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CC BY-SA 4.0 Open source · v2.7

DIY wall tool cabinet, exposed, with lock

A cheap, super-simple wall cabinet for a garage or workshop — solid wood or plywood/MDF/OSB, pure straight cuts, tools exposed vertically and lockable. Full plans, CAD, cut list and photos below.

With a bit of pleasure in the work, this cabinet is cheap to make and uses pure square cuts — easy to assemble even with a hand saw. Keep tools safe from kids at home or coworkers at the office with the cabinet lock; tools stay exposed and ready. After a year of use my efficiency in tool-related tasks was roughly .

The "twins" trick: build two and mount them as mirrored twins — just switch the hinges to the opposite side and the doors open outward from each other, giving you a 2.4 m (≈8 ft) wide wall of exposed tools at 1 m height.

Downloads

PDF · 10 pp

Plans v2.7 (PDF)

Dimensioned drawings, front views and assembly.

↓ DOWNLOAD PDF
ZIP · DWG + PDF

CAD pack v2.7

AutoCAD DWG, parts-list image and the PDF.

↓ DOWNLOAD ZIP
ZIP · DWG 2018

v3 — one 4×8 sheet

Rework for a single 18 mm plywood sheet + cut sheet.

↓ DOWNLOAD ZIP

Specs & measurements

Cut list (v2.7)

MaterialPiece (H × W, in)Qty
Wood 1" (15/16")41.0 × 4.52
Wood 1"58.0 × 4.52
Wood 1"15.0 × 4.52
Wood 1"24.0 × 4.52
Wood 1"22.0 × 10.02
Wood 1"24.0 × ~131
Wood 3/4"59.0 × 24.0 (full panel)1
Wood 3/4"43.0 × 24.01
Wood 3/4"13.0 × 24.01

Printable cut diagram (v2.7):

Printable cut diagram v2.7

Gallery

Wall tool cabinet, exposed Cabinet close-up after a year Cabinet in use Cabinet build Cabinet build detail Cabinet build detail Build photo Build photo Build photo Build photo

Version 3 — one 4×8 ft sheet

A slightly smaller rework (about 3" shorter and 2" slimmer) so the whole thing fits a single 4×8 ft (1.22×2.44 m) sheet of 18 mm plywood/triplay/OSB/MDF. Includes a DWG 2018 and a nesting cut sheet.

v3 render 1 v3 render 2 v3 nesting cut sheet

After a year of use

Assembled with basic tools — one unit was built by a third-party carpenter from El Tablón, Chikindzonot, Yucatán, done well and quickly, the next day. Over a hundred related builds later it kept working great, including moving a lot of tools ready to use and locked.

Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Likely the first open-source exposed wall tool cabinet with lock (v2.7) on the internet. Use it, modify it, share alike.

Rescued from the original clonick.com page. Images and files will be re-hosted locally in the migration; external hotlinks removed.