Piano Key Coat Rack

These are piano key style coat racks where the "keys" are the hooks that are about 6" x 1.5" x 24". One rack is made with Maple and Purple Heart, and the other is made with Maple and Padauk using cutoffs from my cheese slicer project.

For this project, my goal was to minimize the use of new material and to try to only use existing cutoffs. To ensure I could build the project with the material I had, I first created a CAD assembly in SolidWorks which I also used to create drawings that became my plans for this project. I was unsure whether my design would work, and I created a sample proof of concept using plywood. After milling the lumber and cutting it to dimensions, I set up a stop block at 6" to cut all the pieces to length. For the hooks, I cut a 15° angle using a quick jig I built using scrap plywood that I brad nailed together. Similarly, to drill the holes for the axle, I created a quick jig for the drill press to ensure consistency across all the pieces. However, even with these jigs, there were still variations in the hole placement and in the angle cut for the hooks.

Magnets are embedded into each hook and a magnetic strip is embedded in the back to hold the hooks in place when folded. All the pieces are glues and brad nailed to a backer piece of plywood that I edge banded with a Maple strip. The coat racks were finished with one coat of Tried and True finish.