DIY Wood Plate Rack

Plate racks are often made out of hardwoods like oak.

Wood plate racks are simple devices that are made out of a couple pieces of wood and a few pair of dowels. They store plates by holding them vertically between the pairs of dowels. Wood plate racks do not require much time to build and can be built easily with little carpentry experience. Many wood plate racks are made out of hardwoods like oak or walnut. Using hardwoods instead of softer woods like pine will increase the life and durability of your plate rack.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil with eraser
• Straightedge
• 2 oak boards, 1-by-1-by-12-inches
• 22 oak dowels, 1/4-by-7-inches
• Drill
• Drill bit, 1/4-inch
• Wood glue
• Sand paper, medium-grade
• Tack cloth

Instructions

1. Draw a line down the center of one of the boards so it is ½-inch away from each edge. Draw 10 lines perpendicularly across the first line so they are spaced 1 inch apart and so the two outside lines are 1 inch away from the ends. Repeat this process on the other board.

2. Drill a 1/3-inch deep, 1/4-inch hole where the lines intersect on each board. Erase the remaining pencil marks.

3. Drill 2 ¼-inch holes through each board. The holes should be perpendicular to the first set of holes drilled, 1-½ inches away from each end and ½-inch away from each edge.

4. Lay the two boards flat, parallel, 5 inches apart and with the 10 holes on top. Place a dab of glue on each end of two dowels. Insert them into the ¼-inch holes that are drilled through the boards. These dowels will hold the sides of your plate rack together.

5. Place a dab of glue into each of the 3/8-inch deep holes and insert a dowel into each of the holes. Let the glue dry.

6. Sand the plate rack with your medium-grade sand paper and wipe it clean with your tack cloth.

References

• Organize It: Bamboo Wood Plate Rack
• "Step by Step Basic Carpentry"; Ben Allen; 1997