Electric guitarists like to alter their sound using pedals and their amplifiers. Pedals are a pain to manage because they are small, often numerous and have at least 3 cables in each (in, out and power). Placing them on a board keeps them in one place and somewhat in order.
There are many approaches to designing pedal boards:
- Plain boards with pedals attached with bicycle chain links (see this one) – but this is a very permanent solution.
- Boards with cheese-holes (like this one) that need zip-ties.
- Wooden or metal frames (like a PedalTrain) which used Velcro, but are quite expensive for what they are.
To make a frame-type board out of wood is a simple task. I made mine using pine scraps from the workshop in a few hours. The clearance of the frame from the floor makes it easy to tie wires out of the way under the board. The two-level design allows the rear row of pedals to be easily accessed without accidentally stomping on something on the front row.
I kept some pedals close by in the shop during assembly to ensure the board was made to the correct dimensions.
Other items needed were some screws, self-adhesive Velcro strips, Velcro ties to tidy the cables, screw-in rubber feet and spray paint. eBay to the rescue with most of these items.
Making your own board means you can make it to the size of your pedal collection. Don’t forget to leave a bit of room for future acquisitions…
T r i a l & E r r o r 
Awesome! I was a big fan of the tech21 bass driver. I also used an autowah from time to time. Being that I played the bass, I didn’t have much of a peddle board. When I played guitar I used the Boss GT3, which I loved and for some odd reason sold.
I’d love to try out a bass – not only for the sound, but also because their designs are way more creative than a lot of guitars I’ve seen.