As our boys approach Black belt we found ourselves with belts all over the place. We wanted to find a way to display them and after much looking online at various methods we decided this was something we could make ourselves. The following instructions involve power tools. As always take all proper precautions and follow all proper safety rules!
Items & tools needed:
2X4 sheet of 1/2 plywood
Wood glue
Carpenter Pencil
Square (6 or 12 inch)
Table saw or Skil saw (Miter Saw helpful but not required)
Brad nailer (air compressor is best)
Picture hangers
Round felt chair leg protectors & Elastic
Sand paper
Wood stain (Optional)
First, cut a 6 X 48″ strip off the long side of the plywood. This will be the backing for the cross pieces. A table saw makes this easy but a skilsaw will work as well.
Net you want to cut 2 inch strips out of the 18″ piece. For 1 holder you will need 11 (assuming your instructor and belt system is the same as ours). There is enough wood to cut 22 of them for 2 holders. The 2’X4′ plywood is the perfect size to make two of these with just this little scrap left over.
Here are the 2″ strips (belts are typically 1 3/4″ tall)
In a moment you are going to take you 48X6 inch backing board and cut it in half. That means 11 boards X 2″ each plus the gaps will need to adhere to a 24″ board. So I measured it all out using the pencil to hold the gaps. Carpenters pencils double as a spacer to make consistent 1/4″ gaps! I did the work for you in the pic below – it comes out to just over 25″ which means you will be just a tiny bit short but will have plenty of space to attach all 11 boards. You will see in the pics below how it works out.
Next go ahead and cut your 48″X6″ board in half to make 2 24″X6″ boards. These are your two backers. Next run a line down the middle right at 3 inches. This is so you can see where the middle of the backer is so when you attach your 2″ boards they will be centered. You can hold your pencil against your square and run your square down the board to get a straight 3″ line. See below.
Next mark each of your 2″ by 18″ boards in the middle at 9″. You are going to line up this mark with the mark that you just ran down the middle of your backer board. You will also use the pencil and a square to make sure everything is square before you attach anything. Here are the two marks lined up.
Next put glue on your backer board but don’t go too high. The first board is going to need to hang off the bottom (short) edge just a little. Remember the height of all the boards and spaces is just over 25 inches and your board is only 24. Next, we need to get it all square. So you are going to line up the make on your 2″ board with the 3″ line down the middle of the 24″ board. Use your square to make sure your first board is perpendicular with the backer board.
Go ahead and use a nailer with 3/4 inch brad nails to attach the first board making sure the 9″ mark on the 2″ board is aligned with the 3″ line down the backer board and is perpendicular via the square.
You can use a square on the right or left side up against the 2″ board to make sure each successive board lines up with the one before it.
This ensures all the boards are square and properly spaced. Put wood glue down and use the pencil as a spacer. Brad nail each one in. The top board is going to just go past the top of the backer board. That wont’ be an issue just make sure your brad nails are put in a little lower.
Last you will want to put some picture hangers on it and some felt chair pads at the bottom so it won’t scratch up your wall. You can stain it if you like. Below you will see this one (unstained) vs another I had made out of 1X4 that was cut down. Those were way too heavy (don’t recommend) but I show them below to give you an idea of how these might look stained. Sanding the edges is helpful. Use elastic to tie the belts on, one piece around each end of the 2 inch boards. I will get a picture up of this later
Let me know what you think in the comments or ask any questions you might have! Enjoy the journey! Congrats that your kids are doing something so worthwhile!
