I was browsing the Microbrand Watches Facebook Group this weekend and discovered this little gem from member Thomas Shimer. He assembled a tidy little watch stand using nothing but common pipe fittings and dowels. It is stupidly simple, looks cool, and has great potential for customization to fit your needs. Shimer supplied all instructions and photos for this post.
Head to your garage or hardware store and grab:
(12) 0.75″ copper elbows
(4) 0.75″ copper “T”s
(2) 7/8″ diameter dowel rods
Wood Glue
Saw
Cut the dowels down to the following lengths:
(2) 10″
(4) 6″
(1) 5.5″
(4) 4.75″
(2) 3.5″
(1) 2.5″ long
(4) 1″
Now it is time to start assembly. Start with the base fitting the 6″ and 3.5” into the four elbows (for corners) and two “T”s for center supports, into which you will fit the 2.5″ and 5″ sections. Assemble the two watch holders using the 10″, 4.75″, and 1” sections, placing the elbows as corners, the long rods at the top and the shorter rods at the bottom with the remaining “T”s in the center to accept the vertical supports.
Once it all comes together, pull the sections apart and give the dowel ends a smear of wood glue to secure them in the copper fittings. Voila! Your rack is complete.
The stand assembled from this recipe holds about 12 watches but it would not take much imagination to alter it to accept for more or fewer. You could also stain the dowels, wrap them in cloth or leather, whatever. You’ve got Lego set levels of flexibility in this basic model.
Have at it. If you decide to take the challenge and whip up your own personalized variant on this stand, post your pics to Instagram or Facebook and tag me. I’d love to see them. ⬩
