How to Make a Wine Bottle Rack

A wine rack can provide a convenient, attractive way to display and store bottles of wine, from special vintages you're saving for a grand occasion to favorite varieties for everyday use. Buying a decorative metal wine rack or installing a wall-mounted rack can be expensive or complicated. Fortunately, you can make a beautiful, expandable wood wine rack using affordable materials and some basic tools and carpentry skills.

Things You'll Need

• 1 piece of wood, 2 inches by 6 inches by 96 inches
• Jigsaw or scrolling saw
• Hand drill
• Hole cutting bits (4 inches and 1 1/2 inches)
• Sandpaper
• Stain/polyurethane
• Stain brush or cloth
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Table saw with dado set (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut side supports and wine rails. Cut the board to create four pieces 12 inches long and 6 feet tall. These are your side supports. Then cut the remaining board in half both lengthwise and width-wise, giving you four boards 24 inches long and 3 inches tall. These boards will become your wine rails.

2. Cut notches. Use a jigsaw, scrolling saw or a table saw and dado set to create two notches in each long side of each board. Each notch should be 1 inch from a corner, 3/4 inch deep and 3/4 inch wide. These notches will allow you to place two wine rails onto two side supports, creating a rectangle of wood that is strong and stable. Each rectangle can serve as a stand-alone wine rack or stack atop another rectangle to accommodate more bottles.

3. Cut bottle base arcs. Use a 4-inch hole-cutting bit to create five arcs in the top edge of a 3-inch by 24-inch wine rail. Center the bit 1 inch above the board edge to cut partial arcs instead of full half-circles. Space the arcs evenly across the board, but leave 2 inches on either end of the board to avoid cutting into the notches. Repeat this step for a second wine rail.

4. Cut bottleneck arcs. Use a 1 1/2-inch hole-cutting bit to create five arcs in the top edge of a 3-inch by 24-inch wine rail. Repeat this step for a second wine rail.

5. Stain and seal wood. Apply wood stain and/or polyurethane to the side supports and wine rails per manufacturer's instructions. This will make your wine rack more attractive and durable, especially in the event of spills or exposure to moisture.

6. Assemble the wine rack. Place wine rails onto side supports, aligning bottle base arcs opposite bottleneck arcs.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to test-fit your supports and rails after step 2 to ensure a good fit and do any necessary trimming or sanding before cutting arcs or staining the boards. Use sandpaper or a drum sander to even out rough or sharp edges before applying stain or polyurethane. You can create and stack several sets of side supports and wine rails to create a taller wine rack with the capacity to hold more wine bottles.

• Be sure to place your wine rack on a stable, level surface to reduce the risk of jostling or dislodging bottles, especially if your wine rack includes more than two or three levels.

References

• How to Design and Build a Wine Rack
• Free Plans
• Wine Racks, Plans and Kits

Resources

• The Home Wine Rack Blog