How to Make a Closet Pants Rack

Pants can be a pain to hang. They're heavy, bulky and don't always fit the hangers. If you have numerous pairs, you can't just stuff them in a drawer unless it's gigantic. And even if you do cram them into a dresser, they next time you pull them out they're crumpled. There's a better way to store pants using a sturdy dowel rod assembly that holds up to 12 pairs.

1 piece hardwood, 1 1/4-by-3-by-26 inches
3/4-inch Forstner drill bit
Drill press
120-grit sandpaper
Wood glue
12 dowels, 3/4-by-18 inches
Hammer
Stud finder
Drill/driver
3/16-inch drill bit
3-inch screws

Instructions

- 1
  Place the 1- 1/4-by-3-by-26 inch piece of hardwood on a flat surface. Measure and make marks every 2 inches, centered along the length of the hardwood.
- 2
  Install a 3/4-inch Forstner drill bit into a drill press. Set the depth gauge on the drill press so that it stops 1/4-inch above the drill press table.
- 3
  Drill holes into the hardwood at each mark. The holes should measure 1-inch deep.
- 4
  Sand the hardwood and each of the 3/4-by-18-inch dowels smooth with 120-grit sandpaper. Round and blunt all the corners and edges.
- 5
  Apply a small amount of glue to all of the holes. Put one 3/4-by-18-inch dowel into each hole, tapping them in with a hammer if the fit is tight. Allow the glue to dry for at least an hour.
- 6
  Run a stud finder along the wall in the desired location for the pants rack and locate two studs. Transfer the stud locations to the rack and mark them. Drill two 3/16-inch holes centered through the rack at the marks with a a drill/driver.
- 7
  Center the rack on the wall, aligning the holes in the rack with the studs. Insert 3-inch screws into the holes. Drive the screws in tight to secure the rack to the wall. Drape pants over the dowels.

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