Locker Stall

As a beer leaguer it’s important I air my equipment out after each skate. Over the years I’ve had hooks on the wall in the garage and that worked, but something inside of me missed the order of my locker stall in college. That got me wanting to one day build a locker stall of my own.

I started researching and looking for plans. There were many basic options out there, but I had a specific look in mind. I was able to find photos of such stalls, but no plans. That is until I can across an image in a woodworking forum. I joined the forum to make a comment on the thread that hadn’t been commented on in over a year, but to my surprise, a  Canadian named Jean-Claude responded with a cut list, assembly instructions, a 3D mockup, and photo of the finished product. 

Great! I now have plans, but need the right tools. Then on a fateful trip to The Home Depot, my wife asked what I needed to do some trim work around the house. When I mentioned a quality miter saw she said get the one you need. It just so happened there was a sale, so she said to get the table saw too. Bingo! I now had the tools needed. Before I could start work on the locker stall, I needed to get some of that trim work done.

Thanks to COVID quarantine I got a few projects around the house done but took some time out to start working on the locker stall this last week. I picked up three sheets of MDF for the project. I could have used two according to Cutlist Optimizer if I followed the plans, but I made one modification. Instead of the stall being 24″ wide, I made it 40″ wide to accommodate my goalie equipment. If you look at most hockey locker rooms you can spot the goalie stalls because they’re all wider. This modification meant I needed three sheets of MDF instead of two. 

I made all my cuts one weekend, then assembled the next.

One of the pocket holes on the back of the unit.

To add strength I used my pocket hole jig for the bottom and back since they wouldn’t be seen. For the upper shelves, I predrilled with a countersink bit. Once the screws were all in, I filled in the holes with putty since I’ll be painting the unit. It should be noted that if you have someone to help with the assembly life will be easier. I used ratchet straps to help but would have preferred an extra set of hands. 

Once assembled I picked up some hooks from the hardware store for about $4 a piece.

Because I used MDF, I’ll need to seal the product otherwise it’ll absorb the moisture in the garage. Once sealed I’ll be painting it a solid color.

My next step is to choose which nameplate I want to add to the stall – one of my college nameplates I held onto, or create a new one.