How to Build a 6 Bottle Wood Wine Rack

A handcrafted wood wine rack can display some of your collection.

Wine gets better with age with proper storage, and having a handmade wood wine rack that holds a small selection is a good project for the home. You can create a six-bottle rack out of nice hardwood such as oak or cherry in a short amount of time with just some basic tools. Create a small rack for six bottles of your finest, and you can show off your wine, and your woodworking skills at the same time.

Things You'll Need

• 7-foot long by 6-inch wide hardwood board 1/2 inch thick
• Pencil
• Square or ruler
• Table saw
• Dado blade set
• 3-inch hole saw bit
• 1 1/4-inch hole saw bit
• Drill
• Sandpaper
• Finishing oil

Instructions

1. Mark the board off into even 12-inch lengths and make a straight line to cut them evenly. Use a nice wood such as oak or cherry to give the finished piece a rich look. Cut the 12-inch pieces with the table saw.

2. Cut three of the 12-inch pieces in half down the center, making them 3 by 12 inches. This will give you six pieces that are 3 by 12 inches and four pieces that are 6 by 12 inches.

3. Set the table saw up with a dado set --- a set of chippers and blades sandwiched together designed to take bigger chunks out of the wood.

4. Measure 1/2 inch in from the end of each board and mark it. Do this on both edges of the boards, top and bottom, and both ends, right and left, on all the boards, both 3-inch wide and 6-inch wide.

5. Use the dado set to cut notches in the boards that will hold the rack together. Begin with four of the 3- by 12-inch boards. Set one board on edge against the fence of the table saw. Using the 1/2-inch mark as the point to start the notch. Run the board forward into the dado blade, which will cut away a notch in the wood 1/2-inch wide. Do the same on the opposite end of the board.

6. Flip the board, and cut notches along the other edge, so that the board has four notches 1/2-inch wide, two on both the top and bottom of both ends of the board. Be sure the notches line up at both the top and bottom evenly on the 1/2-inch marks so they are directly above and below each other. Repeat for the other 3 boards.

7. Cut dado notches in the same manner on the last two 3-inch wide boards, but only cut the notches on the top edge, leave the bottom edge solid. Now take the four 6-inch wide boards, mark 1 inch from each end on the top and bottom edge of each board, and cut dado notches on both sides of all four boards as you did with the 3-inch boards.

8. Take two of the 3-inch wide boards that are notched at both top and bottom, and mark the exact center of the board on one edge. Measure 3 1/2 inches out from that mark on either side, so you have three marks on the edge of the board. Use these marks as the center to cut half circles with the 3-inch hole saw, attached to the drill. Repeat on the second 3-inch board. These are the bottle rests for the bottom ends of the bottles.

9. Measure for the rests for the bottles tops on the other two 3-inch wide boards with notches at both top and bottom. Begin with the center point and mark it, then measure out 3 inches from that point to either side, and mark them. These are the center points for the half circles for the bottle neck rests. Cut the half circles with the 1 1/4 inch hole saw attached to the drill bit. Repeat for the second board.

10. Sand all the boards smooth. Apply a coat of finishing oil to seal the wood and bring out the grain and allow to dry.

11. Assemble the rack by setting the two 12-inch boards with only top dados, about 12 inches apart on a level surface, dados facing up. Put two of the 3- by 12-inch boards cross ways, sliding the dados on the bottom edges of those boards into the dados on the two side supports, similar to Lincoln logs. Make sure the smaller half circles are at the front, larger at the back.

12. Stack the next set of 6-inch side pieces by interlocking the dados together as before. Set the last two cross-pieces on the top. Load the three bottles on the bottom, and three bottles on the top, and enjoy your wine rack.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety glasses while cutting wood.

References

• Ron Hazelton: How to Build a Wine Rack