Wooden Ink Pad Storage

I have seen numerous ink pad storage racks but never at the right price or in the UK so I decided it was time to have a go at making my own.  I hope I have put enough information below for anybody else to have a go but if not you can email me for more information.

You will need two large sheets of 4mm MDF which cost a couple of pounds each, some edging with a curve on one side and right angle on the other, I used four and a half strips. Cut the edging into 4.5 " strips and glue them in rows down a 5" x length of board strip of MDF with the curved edge facing down.  Make sure you have left enough room for ink pads to fit in the space.  You will need two edge pieces and then two middle pieces with the curved edging on both sides of the MDF strips.

Place your second sheet of MDF on a cutting/gluing area and put the first piece on, marking with a pencil, place an ink pad in the top slot and one in the bottom slot.  I decided on 16 ink pads in each row and then a drawer at the bottom, place the second piece in and mark with the pencil, add another ink pad to the top and bottom, making sure you can remove them easily but that they do not have room to fall through.  Place the third piece in and mark again, repeating with another two ink pads and then add the far edge in, marking again.  Remove all the ink pads and MDF pieces so that you are left with the pencil markings.  Add on extra if you would like a drawer and as you can see from above the middle two pieces are shorter than the outer sides to allow for the drawer.  Cut the MDF to size.  This can be done with a sharp blade and metal edged ruler for accuracy.  Lightly sand the cut edges so that they are smooth, on all sides.  Use a good strong glue, I used Club Scrap Book Binding glue, which dries very fast and clear but is runny so it stays where you put it.  Place each piece in place and put the ink pads back into the slots so you are doubly sure they fit.  Allow each section to dry, use heavy objects such as books/candle jars to keep the pieces in place and weighed down to give a good strong finish.  Repeat the above process for all the MDF strips.  I left each strip overnight just to be sure but it could be started and finished in a couple of days.

Once the strips have been glued on and have dried thoroughly use a spray paint to cover the whole area, I used a total of two cans to give a good even coverage over the whole of the ink pad stand.  Place an ink pad in the top and bottom rows again and measure for the middle shelf and cut a piece of MDF to fit remembering to sand the edges, glue in place while the rack is laid down.  Once dry, measure two pieces of MDF for the top and bottom of the rack and glue in place, remembering to leave the ink pads ink to make sure they still fit properly.  Glue the top and bottom pieces by standing the unit up on the bottom piece first, then place the top piece on, check the back of the unit and sides to make sure they fit well and then place candle jars or books on the unit and leave overnight to dry.  Take measurements of the gap for the drawer and begin with the base, then the back measurements and then the sides, glue and leave to dry overnight.  

Once you have completed the shelving layout and it is all glued and dried, you can decorate it how you like.  I used black spray paint because I didn't want brush marks on any part.  I used one piece of 12 x 12 with a black/white damask pattern and cut three pieces for the bottom part of shelves and the front of the drawer.

Measure the middle of the drawer and use a piecing tool to make a hole for the screw to go through.  I used a door knob from a stores kitchen range but you could use Tim Holtz embellishments.  I used the door knob because I didn't want the end of screw poking through, I have covered the inside so that nothing can be caught on it.

Once complete fill the storage rack with your ink pads and enjoy.