber came from a pallet. This piece has been hanging around my shop since the 1990s. The wood was set across a pair of saw horses to get an idea of what the spacing should be. 3" centers works well.
The hollows for the braces were bored to 1-1/4". The chuck on the corner brace needed 1-3/8". This was done on a drill press with Forstner bits. A fence was used for uniform positioning.
Here is a tip for using a Forstner bit on a drill press when drilling less than a full circle. Set your belts to the highest speed and use a fence.
Part of the planning for this included determining where to place the rack. After fiddling around by hand using a tape measure a couple pieces of scrap were cut to 7-1/2" and used to test the concept:
Checking the Plan.jpg
Next a couple pieces of scrap were placed under the temporary rails to see how raising it a little would do. Turns out 7-1/2" was the right placement for the needed clearance:
Finished Rack.jpg
Here is a detail of the holders made for the Corner Brace and the Millers Falls #2 egg beater drill:
Detal of Holders for Corner Brace & Millers Falls #2.jpg
This actually made it possible to store a few more items on the shelf. It is unlikely a 4" or 16" brace is going to find its way into my shop, but the layout has room for them if they do show up.
The rack is held by two 2" #10 screws at each end.
jtk
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Originally Posted by James Pallas
