DIY: easy and budget Thread Rack (Organiser)

How to make a thread rack? 



After searching thread rack on eBay, I found the cheapest one was $25 plus $40 postage from US. How come things can't be cheaper in Australia!? Then I think it should not be hard to DIY one. I am a complete DIY newbie. So I’ve done extensive search on how to make a thread rack.

I found a tutorial on creativelittledaisy's blog. It seems quite doable. All the materials are fine except the pegboard. I found Bunnings stocked very thin one, about 3mm thin and thicker one, about 8mm. They come in a very large sheet. I think it's quite expensive too. Plus the store person told me it's not strong enough to hold a dowel for thread spool. He recommended me using a particleboard. It's light, cheap and strong enough to hold threads on dowels. For the first time in my life I bought a particleboard. Below picture is the one I got. It's the smallest size apparently.

The particleboard as the main panel.

The shopping list

I asked the store person to cut the board half into two. So I have two 60cm x 45 cm panels. 

Next was the dowels. The store person suggested me to get a thicker one for bigger spools (like serger spools). I got a 12.5mm diameter x 90cm long dowel. I picked a wrong dowel for normal spool. When I got home, I found it requires a 6mm (1/4 inch) dowel. But I got the 8mm one. I am returning to Bunnings tomorrow to exchange it.

Then I got my drill bit for the 12.5mm dowel, glue, and paint brush. Below is the first shopping list. You can see I only spent $44, with half of the money being for the drill bit as a tool. 

First shopping list at Bunnings

Please note that I have left-over paint from my house renovation. So it's not on the list, as well as electric drill and hacksaw etc.


As of tonight, after initial preparation, I need more tools and materials:

1. Sand paper

2. A couple of 6mm dowels 
3.  edge banding around the outside

I am going back to the store tomorrow and hopefully can finish it as it'll be the Melbourne Cup Day (public holiday in Victoria).

To be continued....