Easy Storage Ideas

Even if you have support studs in place, we do not recommend notching out your existing studs to create shelving, as it may compromise your support structure. Measure the height of your desired shelves and mark your cut. Use the Dremel Saw-Max fit with a SM500 blade and the 2x4 cutting guide attachment to cut two pieces of 2x4 that will serve as the sides of your shelving. Place the guide near your measurement marks. Leave about a 1/8 inch between the guide and line to accommodate for the kerf of the wheel and its slight offset. Clamp the guide in place. Make your first pass, then flip the board over to complete the cut all the way through the 2x4 on your second pass.

Mark the area in which you will be placing your pipes. It is best if you only notch out an area just large enough for your pipes to fit inside, to reduce risk of the pipes spinning while in place. With your Multi-Max tool set to high speed and a Flush Cutting blade such as the MM482 blade, cut along your marked lines. Remember to let the speed of the tool do the work and do not bear down on the 2x4. Here, we hung two metal pipe shelves in our 2x4's so we cut two notches in each 2x4. Tip: Remember to measure twice and cut once. To ensure that your pipes hang evenly between the 2x4's, double check that you are making notches on same place on both pieces of 2x4.

Using a drill driver and wood screws, screw your shelf sides perpendicular to the support 2x4's you cut in step 1. The notches should be facing the 2x4 as shown here. Finally, screw in the two complete T-structures into your wall. Tip: Use a level to be sure that you are securing your 2x4's at an even height so that your pipes hang evenly.

The pipe shelves should span the distance between the edges of your 2x4's. We recommend leaving an extra 1/2" off of the end of each 2x4 to ensure your pipe will not slip through one side. While other types of pipe may work such as copper for lighter-weight storage, we used conduit for maximum support. Once you have measured and marked your cut, place the pipe in a vice and use your Saw-Max tool with an SM510 Metal Cutting Blade to complete the cut. The Saw-Max can cut through thinner conduit in a single pass. Thicker conduit may require rotating the pipe as you cut.

Set your pipe into the notched areas of the 2x4's. Now, you can hang nearly anything from the new shelves! We hung plastic crates from the pipes using S-hooks for easy storage of sports gear.

Measure the depth of your desired cubby. Here we are making our PVC cubbies the depth of our workbench we are attaching them to. You may want to cut more than one cubby. For this project, we stacked 6 pieces of pipe to create a shelf along the side of our workbench.

Secure your pipe in a vice. Using your Dremel Saw-Max fit with a SM500 wheel, cut along your marked line. If your pipe is greater than 3/4" in diameter, you will need to rotate the pipe as you cut it. To do this, release pressure on the pipe slightly so it is still secure but can be rotated. With your free hand securely holding the end of the pipe, turn the pipe towards you very slowly as you cut along the marked line.

Once you have cut all of your PVC pieces, secure them together with liquid nails. Clamp the pipes together and allow the adhesive to dry overnight. Tip: If your shelving unit is only one unit wide, which ours is, it is best to mount it somewhere as opposed to leaving it as a free-standing unit due to its rounded base. Here, we used liquid nails to attach the unit directly to the side of our workbench.