Adding a wine glass rack underneath kitchen or bar cabinets is an effective way to free up shelf and counter space. It's also an attractive way to display glassware. There are many types of racks available that can be easily installed under a cabinet. Some are wood but most are brass or another type of metal. But building a wine glass rack from scratch allows the rack to exactly match the decor of the room.
Instructions
1. Measure the space under the cabinets. Make sure that there is enough vertical space for the wine glasses to hang down and not interfere with the counter top. The glasses will hang down about 1 inch lower than the front face of the cabinet.
2. Determine the number of racks that need to be made. Check the size of the wine glasses by arranging them flat on a table as if they were hanging from the rack. Allow at least 1/2 inch between the glasses so that they do not knock against each other. Measure the distance from the center of one glass to the center of the glass next to it. This is how far apart the centers of the racks will need to be.
3. Prepare the undersides of the cabinets. Most cabinets have a hollow area underneath where the sides and front extend below the bottom shelf. The wine glass rack will need to be placed below this under-hang so that there is clear access to the front of the rack. This can be done by covering the open space with a piece of wood, or by making spacers that extend the finished racks below the front of the cabinets.
4. Build the center racks. Cut the 1 x 6 lumber to the desired length based on the depth of the cabinets. For a more finished look, the top face can be beveled. Using a table saw with the blade raised and tilted 6 degrees, make an angled cut along the face of each piece so that the edges are beveled 1/4 inch at the edge and approximately 2 1/4 inches on the face. This will give a beveled surface for the glassware to rest on and will take some of the strain off the stem of the glass making the glassware less likely to break. Cut a length of the 1 x 1 lumber to the same length and glue it down the center of the 1 x 6 with the 1 x 1 on the same side as the cut bevels. Lightly sand all of the edges.
5. Build the end racks. Rip the 1 x 6 down to 3 1/8 inches wide. Bevel one face as in Step Four and attach the 1 x 1 along the un-beveled edge.
6. Install the racks under the cabinet. Drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole 2 inches from each end of the rack, going through the center of the 1 x 1. Using 2 1/4-inch wood screws, attach the racks to the underside of the cabinet. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of space between each piece for the stem of the glass to fit. Also, be certain that the front face of each rack extends below the front of the cabinet so that glasses may be easily taken in and out.
Tags: glass rack, below front, center glass, each piece, each rack, face each