DIY Thread Holder

With my new venture into embroidering, I've acquired many, many more supplies, including lots of large cones of embroidery thread.  For a few months, said thread cones sat on the floor all jumbled in the box they shipped in.  Not the most organized way to store thread.  After searching the world wide web, I found several places that sold thread holders that could stand on a table or be mounted on the wall.  Since table space is scarce {that's what happens when you live in a one bedroom 900 square foot apartment}, I decided a wall mount unit was the solution.  But the PRICE? No thanks.  The smallest units {which were also for small cones} started at $15.99.  The type of unit I needed for my large cones were priced around $50.00 or more!  My solution: Home Depot + a bit of drilling, sanding, screwing and painting = A fabulous wall mount thread holder for less than $13!

The End Product:

A {very} Basic Tutorial:

Materials:
3/4"x1.5" strips of wood cut to size at Home Depot {grab a couple 8 foot strips and cut as follows}
- 7 pieces cut to 18" long {these form the "rungs"}
- 2 pieces cut to 30" long {these form the sides}
3 wooden dowels {they come in a variety of widths- I used 1/4" dowels that were 48" long} cut into 4.8" pieces
- Either have your hardware store cut these for you, or be prepared with a small trim saw and lots of patience
Wood screws {I used #6 1.25" screws)
Drill and drill bits
Screwdriver {I recommend a power screwdriver}
220 grit sandpaper
Gorilla glue
Spray Paint
Picture hangers of your choice

 Drilling holes in the "rungs" for the dowels to be inserted.  Do NOT drill all the way through the strip, rather tape off your drill bit as a marker for you to know when to stop before you punch through the backside.  Be sure to use a drill bit in the size of your dowels.  I made 7 holes per rung about 2.5" apart, and 1.5" from the sides.

If you didn't have your dowels pre-cut, start cutting dowels into equal lengths.  Mine ended up about 4.75".  Sand any rough edges.

 Using a drop of gorilla glue in the hole, insert the dowels, and tap down with a hammer to make sure they're secure.  Remember, gorilla glue GROWS as it dries, a drop is all you need!

Here's where it gets tricky.  Once your "rungs" are complete, they need to be attached to the sides with both screws and glue.  The glue will hold the rungs at an angle.  First, drill starter holes all the way through the two sides pieces, about every 4.5".  Also drill start holes into the center of each edge of your rungs using a bit that is slightly smaller than your screws.  Dab some gorilla glue on each edge of the rung, and then screw the sides in.  Once your screws are tight, angle the rung out so you can easily put the thread cones on and off.  Let each rung dry slightly before you move to the next so you don't accidentally mess up the angles.

A close up of the sides.  Note: I do not recommend doing this project indoors, as I did for the most part.  Nor do I recommend leaving your project on the carpet after gluing.  You may find yourself with a FLOOR-mounted thread holder.  :-)

Once everything is dry, lightly sand any rough edges and go to town with your spray paint.  I used white to blend with my walls.  Finally, attach picture hangers to the back of the unit, and hang! 

Easy peasy right?  

Total time: About 3 hours
Total cost: $12.87
Difficulty Level: Intermediate