Fishing-Rod Display Rack

Here's a great way to store and show off a set of vintage fishing rods at the same time.

Materials and Tools:

four 1-by-4-inch boards, 40 inches long
pencil
paper
jigsaw with scroll blade
220-grit sandpaper
hole-cutting saw
drill (optional)
glue
finish nails
paint or stain
wallboard
molly bolts

Steps:

1. For the handle side of the rack, draw a template on a small piece of paper in the shape of a hook large enough to hold the handle end of a fishing pole.

2. Lay the template on a 1-by-4-inch board and trace around it with a pencil. Move the template and continue the layout until you've drawn five handles on the board. Then, using a jigsaw with a scroll blade attached, cut out the shapes and finish with a light sanding with 220-grit paper.

3. Drill five corresponding holes into the board that will support the rod ends. To make the holes large enough, use a hole-cutting saw. Use the center of the board to lay out the five holes and drill them out. I found it useful to use a drill to drill halfway through the board and then flip the board over to finish the hole to prevent tear-outs.

4. With a bead of glue and finish nails, attach the boards at right angles to the 1-by-4's that will serve as wallboards.

5. Apply two coats of paint or stain.

6. To mount the unit to the wall, drill pilot holes in the handle-side wallboard and attach to the wall with self-anchoring molly bolts. Set the shortest fishing pole in position and establish where the rod-end holder should be. Attach the rod-end wallboard in the same manner.