The Secret to Simple DIY Projects for your Home Office - Week 5 – Spring 2022 ORC

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase something through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please ready my full disclosure statement here.

The secret to simple DIY projects are the jigs! There are 3 Rockler Jigs that are an integral part of every DIYers tool box!

DIY projects are not always simple DIY projects! Sounds like a no brainer, right? Renovating a space with Ikea hack built-ins is hard work! However, there are tools that can make certain aspects of the project easier! I discovered Rockler Woodworking and Hardware and fell in love with several of their jigs and products! This blog post will review the good, the bad and the ugly of a home office renovation! I saw it all through my DIY project! I will review how I created my filing cabinet hack, printer cabinet hack, and how I made my drawers soft close! These must save tips below will save you time and prevent some of the same headaches that I experienced!

The Secret to Simple DIY Projects

1. Soft-Close Drawers

The easiest of my 3 projects to create a better workspace was adding these soft-close devices for wooden drawers.

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They come with easy to follow directions and you attach them right above your current drawer slides! Simple DIY projects at their finest! Each drawer took about 5-10 minutes. I placed one device on each side of the drawer since the Songesand dresser drawers are over 23 inches.

2. Printer Cabinet Hack

This was not one of the simple DIY projects of my Ikea hack office. It took way longer than I intended! Every step of this printer cabinet hack was complicated by my incorrect measurements or misunderstanding of the specifications of the rev a shelf mixer lift!

The Ugly

So many miscalculations! My first issue was that when I researched the rev a shelf mixer lift, it discussed how there was a maximum height for an appliance. The printer I currently have for work was less than the dimensions of the typical mixer. Based on the way that the description was worded, I mistakenly thought that I could alter the height of the mixer lift. I was wrong! This changed all of my initial plans.

That lead to some more brainstorming when it arrived. I hadn't factored in how far it would need to swing out or how low it would hang in the dresser. Luckily, I did know the drawer slides that came with the Ikea dressers would not be sufficient. Rockler hooked me up with these Centerline Comfort-Close Over-Travel Drawer Slides. With minor alterations to the back of the cabinet, I knew that the 18 inch would be sufficient for this DIY project.

The not so ugly part about this portion was the Rockler drawer slide jig! WOW, this thing is awesome! Definitely one of my new favorite secrets to simple DIY projects! This thing saves a lot of time! It has a stop collar that can be placed at the top or bottom of the jig and tightened. When you need to place drawer slides at the same height in multiple places, this makes it so much more simple and quick.

The Bad

I installed the mixer lift and determined that it would not work attaching it to the wall of the cabinet. Attaching it to the wall meant I couldn't get the side of the drawers in place due to spacing. I fixed this issue by using some scrap Ikea wood (think one of the braces from the bookcases cut in half) and attaching that to the cabinet wall. Then I attached the mixer lift to the wood.

Another bad portion of this printer hack is that due to my miscalculation, this takes up all 3 drawers. I had planned to use only 2, so I'm not very happy about this aspect. Technically I can still use the very bottom drawer as a drawer, but opening and closing that drawer requires moving the mixer lift at the same time. It's a bit inconvenient.

Lastly, I have not yet attached the top drawer. Currently this would involve creating new sides to the top drawer or cutting off a few inches from the sides. The over travel drawer slides are not quite long enough for the top drawer either, by about an inch.

The Good/Indifferent

The mixer lift is pretty great and easy to use! I like that the printer is hidden in a cabinet since it's a pretty big device that takes up quite a bit of space. If I would have thought everything through, I would have chosen to upgrade and get the mixer lift that has the soft close option. I think this device would be perfect in a garage or kitchen for small appliances. It's still perfect for a home office, but I would not likely choose to use it with the drawers that I chose. If you go for cabinets with doors, it will be pretty perfect and worth it!

The Decision

Ultimately, I'm undecided on the totality of the printer drawer hack at the moment. Once I organize the drawers with my belongings, I'll assess the need for that 3rd drawer and decide if I want to put on my thinking cap more about it. I don't think it would be too hard to modify it more to make it perfect. This may include taking off the back of the bottom drawer or purchasing longer over-travel drawer slides. Only time will tell! For now, I can place the drawer front in it's place and it looks like a fully functional drawer!

3. The Filing Cabinet Hack

This Hack is my favorite! It does use 2 drawers, but it's pretty spectacular. You don't lose the entire drawer and have space to store some taller items.

The Rev a Shelf File Drawer system is incredibly simple to install. And the Ikea Songesand dresser drawer is the perfect depth to hold the system. As a thrifty person, I rarely toss extra screws or metal pieces, so I used a couple of door hardware to fasten the 2 bottom drawers together. I also used a random piece of metal I had in my toolbox to hold up the part of the file system that ended in the middle of the drawer. The file system came with screws that I used to fasten the file system into the one end and I was done! Now all I need are some pretty file folders!

4. The Other Jigs

I received 2 other jigs from Rockler that are pretty incredible. They have tons of different jigs that I can't wait to get my hands on as well. Check out their website www.rockler.com, you'll love it!

The first is the Rockler Jig-It Knob and Pull Pro Drilling Guide. I used this when I needed to drill the 2 holes for my new brushed bronze square desk knob. It comes with the perfect drill bit and everything!

Click to Buy

The second is the Rockler Jig-It Shelving Jig and 5mm bit set. I had planned to change up some of the shelving spacing, but ultimately did not for this project. Like any DIY project, this one changed as I went. I will however be using this one for my future living room built-ins and can't wait to share my thoughts on it there. I already know that this will simplify drilling holes for the shelves.

Don't forget to continue to check out all of the One Room Challenge rooms! There are so many creative DIY projects in the making and everyone has so many tips and tricks for Easy DIY projects!

The Secret to Simple DIY Projects for your Home Office – Week 5 – Spring 2022 ORC