Hat, Key and Sunglasses Rack From a Piece of 2x4

We made this incredibly simple hat, key and sunglasses combination rack so we could store all of those items right by the front door. It makes it easy to grab on the way out the door and it was really easy to make. All it took was some hooks and a piece of 2x4.

Make sure you watch the video, as it shows a bit more of each of the steps.

Step 1: Making the Panel

The panel is made up of ripped down pieces of 2x4. We ripped these down on the table saw at about 1.25 inches thick. Then we jointed all the edges to get them flat.

Glue-up was simple. We just lathered on some wood glue and clamped everything together firmly, making sure everything was as flat as possible in the process.

Once the panel had dried, we ran it through the thickness planer and then gave it a final sanding. We planed it down to just about 3/4 inches thick.

Then we ran it back across the table saw to true up the ends and make it square.

Step 2: Laying Out the Pieces

There were 5 pieces of hardware we decided to use for this. Two double hooks at the bottom for keys and 3 single hooks at the top for hats. The dowel in the middle is to hang glasses over (details on this in the next step). These can be marked out however, we just kind of eyeballed where we wanted them and then added in some concrete measurements so everything would be symmetrical. This was a good time to drill all of the require holes as well.

Step 3: Making the Sunglasses Holder

To make the sunglasses holder, we cut a piece of dowel to the desired length.Then, we cut rabbets on both ends that would sit atop two pieces of scrap wood left over from the 2x4. They are glued and clamped and, once dry, are brought to their final shape on the belt sander. Then we set this aside. It gets attached later on.

Step 4: Tidbits

There were a few other simple things that needed to be done. All of the hardware had to be removed from when we laid it all out and pre-drilled everything. Then we chamfered the front face of the panel.

Trying to figure out how to flush mount this on the wall was not a pretty endeavor for us. Since we lack a keyhole bit, we decided to cut out a slot with the help of a forstner bit and a chisel. The slot is slightly recessed toward the top so that the head of a screw will sit up inside of it. It actually ended up working really well.

Step 5: Addin the Sunglasses Holder

The sunglasses holder / dowel was just glued and clamped in place. Easy peazy.

Step 6: Finishing

We added a cherry stain to give it some color and a few coats of clear coat. Again, easy peazy.

Step 7: Adding All of the Hardware

Once everything was dry we reattached all of the hardware. One problem we had was the length of the screws. They stuck out the back of the panel about 1/4 inch. So we just took them off with a grinder. Not pretty, but no one will see the back.

Step 8: All Done!

That's it. It mounted flat to the wall like we intended and everything fits nicely. In retrospect, I think if we were to make it again, we would probably make it a bit longer so that the hats didn't hang down over the sunglasses. For now, however, it works just fine and has been nice to have by the front door.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY project and the video that goes along with it. If you have any questions or comments please let us know, we'd be more than happy to help you out. Thanks for checking out this Instructable.