Grill Tool Rack Made From Scrap Materials

In case you missed the point in the post about my Weber Performer, I love grilling. There is something about fire and vegetables and meat and cooking that is peaceful and relaxing. The perfect burger sizzling away, corn on the cob roasting, slices of grilled pineapple warming over the flames... I'll have to finish this post later. I'm getting really hungry.

I'm back.




I have the inevitable problem with needing to flip or turn something on the grill and realizing that I need to hunt down my grill tools. You see, I have always had a problem with having more grill tools than space for storing them, which means that looking for the right grill tool takes time that may lessen the perfection of my food. As I have thought about a way to rectify this, I came up with a grill tool rack using nothing but scraps from my garage (an old board, some copper pipe scraps, and paint) and inexpensive shower hooks from the home improvement store.

Total cost - $10

Bent hook (left) to fit more snugly on the copper pipe

Time - 1 to 2 hours
Skill level - beginner



I started by cutting a six inch wide board to 36 inches, my desired length. I gave it a little character by cutting zigzags in the ends and sanded the board and edges. I drilled holes the size of the pipe (1/2") where the pipe would attach to the board, and then painted the board with watered down milk paint, a powdered paint that I really enjoy using to give wood a painted/stained look. I knew that I wanted to use copper pipe scraps to tie this in to the bird netting around my garden, so I next measured the length of pipe to use across the board. To secure the perpendicular pieces I cut the pipe into strips using metal snips, spread out the strips, flattened them with a hammer, and adhered the pieces with a couple of drops of glue.

Copper bent and glued on the back of the board

Before gluing the cross piece on, I ran the shower hooks across the pipe. I used some pliers to make the hooks smaller around the copper pipe. I then ran them across the horizontal pipe and glued the elbows to both pieces (glue is preferred for this project over sweating the pipes so that the seams are clean looking, just like I am after my weekly shower...).


Finally, to finish the project, I rubbed two coats of tung oil over the board, sealing it up. I then anchored and screwed it to the wall within arms reach of my grill. Now, when I'm grilling like a hurricane, I can quickly grab whatever implements I need to keep that food from being overcooked.


If anybody tells you that you don't need this many grill tools, tell them that they're not the boss of you.


Happy grilling!