Nice rack!

So this week I've been concentrating on building myself a set of shaping racks. After checking out the price of the shaping racks from foamez.com, I decided that it was way too much to spend for something I could easily build for under $30. A few days ago I swung by the hardware store and spent $9 on a bunch of 2x4s, and tonight i tossed in a couple bucks for some wood screws and a few L-brackets.

Meanwhile, the geek in me insisted on drawing up some plans on the computer...


For some reason, I figured that having plans laid out in advance would help avoid errors and problems. Hmm, silly me. For starters, my diagram assumes that a 2x4, actually measures 2 inches by 4 inches. However, thanks to a co-worker, I learned that a 2x4 isn't what you might think. According to him, a 2x4 is actually thinner than indicated by the name. Its more like 1.5" x 4". Go figure. This information certainly would've helped when buying the wood and drawing up my plans. However, with screws, "2x4"s, a handsaw, and an electric drill in hand, I refused to let a minor miscalculation stop me and plowed ahead down into the subway station en route to the shaping room.

On the subway, I decided that I would just throw the whole diagram out the window and wing it. I remembered that the landlady had left behind some scrap wood that I might be able to use to make up for my mistake. Sure enough, after some digging, I found what I needed (I hope she doesn't notice a few missing scraps). After lots of sawing and a big blister at the base of my pinky, here's what I came up with...




The next day, I screwed the whole thing together like so...

After some more sawing and drilling, a sore back (did all my work hunched over on the floor), and another blister, I'm happy to report that I am now the proud owner of a brand new (slightly crooked and uneven) set of shaping racks (except I still need to buy some buckets and concrete to anchor these babies, but the hard part is over now)...



You might also notice that the landlady finally cleared out her junk today (compare to pic in my previous post). For shits 'n giggles, I decided to put the racks in place and fantasize that my shaping bay was complete...




With all this space, I actually think that I might be able to set up a second pair of racks for another shaping station. I wonder if anyone would be willing to split the rent? Hmm...

kc