How to Make a Home Wine Rack

Your wine rack will use dowels similar to those used in this plate rack.

A homemade wine rack is something you can use for years. And it's perfect as a gift for all your friends and family too. This dowel rack with three levels is simple enough for the most novice woodworker or even children to build because it involves only simple tools and easy cuts. The rack is easily portable and is constructed to hold twelve bottles, but you could also scale it back to a nine or six bottle rack if you need it to fit in a smaller space. The finished rack measures 9 ¼ inches tall without bottles on the top shelf--the finished rack will remind you of a tinkertoy structure only much sturdier.

Things You'll Need

• 17 feet of 1 ¼ inch dowels
• 17 feet of 3/8 inch dowels
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Saw
• Sanding paper
• Wood glue
• Drill and 3/8 inch bit
• Rag
• Square measure
• Danish oil
• Colored wood stain or shellac (optional)
• Brush (optional)

Instructions

Cut and Sand the Dowels

1. Cut the 3/8 inch dowels into 20 pieces that are each 3 5/8 inches long for the vertical posts.

2. Cut the 3/8 inch dowel into six pieces that are each six inches long for the back and front horizontal posts.

3. Cut the 1 ¼ dowel in 15 pieces that are each 11 inches long.

4. Sand all pieces lightly.

Make the Horizontal Levels

1. Drill side holes 3/4 inches from both the front and back ends of the 11-inch dowels. Drill half way through two of the dowels (which will be at the end of the wine rack with no holes showing) and all the way through the other three dowels (which will be the inner dowels).

2. Insert two 16 inch dowels through all the holes to make the front and back rows of the rack. Work glue into the holes while inserting the dowels.

3. Repeat the process for the middle and top horizontal levels.

4. Insure that each horizontal unit is identical in size and shape. If not, pull dowels in or out slightly to adjust.

Make the Vertical Levels

1. Drill 3/4 inch holes on the top of the large dowels in the first level on both the near and far ends of the dowel. These will be the holes for the verticle dowels. Place the holes 3/4 inch in from the end, directly above the horizontal dowel.

2. Repeat the process for the middle level, but drill holes on both the bottom and top of the dowel since you will have vertical pieces going both up and down from this level.

3. Repeat the process for the top level. Drill holes on only the bottom of the third level so that the dowel on top does not have any holes showing.

Assemble the Rack

1. Insert 10 vertical dowels into the bottom level using glue in all joints.

2. Press the middle level on top of the first level, also using glue for all joints. Wipe excess glue with a rag.

3. Check for right angles in the first two levels and make adjustments as necessary.

4. Let the glue dry for a few hours.

5. Insert the remaining vertical dowels into the top of the middle level, glue and insert the top level. Wipe excess glue. Check again for right angles.

6. Let the structure dry again for a few hours or overnight

7. Apply Danish oil for a natural finish or apply shellac or wood stain as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• To avoid breaking the dowels when drilling all the way through, drill from one side until a small part of the drill bit emerges and then turn the dowel and complete the hole from the other side.

References

• "Sunset Woodworking Projects"; editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine; 1975