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How to Make a Wine Rack

RON HAZELTON:
Whether you're a wine connoisseur, just like an occasional glass with dinner, or want to learn some new woodworking techniques, you're gonna love this next project. We're gonna make a wine rack. Now what I like about this particular design is that it's expandable, modular, simple and yet as you'll see, quite elegant.

We're gonna make it out of one of my favorite woods, cherry. So let's head to the table saw and start cutting. I'm cutting several pieces of wood to two basic sizes -- these 6 inch by 12 inch pieces will serve as end panels while narrower, 3 inch by 24 inch cross rails will hold the bottles themselves.

With all the wood cut to size, I'm about to cut several notches or dados. I'll put four at each end panel and four at each cross rail. These dados will actually lock the cross rails and end panels together. To do this, I'm installing a dado set on the table saw.

This consists of several cutters or chippers, sandwiched between two saw blades. I've made a couple of other additions too. I've added what's called an auxiliary fence, just a piece of wood onto my miter gauge. There's some sand paper glued to the front here to keep the wood from slipping and I've clamped this stop block on right here.

Now that allows me to put the piece of wood in exactly where I want it so that that dado is going to be cut precisely one inch from the end. Each time I put a piece of wood in here, I'll simply slide it down into contact with that block and make our cut.

Now one other things we're gonna do here to keep my fingers away from that blade, I'm gonna clamp the wood on like that and I can hold this further back. First, I cut dados in all the cross rails and then in all the end panels.

So this is how the wine rack works. These cross rails just interlock with the end pieces like this and we can keep stacking them up. We'll put one section next to another. Obviously one thing missing here though and that is that we have to have some way to support the wine bottles.

So we're going to have to cut out some partial circles or arches, a smaller one for the neck and a larger one for the base of the bottle. And we'll do that over here on the drill press. We're going to cut out these arches with a hole saw.

I've clamped a fence to the drill press right here, cut a hole away using the saw itself, so that I can position these right up against the edge like this, hold them in place, and I'll just turn this on. I select hole saws that are slightly larger than the diameter of the bottle neck and body.

First, I make the arches that will support the lower portion or body of the wine bottles. Then I switch to a smaller hole saw to cut semi circles that will accommodate the bottle necks. Finally, I use a drum sander installed on the drill press to smooth the edges.

An orbital sander is the best tool for smoothing the flat surfaces. Finally, to bring out the natural beauty of the cherry, I apply a couple of coats of tongue oil. I've applied this oil quite liberally and after it's been sitting for just a few minutes, I'm going to wipe off the excess with a clean cloth.

Never want to let this dry on the surface. Otherwise you can end up with something that's a little bit sticky. Well, believe it or not, here's our wine rack, large enough to hold 15 bottles of wine. It kind of goes together like a set of Lincoln Logs. Take a look.
[MUSIC]
This rack will cradle a regular wine bottle just about perfectly. But it can also accommodate champagne bottles. So what you've got is something that's every bit as practical as it is good looking.

Build a Handsome Stained Cherry Wood Wine Rack as a Home Woodworking Project and Expand It Later

Construct a simple, modular, expandable and elegant wine rack as a home woodworking project with only a table saw and drill press. It assembles with dados/notches, so no nails, screws or glue are required. It can be disassembled as easily. Cut, stain and assemble cherry wood in a home wine storage rack that holds 15 regular-sized bottles of wine.

Step 1

Cut Cross Rails and End Panels on a Table Saw

Cut two basic shapes from cherry wood: 3- by 24-inch cross rails to hold the bottles, themselves, and 6- by 12-inch end panels to support the cross rails. In this plan, you'll need six cross rails and six end panels.

Step 2

Equip the Table Saw with a Dado Set

Install a dado set on the table saw to make the dados/notches to lock the end panels and cross rails together. The dado set consists of several cutters/chippers sandwiched between two saw blades.

Step 3

Make an Auxiliary Fence to Position the Wood for Dados

Add an auxiliary fence on the miter gauge and glue sandpaper on the front edge for traction. Clamp a stop block to position the end panels for identical dados. Reposition for the cross rails.

Step 4

Cut Dados in All the Cross Rails and End Panels

Notch dados in both ends and edges of the cross rails first and the notch the end panels--four dados in each component. Clamp the wood to the fence to your protect fingers as you cut.

Step 5

Cut Troughs for the Wine Bottles with a Hole Saw

Use hole saws slightly larger than the bottle bases and bottle necks, respectively, to cut troughs to hold the bottles. Install a fence to position rails for the larger holes first--then reposition for the smaller bottle necks.

Step 6

Install a Drum Sander to Smooth the Edges

Add a drum sander to the drill press to smooth the edges of each trough. Use an orbital sander to smooth the flat sides of the cross rails and end panels.

Step 7

Apply Tung Oil to Finish the Cherry Wood

Bring out the highlights in the cherry wood by applying two generous coats of Tung oil. In a few minutes, before it dries, wipe off the excess with a clean lint-free cloth.

Step 8

Interlock the Wine Rack Side Panels and Cross Rails

Engage the dados on the cross rails with those in the side panels, assembling each of the three layers of the wine rack to hold a total of 15 bottles of wine.

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