There are many wall-mounted document holders made out of wood or metal available from office supply stores, but they are expensive. So I decided to design and make my own.
The holders work well, and it gave me much more satisfaction to make them than buy them. Because these paper holders are made out of galvanized wire mesh and aluminum wire, they can even be used in wet locations, such as the bathroom, to hold towels, shampoo or soap.
Take a 24-inch roll of galvanized wire mesh (19 gauge) or any other stiff wire mesh. Use wire cutters to cut the mesh into the width desired. My holders are 12 inches wide. Depending upon how stiff the wire mesh is and what you plan to store in the holders, they can be virtually any size.
Form the round bottom of the holder by bending the mesh around a pipe or piece of wood. I used a large 3-inch-diameter wooden rolling pin to form the bottom. What you use will determine how far away from the wall the holder projects. You also could use a 2-by-4 piece of wood to make a square bottom. To allow easy mounting and access to contents, the back should be slightly higher than the front.
Use a stiffer wire (10 gauge) for the sides to stiffen and hold the U-shape. Attach this stiff wire to the wire mesh form by threading 23-gauge wire through the mesh and around the 10-gauge wire. Continue threading along the entire edge.
Use a metal strap or more stiff wire to hold the front and back together, if needed. When complete, make sure to go over the entire holder and bend back any wires that may be sticking out. Mount it to the wall with a 1-inch washer, screws and appropriate anchors.
Charlene Brown
Albuquerque, New Mexico