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Wall Mounted Fish
Storage by Ray Carnes
Description
My
studio is too small to accommodate a floor-mounted fish storage stand, so I
designed a more space-saving device to keep the carvings safe without giving
up precious floor space. This design was easy to make, and a trip to Home
Depot only set me back about $30.00. It provides four storage racks, but
it’s easily altered to meet your needs.
Materials
Note:
All materials are ¾ inch PVC.
HINT:
Some PVC connectors have threads inside one or more openings. These things
frequently get misplaced in the wrong bins, so check each one to be sure
there are no threads – just smooth plastic so the pipe will fit into it.
3 Pipes (10 feet long).
These will be cut up into lengths that are noted in the directions. I highly
recommend using a chop saw. It pretty much guarantees accuracy, and it
certainly speeds up the process. If you do, let the blade stop completely
before raising it. If you don’t, the pipe will be chipped and the bits will
go flying. Not a good thing, so be safe.
The Frame
4 90-degree connectors
(top & bottom frame corners)
4 T connectors (top &
bottom middle frame corners)
1 Cross connector –
shaped like a “+” - (middle of the frame)
12 T connectors (holding
arm connectors)
12 12-inch pipes
6 3-inch pipes
6 5-inch pipes
The Fish Holding Arms
12 90-degree connectors
(vertical-end holding arms)
12 end caps (end of
arms)
12 9-inch pipes
(horizontal support pipes )
12 3-inch pipes
(vertical support pipes)
Other Stuff
4
Pipe holders to fasten to the wall
·
Foam
pipe insulation (as shown on the finished project)
·
PVC
primer and adhesive
·
Latex
or nitrile (blue) gloves (unless you like purple fingers)
·
Spray
paint. I’m a sloppy PVC gluer-upper, and this stuff helps.
Directions
Cutting schedule
12 @
12 inches
6 @
5 inches
12 @
9 inches
18 @
3 inches
Dry Assemble The
Base structure
The
base structure is that portion of the rack that rests on the wall.
Basically, it’s everything except the arms that will support the fish. For
now, we’re only concerned with the base, and we’ll deal with the arms later.
1.
Use sandpaper to remove any burrs on the pipe
ends.
2.
Remove any dirt, grease, etc. from the pipes.
3. Construct
the left side structure as shown. From top to bottom it has:
90-degree connector facing to the right,
3-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
5-inch pipe,
T connector - facing right,
5-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
3-inch pipe, and
90-degree connector facing to the right.
4.
Construct the left side structure as shown.
From top to bottom it has:
90-degree connector facing to the left,
3-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
5-inch pipe,
T connector facing left,
5-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
3-inch pipe, and
90-degree connector facing to the left.
5.
Construct middle structure as shown. This is
different from the left and right sides. As you can see, the center of this
structure is a cross connector that lends structural stability to the entire
base. From top to bottom it has:
T connector,
3-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
5-inch pipe,
cross connector,
5-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
12-inch pipe,
T connector for holding arm - facing out,
3-inch pipe, and
T connector.
6.
Add 6 12-inch horizontal pipes to attach the
left, center, and right structures
7.
Review the base structure, adjusting where
necessary
Glue Up The Base structure
Note: All of the joints are to be glued,
EXCEPT the out-facing T connectors in the middle structure. This
allows those four arms to swivel to best support carvings of varying sizes.
NOTE: If
you’re new to PVC, here’s how it’s done.
·
Use
sandpaper to remove any burrs on the pipe ends.
·
Remove
any dirt, grease, etc. from the pipes.
·
You
will have two small cans. One contains primer and the other contains the
adhesive. Each has a dauber attached to the inside of the cap.
·
Coat
the inside of the connector and the end of the pipe.
·
Wait a
few seconds, making sure that none of it has pooled in the connector.
·
Immediately apply the adhesive to the inside of the corrector and, using a
twisting motion.
·
Push
the pipe into it until it hits the end.
·
Make
any corrections immediately, because it sets up very quickly.
·
I
suggest that you try a couple of test joints to be sure you’re comfortable
with the process.
1.
Remove the six horizontal pipes, isolating the
left side structure, the right side structure and the middle structure.
2.
On a flat surface, begin removing and adhering
one piece at a time.
3.
Add the six horizontal pipes, one joint at a
time.
Assembling The
Supporting Arms
Note:
The twelve supporting arms do not have to be glued up. I didn’t.
Assemble each supporting arm as follows:
1.
Attach a 9-inch pipe to a 90-degree connector.
2.
Attach a 3-inch pipe to the 90-degree
connector.
3.
Attach a cap to the 3-inch pipe.
Insert The Arms
Insert
a supporting arm in each of the twelve out-facing T connectors.
Paint
If
you’re a PVC gluing klutz (just like me), and if you’re a neat-knick (just
like me), then you might want to cover all those ugly purple drips with
paint. I used Krylon Fusion For Plastic. It really does fuse to the pipes
and connectors, but you really do need to wait until the entire structure is
finished and ready to be hung on the wall. The reason is that getting paint
into the connectors or on the pipe ends will make insertion impossible.
HINT: I should have purchased two cans, but it looks okay, so I didn’t get
too obsessive about it.
Hang It On The
Wall
There
are two kinds of U-shaped wall straps for ¾-inch pipe. One is metal and the
other is plastic. I opted for the plastic, and it seems to work just fine. I
used two on the top rail and two on the middle, as shown.
Protect The Fish
I used
Frost King Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation on each of the supporting arms.
I purchased it from Home Depot, but it’s widely available. Mine came in a
four-pack totaling 12 feet of insulation. It was enough for me, but, if you
have supporting arms longer than mine, you may need more.
Because some of my fish are too short to span the supporting arms, I fitted
a piece of scrap ¼-inch plywood to fit on the three upper arms. That works
well, but it’s even better after I glued felt on one side. I helps to
protect the finish better than bare wood.
You Did It
Congratulations, now you’ve got a space-conscious, semi-attractive, and very
useful gizmo to warehouse your carvings. If you have any questions,
suggestions or corrections, please feel free to contact me at
rcarnes6@comcast.net.
Ray Carnes
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