Outdoor Tool Storage: Ryobi Expand-It Attachments

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Earlier this year, we were invited to attend an outdoor event sponsored by The Home Depot. There we were able to see and try tool offerings from various tool manufacturers. One of those tools was the Expand-It system by Ryobi. 

After the event, we were asked if we would like to try out a couple of offerings from Ryobi, including the 40V Brushless Expand-It System. This system has a variety of heads that can be swapped out to be used on the same powered head. We tried out the hedge trimmer, edger and string trimmer. 

After Steph tried out the system, she decided to design and build a wall hung rack for the various components. The rack holds the attachments, as well as makes it easy to attach the accessories while the handle is still firmly held in the holder. It's a pretty cool idea!

Ryobi 40-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Electric Cordless Attachment Capable String Trimmer. Steph found it awkward to attach the handle to an attachment while it was flat. She designed the holder so the pieces could be put into place while still in the holder.

Tools:

• Ryobi 40-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Electric Cordless Attachment Capable String Trimmer (Home Depot)
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• Ryobi Expand-It 8 in. Universal Straight Shaft Edger Attachment (Home Depot)
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• Ryobi Expand-It 17-1/2 in. Universal Hedge Trimmer Attachment (Home Depot)
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• Milwaukee General Purpose Bi-Metal Hole Saw Kit (14-Piece) (Home Depot)
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• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 10 in. Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw (Home Depot)
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• DEWALT 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Band Saw (Home Depot)
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Materials:

• 2 in. x 6 in. x 8 ft. #2 and Better Kiln-Dried Heat Treated Spruce-Pine-Fir Lumber (Home Depot)
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• 1 in. x 10 ft. PVC Pipe (Home Depot)
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• Everbilt 4 in. Zinc-Plated Heavy Duty Corner Brace (2-Pack) (Home Depot)
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• Gorilla Clear Glue (Home Depot)
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To determine the length of the storage unit, Steph laid the handle and the three attachments on the garage floor. She marked the placement of each of the implements.

Using a 1 1/8" hole saw, she drilled four holes into the 2x6 board that she had previously marked.

The forth hole she used a 2 1/4" hole saw. This is the hole for the handle. It needed to be able to be slide into place. Steph used a portable band saw to trim out the wood.

The three holes were lined with a piece of 1" diameter PVC pipe and glued into place.

These Everbilt brackets hold the unit securely to the wall.

The same "button" that holds the attachments to the handle, are used to keep the attachments securely in place. The top of the unit can hold small accessories like extra string trimmer line.

The handle remains in place making it easy to swap out the various attachments. Once secured to the handle, the whole tool is lifted out of the holder.

This holder makes a convenient place to store the Ryobi Expand-It system components. They are easily accessible and within easy reach. As more attached are acquired, the holder can also be expanded by adding additional 2x6 shelves. 
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Big thanks to Ryobi Outdoor for giving us the outdoor tools to try out!

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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