Drone Shelf Version 1

A few months ago, my very amazing mother gave me a drone for my birthday. YAY! Only problem is that my room isn't the biggest in the world and space is limited. And on top of that I will be taking a big step forward in my life (college. YAY!! AGAIN!!!), and space will be even more limited.

So the problem is that I want to take the drone with me where ever I end up, and where ever that is space will be an issue.

Then I came up with the solution... I would put the drone on the wall. On a shelving unit of course.

So join me fellow makers, as I construct a basic drone shelf.

I made this shelf out of reclaimed materials. Most of them, I found over the past couple of months thrown out in the trash. But all of these materials are readily available at any major hardware store.

The materials I used were:

1-2X3 wood stud of at least 20" in length

1- 8" piece of 1/8" wood*

2- Saw tooth hangers (I bought these at a store. They cost $2.)

2- wood screws

The tools I used were:

-saw (hand)

-drill with a 1/8" drill bit (for pilot holes) and a Phillip bit (for screwing in the screws)

-rotary tool with a sanding drum bit

-hammer

-wood glue

-2 6" clamps or bench vise (later edit sorry=( )

*This dimension can be changed. The wood only serves as a drop guard for the controller.

I'm still fairly new to the world of drones. That being said I will put out this next step in under the assumption of that there is some degree of variation in drone design and size.

To begin, flip the drone so that it is blade side down.

Now measure the length of your drone's leg length (Image 1). Record this measurement and make sure your wood stock is 0.5" to 1" smaller than this measurement. This is so the wood can slide in between the drone's legs.

Next measure the gap between the legs (Image 2). Record and add 2". This measurement will be used in the next step.

Finally, measure the depth of the leg (Image 3). Record and subtract 1". Again the measurement will be used in the next step.

Start by securing your stud to a sturdy surface and then cutting your stud to 20".

Then take the two measurements from before (the leg gap and leg depth) and cut a rectangular block out of the right hand end of the 20" stud (see image 2). Keep the cut off as it will be used in the next step.

The side with the extra length of wood is the face side of the shelf. The shorter side is where the hangers will go.

To make a rest for controller, take the cut off from the last step and the 1/8" wood pieced. Cut the larger one of the two so that the measurements are the same.*

Then, apply the wood glue to glue the two pieces together at a right angle. Clamp the wood piece together and let the rest dry for an hour.

*As I've said before, the measurements of the 1/8" wood piece do not matter. It is there to ensure the controller does not fall to the ground and break.

While the controller rest is drying, use your rotary tool with the sanding drum bit and sand out two gouges on the cut side of the base.

The first place to sand out is 1" from the edge of the base. The second place is the distance between the legs of your drone plus one inch away from the edge of the stud. Sand about 1/4" to 1/2" down, and make sure to go the entire length of the wood to ensure a snug fit for your drone's legs.

So the shelf can actually stay on the wall, you're going to need to put on some hangers.

Place the stud face side down with the gouges facing away from you.

On the left most side (not on the cut part) measure an inch down for the top edge (the edge with the gouges) and hammer on the first hanger.

Next, on the right most side measure an inch down and hammer on the second hanger.

MAKE SURE THE HANGERS ARE EVEN WITH EACH OTHER. This is to ensure a level hanging and that nothing accidentally falls off.

After the rest is dry, take your controller and place it flush (right up against) against the guard. Then draw a mark roughly where the controller ends. Remove the controller and extend this mark the entire length of the wood. Make sure the line is parallel to the edge of the rest.

Next, take your drill and drill two pilot holes in the wood, past the line near the edge. Then place this end on the base and line up the edge of the base with the line. Clamp down and screw the two pieces together.

Congratulations!

You did it!

Just put that bad boy on the wall and you'll have a place for your drone.

Please feel free to comment and contact me with any questions or suggestions. And be on the look out for DRONE SELF VERSION 2.