{"id":9583,"date":"2024-01-26T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snaservices.com\/?p=9583"},"modified":"2024-01-29T08:19:41","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T14:19:41","slug":"diy-boot-dryer-on-a-budget-repurposed-materials-creative-hacks-for-savings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snaservices.com\/index.php\/diy-boot-dryer-on-a-budget-repurposed-materials-creative-hacks-for-savings\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Boot Dryer on a Budget: Repurposed Materials & Creative Hacks for Savings | SBW#81"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is wintertime and you’ve been outside in a while in your boots – whether snow, ski, snowboard, regular boots, or even shoes and when you come back in, you notice the inside of your footwear is damp. If you have been in this position before then this is your solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never thought too much about it when I was young we always just sat our shoes or boots on a floor register and let the heat dry them out. Well, as I have gotten older and my footwear has expanded, my house does not have floor registers, so I had to come up with a solution. I noticed this more as a problem as my family has gotten into snow skiing more as we’ve aged. Who likes putting snow or ski boots<\/a> on that are damp inside?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After looking at a few different designs for boot dryers in stores I decided I could make one with scrap materials I just happen to have lying around the house. The goal was to keep it simple, compact for traveling, and on a super low budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I started by taking a scrap piece of 3\/4″ and 1\/4″ plywood I had lying in my shop. I cut them them down to size. Then I spaced out four points on 3\/4″ thick piece where I would drill holes for some 2″ PVC pipe I also had. The plywood would need to be big enough so that the resulting “inside box” could store not only the PVC pipes but also a small hair dryer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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As I started drilling out the holes with my hole saw I quickly realized my cordless drill had zero power left. I was unable to finish the first hole so I had to throw the battery pack on the charger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while that was charging I decided to cut the sides to match the top and bottom pieces. Everything would just be screwed together using some wood screws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over to the miter saw I went cutting the one set of sides followed by the other set of sides. Once this was done my battery pack had enough charge to drill my holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I went back to drilling the holes, taking care to clamp down the work piece. Once all the holes were drilled I started screwing the sides onto the top piece of plywood. This of course was the piece that had the holes for the PVC pipes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Once this piece was screwed on I proceeded to screw the other piece on followed by screwing the sides together to make a box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Next, I cut PVC pipes at a 45-degree angle on each end. The pipes were cut to a length that would just fit inside the box. On one of the ends, I cut part of the 45-degree cut into a 90-degree so the pipe would not have a sharp angle where the boots would rest. After the cutting, I took some sandpaper and sanded down all the edges so the pipes were smooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After this, I attempted to drill the hole for the hair dryer – making sure that it was the correct size for the hair dryer. However, I neglected to clamp it down this time because it’s big enough right? Wrong. I ended up clamping it down so that I would break my arm after a few attempts. I’m not sure why I thought drilling without clamping would save me time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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After clamping it down I was able to drill the hole just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then assembled the entire unit and test-ran it with a pair of Columbia boots<\/a> I had. I have to say I love these boots. My feet no longer get cold and they are waterproof also.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Everything worked fine and as I expected. You do have to take care to watch for overheating the PVC pipes as well as the wood since both of those items are combustible and can catch fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will also tell you to have a long day on the slopes, it is great to throw your ski boots<\/a> on and let them dry for a while at a low setting as well as throw them on before going out and let them warm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As always if you have any questions or comments post them below or on my YouTube <\/a>video comments section and I’ll do my best to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve included a few Amazon Links<\/a> below for the equipment and materials I used. By clicking on any of the links in this article you help support my channel as I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also help support my Channel at Buy Me A Coffee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipment and Materials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

*Disclaimer: While I attempt to list the equipment I use, some items have been discontinued or have newer models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n