How to Make a Dowel Organizer

RON HAZELTON:
Quite a collection of dowels, huh? That's because I never know what kind of project I'm going to be involved in next around here. But this has created a bit of a storage issue. So I want to come up with some kind of storage system that will take into account the different lengths and diameters of these dowels and rods and take up as little space as possible.

This is standard PVC drain pipe. I've cut it to several different lengths and I'm using three different diameters, inch and a half, three inch and four inch. The combination of all these should accommodate just about everything that I've got to store, but before I can use them, I've got to put some bottoms in them.

Using a scrap piece of PVC pipe as a template, I draw the bottoms on a piece of plywood. Then cut them out on a band saw, using a narrow blade. I could also do this using a handheld jigsaw. Next, I drill three holes through the side of each pipe section, about a half inch or so from the bottom.

Then countersink the holes so the screw heads will be flush with the outer surface. I push the plywood bottoms into the ends of the pipe, tap them flush, then put in the screws to fix them in place.

Now I arrange the PVC pipes on a plywood base and trace the outlines. When I remove the pipes, the outlines mark the location of each one. I drill a hole through the center of each circle and countersink each one on the bottom. Then I clamp the base in the vice and attach each section of pipe by driving a screw up through the base and into the bottom.

Well, there it is. Room for my entire dowel collection and space to grow. But more importantly, I'll be able to find the dowel I need when I want it.