Dear old dad … There’s no doubt about it, he’s hard to buy for, especially when Father’s Day or his birthday rolls around. Instead of buying him another colorful tie this year, why not make him a tie rack to display his collection of gifts from Father’s Days past.

Today we’re going to build a tie rack for dad that can also double as a coat rack. We’ll cut out a custom design on a piece of ¾” inch thick poplar with our jig saw, then sand and file it smooth using a variety of hand and power tools. We’ll call in the design team to put their personal touch on it then we’ll install the pegs and hang it where dad can see it often. So let’s get started.

To make dad feel extra special, we’re getting the whole family involved in this project. The first step is to sketch out the design on this piece of ¾” poplar we picked up from our local independent home improvement retailer. While you can certainly let your imagination go at this point, we’ll keep it somewhat simple, which will make the next step easier.

Using our jig saw (which is also called a sabre saw), we’ll cut along our sketch marks. When cutting, it helps if the work piece is firmly clamped to the workbench. To cut out the inside holes, we’ll use our drill and this Forstner bit to drill a hole that we can fit our jigsaw blade through. Take your time when turning the blade and don’t get in a hurry. As you can see, our design is starting to take shape.

Now that our design has been rough cut, we’ll give the surface a good sanding with our random orbit sander. Since we’re going to paint it, a 120-grit sanding disk should do just fine. For the holes inside the lettering, we’ll use our files to remove any rough spots. On the flat sides, we’ll use our flat mill file. For the rounded sides, we’ll use our half-round file. To ease the edges, we’ll use this sander drill attachment.

Now comes the fun part. For this next step we’ll bring the design crew back together on the driveway with some water-base paint that can be easily cleaned with soap and water. Dad will love the unique design and creativity. Just make sure you have a tarp and plenty of brushes. Don’t forget to paint the pegs, too.

To insert the pegs, we’ll need our drill and Forstner bit again. We’ve selected a Forstner bit that’s the same size as the ends of our wooden pegs. For more information about using Forstner bits, see our video “Drilling Holes 101.”

Before installing the pegs, first lay them out and try to space them as evenly as possible. We’ll have to work within the spacing confines of our lettering, but that’s OK … dad won’t mind if it’s not perfect. We’ll use a tape measure as our guide to keep the spacing as consistent as possible.

Now we’ll drill our holes. A little glue on the ends of our pegs … and a tap with a hammer. Wipe any excess glue away with a rag or a paper towel.

Repeat these same steps with the other pegs, drilling the holes, and gluing the pegs. Dad’s going to love this. Now all we have to do is hang it where it can see it and use every day. It’s sure to be one off his favorite gifts of all time.

There you have it. A tie rack that can double as a coat and hat rack, hung where dad will see it every time he walks in the door.