Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The rail between studs passes the sag check.
- The shelf front between brackets passes the sag check.
- Planned for about 100 lb: 15 lb per hook and 25 lb on the shelf, on 2 studs.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×4 pine board, 6′ (board) | $6.60 |
| 1 | 1×12 pine board, 6′ (board) | $21.60 |
| 5 | Coat hook with screws (each) | $20.00 |
| 1 | #10 × 3″ cabinet screws (into studs) (box of 50) | $10.00 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
About $72 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Rail | 1 | 36″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| B | Shelf Rip to 7 1/4″ wide. | 1 | 38″ | 7 1/4″ | 1×12 pine board |
| C | Bracket Cut to the outline: square back and top, sloped front. | 2 | 5″ | 5 3/4″ | 1×12 pine board |
Cut list
1×4 pine board, 72″ → A 36″
1×12 pine board, 72″ → B 38″ · C 5″ · C 5″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Table saw or track saw for ripping
- Stud finder
- Level
- Jigsaw
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Find the studs and plan the rail
Decide where the rail goes. Its top sits 64″ above the floor, with the shelf on top of it at 64 3/4″, so long coats clear the floor and a shelf is in easy reach.
Run a stud finder along the wall at that height and pencil a small mark at the centre of every stud. Measure from one end of where the rail will go to each mark.
Copy those measurements onto the face of the rail: those are where its screws go (2 per stud, 3/4″ from the top and bottom edges). Hooks should not land on those spots.
- Tip Stud marks are easiest to see on a strip of painter's tape stuck along the wall.
✓ The rail crosses at least 2 stud marks.
4Cut the brackets
Each bracket (C) is 5″ tall and 5 3/4″ deep. On a 1×12 offcut, draw the back (5″, along the grain) and the top (5 3/4″) at a square corner, mark 1 1/2″ across the bottom, and join that point to a point 1 3/4″ down the front with a straight sloped line.
Cut along the lines with a jigsaw, staying just outside them, then sand down to the line.
Trace the first bracket onto the wood for the others so all 2 match.
- Tip Run the grain up and down the bracket's back edge. A bracket with the grain running along the slope can snap along it.
✓ Stand the brackets side by side on the bench: they are the same height and the same slope.
5Fix the brackets and hooks to the rail
Set the brackets on the face of the rail at 1 1/2″, 33 3/4″ from the left end, tops flush with the rail top. Glue each and drive two 1 5/8″ screws from the back of the rail into it, predrilled.
Mark the hook centres at 3 5/8″, 10 13/16″, 18″, 25 3/16″, 32 3/8″ from the left end, 1 3/4″ down from the top edge. Move any mark that lands on a stud spot by an inch.
Drill small pilot holes for the hook screws and screw the hooks on.
- Tip Mount the hooks now, on the bench, where you can press down hard on the screwdriver; it is awkward once the rail is on the wall.
✓ Hooks are in a straight line: sight along them from one end.
6Hang the rail on the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall and mark every stud with a pencil. Studs are usually 16″ apart, measured center to center. Confirm one by drilling a tiny test hole where the trim will hide it: you'll feel the drill bite into wood.
Hold the piece at the height you want and draw a level line along its top with a level.
Drill pilot holes through the back or hanging rail where it crosses a stud, then drive #10 × 3″ screws into the studs: 4 in all.
- Tip Before drilling, check the wall for pipes and wires: avoid drilling directly above or below outlets and switches, and behind sinks.
✓ Every screw went into wood (they pull tight, not spin). The piece doesn't move when you pull on it firmly.
STOP. Drywall alone won't hold it. Never hang this with only drywall anchors. Keep the load under about 150 lb, and never hang it over a bed or crib.7Fix the shelf
Set the shelf (B) on the rail and brackets, back edge tight to the wall, overhanging 1″ past each end of the rail.
Drive 1 5/8″ screws down through the shelf into the top edge of the rail every 8″, and one into the top of each bracket. Predrill and countersink so the heads sit just below the surface.
Fill the screw holes, sand smooth and touch up the finish.
✓ A level on the shelf reads level both ways, and pressing on the front edge doesn't move it.
STOP. Planned for about 100 lb in all. It is a shelf for hats and baskets: don't hang from it.8Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.