I recently posted about the Bora Portamate lumber rack, and a reader asked a fair question – why not build a DIY solution out of wood instead?
For me, it comes down to why do I DIY?
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(Shown above and in the front-page image is Ben V’s workspace, featuring his DIY modular tool cabinet setup. You can read more about his workshop projects here.)
There’s no hard rule as to when I might go the DIY approach and when I might buy a commercially available product. I still design and build a lot of projects, and I have more planned for the next couple of months.
While I have seen wall-mounted lumber racks made out of 2x4s and plywood, and they seem to suit their owners just fine, I personally would not go down that path right now.
Thinking back, most of my DIY projects were usually inspired by two primary motivations – either I needed a custom solution, or I was looking to save money.
For example, I once needed a specialized jig for drilling very precise and repeatable holes in metal. I bought some aluminum bar stock, a fresh hacksaw blade, some steel dowel pins, and drill bushings. It took some time and elbow grease, but I saved money vs. buying the commercially-available drilling jig.
Today, I might just buy the ready-made jig unless I needed the design customized to a slightly different need.
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Rather than buy a rolling tool cabinet, I made a mobile platform out of 2x4s and MDF, and my tool chest and two intermediate chests sat right on top of it just fine.
Time and money are both precious, and I would ideally prefer to save both whenever I can. However, these days I tend to go the DIY route when I need a more custom solution, and I go the store-bought route if it allows me to save a lot of time on an immediate need.
Coming up with my own solution to every problem, need, or want can be time-consuming. Most of these projects might involve a design process, a shopping stage where I research and order the necessary tools, parts, and supplies, and then I have to build the project. If I find something went wrong with the design, some back and forth is involved.
I thoroughly enjoy working through this process for certain projects. But for others, that time could be better spent.
If I need more parts bins, I order them, rather than build functional equivalents out of plywood. If I need to drill a perfectly perpendicular hole into the side of a wood workbench, I buy a drill attachment, rather than making my own. If I need a wood chisel, I buy a good quality brand, rather than having to put time and elbow grease into flattening and sharpening cheaper and lower quality offerings.
For something like a wall-mounted lumber rack, I see that as a prime candidate for the “buy it and be done with it” approach, at least given my current priorities.
I have a very long list of projects I’m waiting on, including a number of workshop and office storage projects. I can add a little bit more to my list, but there’s a limit.
Would the project bring me joy?
Are my needs unmet by store-bought options?
Can I save a lot of time or money going in one direction over the other?
So, that’s why I would go with a store-bought lumber rack if it aligned with my needs. A lumber cart, on the other hand – that’s something I am likely to build myself, as a DIY solution will better fit my needs than any of the commercially available products I’ve seen.
This is really no different than other aspects of life. I might eventually get a good meat grinder for making meatballs, burgers, tacos, and chili. But in the meantime, the ground meat I can get from the butcher or grocery store fits my needs.
Where Do You Stand?
DIY vs. store-bought can be a polarizing topic at times.
When do you design and fabricate your own solutions, and when might you buy something despite the DIY approach also being possible?
As mentioned, I tend to lean towards DIY when one-size-fits-most solutions don’t quite suit my needs, and I lean towards store-bought when it might save me a combination of time and effort. Sometimes I’ll go one direction over the other if it will save me a lot of money.
I’m also curious – are there any DIY projects or fabrications you’d like to see ToolGuyd dive into?
TimL
For me it depends a lot on if I have the correct tools and supplies already. I would always prefer to make my own, but money seems to be the issue for me.
In the lumber rack situation, I know I have a pile of 2×4 scraps around to make something easily. But the location and permanency comes into question.
I love DIY, but I tend to keep accumulating new parts for every project rather than using what I have. Maybe more of a “too many irons in the fire” type of problem…lol
Leonard
I design and build stuff all the time. I’m an industrial designer so it’s part of my DNA.
But I’m at the age where I look to buy first. If I can’t find what I want or my concept can’t be adapted to what’s out there, I build.
The old adage, time is money. Also plays into it. If I can buy so I can do things I enjoy quicker then I’ll buy.
Buying a lumber rack fits in that category. Buying will get that project done quicker. Clear some floor space and get you moving down the road.
Bob
I will second the previous comment. I’ll buy if I can get exactly what I want and it’s not too much money and I’ll build it if I need something custom or can’t justify the commercially available product.
Lately I’ve been looking at industrial storage solutions. Think pallet racking, canterleavered racks, etc. Can be bought on the used market for pennies on the dollar. Brand new this stuff is ridiculously expensive. If you have the space this stuff can’t be beat. Makes sense, inventory management is big business.
Frank D
Very simple:
If the product is (very) expensive > look at simpler and or DIY options
If the product is not the right size > look at DIY options
If the product is something I cannot reasonably build myself or find the materials i expensively for > look at retail options.
If the time to design and build is too high > look at retail options
And I also have to remind myself to: KISS.
I 100% would love to do certain projects and builds, but time is limited and the WAF is not there in terms of both time and cost of materials.
Plus for some hobbies and professions that are very narrow in scope; it is a lot easier to trick out a high end single car two car equivalent work space; than it is to mix up everything from computers, electronics, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, roofing, automotive, painting, masonry, drywall, landscaping, pool, … Things like that make it impossible to go high end. A high spec designed space requires a deep wallet, and pretty much single maybe dual function. So DIY generalists have to pick their battles.
Michael
I’m an Architect. I design all day. The limit is if there’s an off the shelf solution that fits the bill and I don’t have the tools to make it. I did have a handmade wood racks prior to buying a Bora rack. I had the scraps to make it, but ultimately the Bora product was slimmer and thus allowed me to store more. If I had metal fabrication tools, it’d be another set of calculus. A system that can move a bit more on the fly compared to the Bora stuff would be nice.
fred
As others have alluded to the calculus of buy versus make has many facets.
In my situation (retired) – I look at the value of my time a bit differently – and recent events (COVID) have actually freed up much more of it to make things versus doing things like travelling. With many things – making it yourself can be way more expensive than buying – but can have the advantages of using better materials, employing unique designs, customizing fit and function. If making provides some additional pleasure then that too is a plus.
For me I like to make reproduction furniture – these days mostly as gifts. I could afford to buy the real deal antiques and gift them away (might have to pay some gift tax) – but the pleasure of making far exceeds the effort involved. I also like to think that some of my pieces will passed down in the family as part of my legacy.
The thought that someone might say “that chair (chest or table) was made by your great grandfather or great uncle etc. has some appeal. While I have no aspirations or delusions that my furniture is up to the design/construction standards of the greats – I like to think that it will be serviceable for many years to come and it is certainly better than some of the veneer over flakeboard stuff sold in furniture stores or Ikea.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are many items that we use where making is just not an option – beyond perhaps building from a kit. Making your own car or TV from parts come to mind.
Wayne R.
I’m good at “component level” creation & assembly, and enjoy doing it. Not so much from raw materials, but it’s the puzzle of identifying a need, figuring out what’ll address it, then executing.
A solution type that’s not usually considered, I think, are kits. The recent query about first aid kits is a good example, of sorting through options and having a result that’s solid toward the goal. Few in their right minds would DIY bandaids, but creating the combination of items can be satisfying. And while buying a pre-assembled first aid kit might fill a gap, it’ll likely leave as many as it fills.
Vaso
A short comment on first aid kits:
There was an article in one of the DIY magazines a few years ago in which a physician pointed out that a garage/workshop first aid kit suitable for DIY accidents was very different from the first aid kits usually sold. Even OSHA/ANSI-approved First Aid Kits are insufficient. So, I followed his advice and kit list and put together my own cabinet & contents with not too much effort.
This might be the article:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2007/07/17/woodworkers-first-aid
This might be the checklist:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/FWNPDFfree/Fine_Woodworking_First_Aid_Pinup.pdf
Jared
You’ve identified the leading factors: saving money and making something custom.
I DIY a lot. Too much sometimes – meaning I often struggle to find enough time to complete all my projects. It can be really worthwhile, or a gigantic time sink.
I can think of projects that turned out better than anything I could get commercially, and others where I eventually gave up and paid for a retail product.
I made a stand for all my precision screwdrivers recently. It was simple but works great. It holds them on an angle so I can see the tops of the handles to ID the screwdriver I need, it holds everything despite the disparate brands, the holes are sized for the drivers that belong there so everything is secure yet easily removed, it holds the screwdrivers vertically and so doesn’t take up much space for the capacity.
I spent considerable time looking for a commercial version, but couldn’t find anything I liked.
On the other hand, the clutch perch assembly on my dirt bike was bent and the bearing inside destroyed. I spent at least a couple hours carefully bending it back, cleaning all the pieces, making a new bushing, filing and sanding everything until it moved freely, etc. And when I was done, I still didn’t like it. So I spent the $30 for a whole new version and discovered it worked better than my original ever had.
That was dumb and I should have resisted the impulse to make and adapt the parts myself. Yet I still think I could get it working properly with just a little more time…
Jim Felt
“Would the project bring me joy?”
Stuart! Marie Kondo would be so pleased by your quote above. And frankly I like the idea I just have no sense of balance regards the day parts I’ve available to work within.
AKA too many priorities. Dang. ;-)~
Bill
In paragraph six, I think “came had” was intended to be “can have”.
Stuart
Thank you! *fixed*
Sorry about that, I think the errant word was mistakenly left over from a heavy edit.
PETE
So I DIY’d my latest project. Took me a little over a year but i’m in love with the results.
To buy it would have cost me 2x as much and i wouldn’t have gotten exactly what we were looking for. But in the end, building my own house was a blast and I wouldn’t have it any other way
Peter Fox
It’s really simple.
If I can buy the part or assembly or thing for a reasonable price and it will meet my need than I buy.
If what I want is either not made or too expensive and I can make my own version cheaper or better than I make it myself.
I have a well equipped and stocked basement machine/fabrication shop and can make just about anything I want. However just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Other than tool boxes and plastic organizer cased my shop organization is a custom built out of common lumber and sheet good. It may not be bespoke and pretty but it is inexpensive, functional, and built to perfectly fit in the available space.
SpainUser
Two simple approaches… how much (value) there is to a product vs cost of the build, time to really need a product, ie. It’s stopping another project or job from getting done. If either of those “$” & “time” is impacted, then I DIY. A good example is the Festool STM, you make a simpler design under $200 vs the crazy money Festool is asking for this, once in a while use table… since I always break down my sheets according to the cut list when I get then to the shop, and I never buy sheets in excesses to the project, then I only need it once in a while… so the value will never present itself to even consider a buy. Besides, I’m a DIY-first mentality…. 🙂
Kent_Skinner
I generally make it myself. I have the tools (for almost every job) and lots of skills. If I don’t have the skills, I like to learn new things anyway.
I’m building a house and shop at the moment. I contracted out the engineering & blueprints, concrete, framing, insulation and drywall. I installed the radiant heat tubing before the concrete was poured, rough electric, rough plumbing, wood ceiling, wood floors, I’ll build the cabinets – but have the granite tops fabbed and installed.
However, I bought the wood rack. Mostly because I’m working really hard to keep the woodshop organized, and don’t want to take the time to build something like that and it was cheaper than buying the materials.
UPS arrives later today, and I’ll take 30 minute to put it on the wall and clean a ton of lumber off the floor.
JoeM
I kinda wanna hug you for posting this, Stuart.
I know it’s deeply complex, and intricate, this concept of “Do It Yourself” culture… But plain and simple… I love making things myself. Everything that I buy, and get to assemble myself, brings me joy. The problems I solve using store-bought solutions are often the result of the intended product not fitting what is needed, so I have taken it upon myself to do massive modifications of my own to improve total functionality, as well as satisfy the need.
My line between Buy or Do It Yourself is extremely blurry. To the point that I will buy some things specifically for them to be the base unit for what I will eventually make out of them. An industrial metal shelf still serves a project really well for the sturdiness of the uprights, and their angle braces, but I sometimes choose something else for the shelving. Or I’ve deliberately bought aluminum tube for the sole purpose of replacing a weak axle on a cart. I really should come with a warning label that says “Has a Liberal Interpretation of Given Specs.” When we bought a Bundle Buggy (Shopping Cart, Whatever.) the specs said it could carry a max of ~140lbs… Enter my twisted mind, and that aluminum tubing, reinforced the two axles on the wheels so as to resist bending, and now the cart can handle ~210lbs. Urban grocery shopping (when we did that pre-Covid) was made much easier after that.
Flip that over to the “Repairs” side of DIY… My rule is… if I have the skills to fix it… I’m fixing it. For this, I am much loathed among my family. I render prototypes and try to get them to use them, and almost always they come back with “Why can’t you just buy a new one?” …Because that’s a waste, and we throw away so much these days that it makes me crazy to think one little mod would solve everything. I will always, Always make at least one attempt to repair the problem, rather than replacing it. The exception is when we just need more of something. Another Lamp doesn’t bother me much, if we need it. If one breaks, then I am well into repairs before that replacement is thought of.
If I had room for lumber supplies… I would have a hybrid answer for you. I would buy something, yes… but chances are really, really good that what I bought will not be used in the original fashion it was designed for, I will have done something else, and used the bought item as an integral feature to that solution. Best of both worlds! Sadly, both sides of my family look at this practice like I’m some sort of magician, and so do several of my friends. They hold up their store-bought off-the-shelf solutions in their lives, and try to convince me it’s “Better This Way”… Meanwhile, I’ve got mine running longer, doing more, and often with some sort of stylish container for it to be used in the field, identifying it as mine.
I am all for the Right to Repair movement, and I drastically resist the move toward a disposable lifestyle. I have working hands, tools, and eyes, and tons of skills. I will find a way to do nearly everything myself, purely for the joy of it. It makes me happy to do things that others pay for. I thoroughly encourage others to do more themselves as well.
Plus… I have a lot of kids who call me “Uncle Joe” due to my association with their parents… Passing on what I know by making things, and showing them how I did it, is great fun, as well as revenge on their parents for constantly bugging me for help in repairing things. Suddenly their 4-8 year old kid can rewire the house? Improvise tools MacGyver Style? Start answering Jeopardy Questions like they’ve been through University already? Oh yeah… bring it on… I get a true joy out of freaking the parents out! DIYer ‘Till it Kills Me!
frampton
I love DIY projects, but they usually end up being more expensive than off-the-shelf solutions. I end up buying a new tool or much more material than I actually need. But, in the end, I get exactly what I want and I realize a sense of accomplishment.
Martin
The one personal criteria I would add to what has already been discussed is: Can I learn anything from it?
In blacksmithing I am firm believer you should know how to make almost all of your own tools. I first learned to make tongs, chisels, hammers, etc. I mostly buy them now, so I can spend my shop time on more rewarding projects, but knowing how to make them makes me a better judge of the quality of what I purchase, and the skills learned in making them is transferable.
JoeM
Is there an “Amen, Brother!” Emoji? I think I need one for this comment.
I have, and continue to try, to DIY projects for the sole purpose of teaching myself how it’s done. It’s an excellent practice for keeping up, and re-engaging your skills as a Maker/Tradesperson/Craftsperson/Skilled Individual/Etc.
There’s Book-Learning, and that’s thoroughly enjoyable as well, but getting your hands engaged in regular practice is the pinnacle of what we do as Tool Users. When we Do what We Do, We are truly at our best!
Koko The Talking Ape
Excellent comments here. I can’t add much but a few examples that illustrate their points.
For an bookshelf to fit between a radiator and a wall, I built it. All the commercial solutions, even the very flexible ones, wouldn’t have fit.
For a knock-down stand for an electronic piano, all the commercial ones didn’t allow enough knee room, and a few were wobbly, so I built one.
For a fold-down worktable to fit into a corner, I bought some expensive steel hardware for the legs, because I realized I couldn’t make something so complicated and sturdy, at least not without learning metal fabrication. (So really, the engineering problem was beyond my skills, especially the materials I could work.)
For bookshelves to fill two walls of my apartment, I bought IKEA. I realized I couldn’t buy the raw lumber for as cheap as the IVAR system. I did add adjustable feet and screw extensions at the top so they could wedge against the ceiling for safety, instead of setting anchors in the fragile plaster wall. They left some space unused, because of the fixed shelf lengths, but it was worth it for the speed and cost.
I tell ya, IKEA must have killed a lot of DIY projects, because they’re just too darn cheap.
JoeM
Just on that last sentence, I think I have to disagree. Maybe you’ll interpret it as an agreement, and I’m cool with that too.
There have been several times when something from IKEA has been used as the basis for something entirely unexpected. I once turned an IKEA-bought Fouton, that my Father had bought, into a Coffee Table. He was gifted a new couch at the time, and instead of throwing the entire fouton out, I reclaimed the side arms, frame braces, and the rail boards from the frame. I cut, glued, and compressed it all down, so that the braces were a top and bottom shelf, the rails were mounted to the arms (just shorter) and what used to form the arms and sides, were just the sides of the coffee table. And that’s only one time I did such a thing.
Sometimes IKEA is a little bit of a gateway to DIY construction. You can take their standardized parts, and reconfigure them into things they were never meant to be. Though, I would agree that the mass public don’t necessarily DIY projects this way. In that sense, I do certainly agree that there aren’t as many DIYers as there once were, pre-IKEA.
Koko The Talking Ape
I take it as a kind of disagreement, but you’re right! I didn’t think of it that way. I sanded and stained those IVAR shelves, and attached hardware. I’m thinking of more drastic modifications to make countertops, a utility sink cabinet, etc. Certainly those are DIY projects. IVAR is good for that because it’s mostly bare, solid wood.
On the other hand, I bought a bed from them for about the cost of materials for a DIY bed. It came prefinished with “foil” and there’s not a thing I can do with it. The particleboard or whatever you call it is so full of voids that I fear it won’t hold a screw other than in the specific places they designated for it. That’s efficient design, of course.
So it varies. Some of their products are like tinkertoys that you can use any way you like. Others are not. And sometimes without good reason. There’s another shelving system that could be much more versatile if they just drilled more holes in the uprights. But I guess the just wanted to save that fraction of a penny in fabrication costs.
Stuart
There’s a whole world of “Ikea hacking.”
https://www.ikeahackers.net/
Plain grainy
Some factors that i consider; Plastic is lighter than wood, Lumber is at an all time high price point, Most purchased products aren’t usually overbuilt, just enough strength there to barely get the job done, I suppose if you resold something a few years down the road, a purchased steel cabinet will return much more than a DIY wood built on most occasions.
Plain grainy
And for some of us, every DIY project can be considered a learning experience. Daily use gives us constant feedback of what we could have done better. Left with things we can put in our back pocket for future projects. No learning experience with purchased products.
Nate B
I ask myself: “Would I pay for lessons in this?”
If so, I’ll go the DIY route, probably spend more money on tools and more time on learning about it, but ultimately I will have learned something. And now I own more tools.
But if I’m not curious enough to shell out money for knowledge, then I shouldn’t shell out time either. Pay an expert, get it done.
Koko The Talking Ape
Reading these comments, it occurs to me that the purchase-vs-DIY decision is itself a design decision, but instead of a finished product, the desired outcomes are things like saved time or money, pleasure in building, etc., besides the simple utility of the thing itself.
Nathan S
I think I’d add energy to the time and money equation. Often, my DIY stuff falls into leisure time, so the “time is money” adage generally holds less weight for me. However, I find that motivation is lacking when I’m exhausted, and it can often be easier at this stage in life to just buy and assemble, from the energy perspective.