Russian Rifle Crate to DIY Workbench
Have you heard of a Russian rifle storage crate? No? Me either, until Mr. SP brought one home from a friend’s house.
After WWII the Russians refurbished rifles and stored them in these crates. This must have happened over a number of years as our crate is marked 1983.
The crates held up to 20 rifles, Mosin-Nagants to be exact. If you want to see a cool video of firearms inside a crate, click here.
I think that a crate like this would make a unique coffee table for a rustic family room. They must be hard to come by these days as the only one I found for sale was this one for sale on Ebay.
Our friend has a few more crates, maybe we can persuade him that he should get rid of another one. We could then make a coffee table for the lake house.
We transformed a Russian rifle storage crate into a DIY work bench!
Our Russian Rifle Storage Crate Work Bench will be one of the first things that we move into our lake house basement.
We know we’ll need tools and a workbench at the lake and this piece should work perfectly. I’m planning to put our DIY Crate Cabinet next to it for additional tool storage.
After finishing the inside of the crate, a stand was built for it out of two by fours. The front pieces hinge out to hold the crate’s lid which will serve as a work surface.
Surprise! When the crate’s lid is opened, look at the storage!
Pegboard will hold a variety of tools. We have duplicates of a lot of tools but will need to buy some new ones to keep at the lake.
Mr. SP designed and built card catalog style drawers that will provide storage for all sort of hardware that we’ll need at the lake. The brass plated cabinet label pulls are from D. Lawless Hardware. The drawers were stained with General Finishes stain in brown mahogany.
Here is another look at the workbench opened and ready for use.
I usually take pictures outside but it’s impossible for me to do so this time of year because by the time I get home from work, there is very little light left.
Mr. SP helped me make a drop cloth backdrop so that I could get pictures to share today. We didn’t make it quite wide enough as you can see my grandfather’s mid-century Craftsman band saw in the background. (Isn’t it cool looking? I really think it should be on display somewhere.)
I think our Russian Rifle Storage Crate Work Bench will be a conversation piece when guests see it in our lake house basement.
Our friend was happy to get it out of his basement and we are happy to have a new workbench. Win-win!
What a great idea to do with one of these. I never know what to do with them! Love this!
Thanks, Lindsay! We are excited to start using this.
Paula
How creative! I love how the top flips down to give extra workspace and those awesome little drawers are built in! Fun!
Thanks, Wendi! I’ll bet that it won’t be long before all of those drawers are full of “stuff”.
Paula
You know I love a good repupose and this is awesome, Paula!
Thank you, Larissa! We are thrilled with this and can’t wait to use it.
Paula
Wow I am so impressed! I had no idea those rifle boxes existed, and now I want one! 🙂 What an amazingly creative idea. Love those little drawers!
Thank you, Kimm! I want another one to use to make a coffee table. It would be great for storing blankets and extra pillows.
Paula
I’ve never heard of a Russian rifle storage but that is such a cool and useful makeover. Definitely a conversation piece for your lake house! The apothecary boxes are a great finishing touch!
Thank you, Amy! I’m sure it won’t take long for us to fill this piece with tools, etc.
Paula
This is so cool! Such a unique piece and I love how you repurposed it.
Thank you! We are thrilled with our work bench and can’t wait to use it at the lake.
Paula
What a cool piece! So unique and totally practical. Love it!
You are so clever! I love that you team up with Mr. SP to complete a lot of your projects as well. This will be the perfect workspace in your lake house!
This is so stinking cool and practical! I love that you kept the original green paint, and an amazing repurpose!
I’m reminded of swords into plowshares.
What a clever idea! I’m amazed at how you came up with this idea. Thanks for sharing at Inspired by You. I pinned it to our group board. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and please check back on Friday to see if you have been featured and visit us again next Sunday.
This is SO COOL! I love that you made it into a work bench. Plus, the history of it is awesome!
The next time you come over I will show it to you in person. It really is a neat piece.
Paula
this is neato – will be sharing with my husband. 🙂
i’ve also seen a large suitcase used as a tv case
in a similar setup. i have a vintage (very large)
case that could easily hold a good size flat screen
tv .. it’s always nice to close the door so to speak
on the idiot box but have it available in an awesome
case. 🙂
This is a wonderful idea. I have a U.S. Air Force footlocker from the early 1950s. It was my toy box as a child. (Can’t tell you how many times it smacked me in the back of the head. 1960s weren’t much for safety. Now I have a grandson who’s 1. I want a place for him in my art/sewing/craft/whatever I’m working on room in a few years. Now I know what it will be!
Thanks so much for the great idea
I am so glad that my project inspired you to think of a way to use your 1950’s footlocker. I was thrilled with the end result of our project and it’s always a conversation piece when people see it in our workshop.
Paula