FULLY CHARGED

This sliding station keeps your tools ready to go

- MIKE BERNER

How many times have you picked up a battery-powered tool, only to find that it was put away with a dead battery? I came up with this sliding panel and drawer charging station built into a tall garage cabinet that lets me store everything in one place. With tools organized and easy to access, a bin for charged batteries, and a charger at the ready, you won’t be stuck waiting for a charge.

1 FRAME AROUND SLAT WALL PANELS

Cut the slat wall to size and attach a frame around it. The poplar frame stiffens the panel and hides the raw edges. I glued and nailed the frame parts to the edge of the panel, flush with the face, starting with the top and bottom. I cut the sides to fit and fastened them the same way.

PRO TIP

The slats in the panels I bought ran the long way, so I had to put two pieces together to make the panels tall enough. The frame held the edges together, and I added an extra batten on the back to support the seam.

2 BATTEN THE BACK

Glue and nail battens about 6 in. from the top and bottom of the panels. Both the frame and the battens stiffen the panels; the battens also give you something to screw drawer slides to.

3 MARK YOUR STORY STICK

I made a mark 2 in. from the top of the story stick and lined it up with the top of my panel. I made a mark for the centerline of the slides on the spacers and the story stick, then rotated the stick and marked the locations for the cabinet spacers.

MAKE A STORY STICK TO PLACE THE SLIDES