Written by: Kyle Divine
What’s up everybody, welcome back to another DIY gym equipment tutorial. This time we’re doing bumper plate storage on the floor, also known as a toaster rack. Here’s some basic info to know first:
- The time to build is between 1 and 1.5 hours
- Difficulty is “Medium”
- It should cost around $12-15 if you already own the tools suggested.
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Video Instructions
Recommended Tools & Materials
| Materials | Link #1 | Link #2 |
| 2 – 7ft 2×4 | Home Depot | |
| Titebond III wood glue | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Early American wood stain | Home Depot | |
| 3-inch wood screws | ||
| Tools | ||
| Dewalt sliding mitre saw | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt cordless drill | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt table saw | Amazon | Home Depot |
| Dewalt 20v random orbit sander sander | Amazon | |
| Dewalt 20v Max XR Jigsaw | Amazon | |
| Rafter square | Amazon | Home Depot |
Instructions
This build was inspired by a post I saw on Reddit by the user DeweyDude. It’s a cool design and a bit different from the others I’ve seen. So I decided to make my own.
The main benefit with this one is the ability to roll the bumpers into place.
As with most of my builds, there are many different options you can go with. What I am doing in this video is a set of toaster racks, one for each side of my power rack. A simpler version would be to include all of the weights in one holder.
This is the sort of project that is made custom for the set of weights you have. I’m storing pairs 55s, 45s, 35s, 25s, 15s, and 10s. I can’t give you the exact measurements for everything, but I’ll show you how to get your own.
I am starting by cutting a 2×4 to 14 1/4 inches. This should work for most bumper plates. I’ll need 14 of these, so I set up a jig to speed this process up.
After those pieces are cut, I set everything up to determine the length of the 2×4 pieces for the front and back.
You probably want to give yourself an extra quarter-inch, or even a half-inch on this, to be safe. Once you know the length, you can cut them. I need 4 of these pieces.
The defining feature of this design is the front 2×4 and the fact that it is lying down. We’ll need to do a small cutout on the shorter 2x4s, so they fit.
I use my combination square to quickly mark my 1.5 x 3″ cut out on each 2×4
I use a jigsaw to cut the pieces out. It is challenging to cut perfectly straight lines, but as long as you’re close, it’ll be fine. It also helps to cut using a fresh blade.
The next cut we’ll be making is a 45-degree angle just above the cutout. I create another jig using a scrap piece of 2×4 clamped to my table.
Once that is done, you should have a bunch of pieces that look like this:
I use my table saw set at a 45-degree angle to bevel the edges of the longer 2×4 pieces. Alternatively, you could use a router to accomplish this.
Beveling the edges is not 100% necessary, but it does help with rolling the plates into place.
I go over everything with a sander to get rid of splinters.
When assembling, I attach the sides first, gluing before adding screws.
My recommendation for the rest of the pieces is to put the weights in place before fastening anything. Once they’re in, I add two screws to the back of each 2×4.
I flip over the rack, put the weights back in, and add a single screw to each 2×4 to secure the front side.
I repeat this process with the other rack. On this one, however, I reverse the order of the plates.
Again, I go over it with the sander.
I am using early American wood stain so it matches the power rack I’ll be building next.
After letting it dry overnight, these bad boys are ready to go.
Follow Up Questions
On Instagram, I got a couple of questions about this build. Let’s cover those real quick:
Can it be made with wheels? Yes, just make sure they’re rated to hold the weight you’ll have on the plate rack.
Adjustments to accommodate iron weight plates? This is the type of build that can be done in a thousand different ways. You would follow the steps in this tutorial while using your iron set as your spacing template.
Can the weights sit on the floor, or should there be plywood on the bottom? Again, this is about your preference. With the weights in, the toaster rack is easier to move around with plywood on the bottom. I don’t want mine moving around, so I skipped the plywood.