Wine racks can make a wine collection look elegant and organized. Whether you’re designing a small rack or something much larger, wine racks can be incredibly easy to make depending on your design.
Unlike most beverages, wine improves with age when stored correctly in a darkened location with stable humidity. The way the bottles should lie is horizontal with the neck angled slightly lower so the cork will stay wet.
If you’re a wine enthusiast and have invested in beautiful vintages then make sure you have an appropriate wine rack that will accommodate and secure them with ease. Wine racks can be made from an array of different materials including plastic and metal. This allows you to present your wine bottles in a nice way while enjoying a glass of wine.
However, most people prefer to opt for a wooden rack as they are easier to build by yourself and can be customized in a variety of ways. As a material, wood tends to suit a wider range of interiors better than metal and plastic.
In this guide, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about building a wine rack from the planning process all the way through to actually constructing it from scratch.
Planning
Before you even begin to construct your wine rack, you need to ensure that you have a detailed plan so you know what you are doing.
Whether you are inspired by a piece you have seen in store or at someone’s home or have an original idea in mind, you can access a variety of wine rack plans online and work on them according to your own criteria.
For those who don’t have an idea of what kind of wine rack they want then there are plenty of free downloads available on the internet.
The reason why knowing what wine rack you are wanting to make is important as you need to decide whether it will be a wall mounted rack or a simple counter top rack.
The first thing you need to bear in mind is how many bottles you want the rack to hold. If you are wanting to store a select few vintages then a small rack will suffice, however, for avid wine enthusiasts, you may want to consider opting for a larger plan that can store a lot more.
Wine racks can be found in all kinds of shapes and sizes to suit personal style so whether you want something minimalist and contemporary or more traditional and ornate in appearance, it’s important to visualize how the plan you download can accommodate this.
Supplies
When making your wine rack from scratch, there are an array of supplies and tools that you will need to have before you start depending on your design. Here is a list of some of the basics that you will definitely need before putting your plan into action:
- Safety goggles
- Pencil
- Transfer or tracing paper
- Ruler
- Tape measure
- Screwdriver
- Table saw
- Drill press, bit and drum sanding attachment
- Bandsaw, jigsaw or coping saw
- Orbital sander
- Oscillating spindle sander
- Sandpaper
- Dado set
- Clamps
- Hole saw
- Mounting screws for wall racks
- Paints or stains for decoration
- Scrap pieces of dried wood
How to build a basic wine rack
The more flamboyant and detailed your wine rack design is, the more time and complex the construction will be. However, the following instructions will help to create a solid, basic wine rack which will be a great foundation for more advanced designs.
- Firstly, transfer the design to a measured drawing that can then be used as a template when cutting out the piece.
- Cut the wood using the templates. It’s advised to start with the end panels and cross rails which provide the most support for the bottles.
- Now you need to predrill the wood by using screws to hold the pieces of the rack together in order to prevent the wood from splitting.
- The next step is constructing the frame. Your design will have determined how the frame should be attached. Most wine racks rely on notches which are cut into the end panels and cross rails which allows a natural locking mechanism to secure the pieces together. However, other designs may require screws. Make sure the connections are tight for stability.
- Cutting out the wine bottle supports needs to be done correctly as this will ensure that your bottles stay in the rack. Most wine racks support the bottle by the main body, however, more modern and quirky designs may only support the bottle by the neck which requires a larger arch for the base of the base.
- Finishing off the wood will help give it the polished appearance. Make sure the surface is sanded until smooth throughout to prevent any unevenness or splinters. You can also apply paint or stains for your desired effect. Always leave it to dry thoroughly so you can have the best result.
- That’s it! Congratulations, you have completed your very own wine rack so now all you have to do is fill it up!0
