Having a work stand setup at home is super handy for performing maintenance on your bike or for washing it immediately after a muddy ride. Unfortunately good work stands can be pretty expensive which puts them out of reach for many of us, but would you believe that you can create one yourself for around 20 bucks? Read on to find out how.
What We'll Cover:
- Prepping your materials
- Assembling the stand
- Attaching it to your fence
- Finishing it off with a lick of paint
What You'll Need:
- 2x 2400mm lengths of 70x35mm house framing timber
- 20x 75mm long framing screws (5mm Hex)
- 5mm Hex bit
- 5mm drill bit
- Some type of saw
- Tape measure
- Permanent marker
- Impact driver (optional)
- Spirit level (optional)
Preparation
For starters you'll need to cut your timber to the following lengths:
- 5x 480mm (cut a 45-degree angle to the end of one)
- 2x 680mm
Cut a groove on one end of the 680mm lengths for the seat rails to sit into to hold the bike steady. Make this at a 30-degree angle and around 60mm wide, and 15mm deep.
Assembly
With your timber prepped, the next step is to start screwing things together.
- Using 3 of the framing screws, attach 2 of the 480mm lengths onto one of the 680mm lengths.
- With another 3 screws, attach the remaining 680mm length to the other side to sandwich it all together.
- Next up, use 2 of the screws to attach the 480mm length with the angled end onto the bottom. This will give the stand enough support to hold a bike. It's a good idea to pre-drill the angled section to ensure that the screw goes in nice and straight.
- Using 3 screws, attach another 480mm length laid flat just above the vertical section.
- Then attach the final 480mm length on its side using another 4 screws.
Mounting the rack
Now we've got the stand assembled, it's time to mount it to a fence, a tree, a beam, or pretty much any type of solid vertical surface that's strong enough to support a bike.
Painting it is optional but it will make the stand last longer, particularly if it will be outside and exposed to the elements. An exterior house paint would be the best option but any type of paint should do the trick.
And Voila, you have yourself a work stand!
Is DIY carpentry not your scene? Grab yourself a workstand from our range HERE