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Anyone who enjoys wine and keeps more than a bottle or two on hand eventually faces the same dilemma: storage. Buying a wine rack is one solution, but it can be costly. Fortunately, with affordable materials and some basic woodworking skills, you can make your own wood wine racks and create a beautiful showcase for your favorite vintages.
Instructions
1. Cut side panels. Cut your two-inch-by-six-inch wood to create four pieces that are 12 inches long by six inches tall.
2. Cut wine supports. Cut the rest of your two-inch-by-six-inch piece in half lengthwise to create two boards that are 48 inches long by three inches tall. Then, cut each board in half to create four pieces of wood 24 inches long by three inches tall.
3. Notch boards. Using a jig or hand saw (or a table saw with a dado set installed), cut four notches three-fourths inch tall by three-fourths inch wide in each board. Notches should be in the long sides of the boards (two per side) and one inch from each corner.
4. Test fit wood. Place a wine support onto two of the side panels. The notches should interlock completely and create a three-fourths-inch overlap for each board, allowing you to form a strong, stable rectangle with your boards. Test fit the remaining four pieces of wood in the same way, and then stack your rectangles using the open notches to make a two-level wine rack. Carefully sand or saw the notches as needed to adjust the fit.
5. Cut wide arcs in wine supports. Disassemble the boards, and use a four-inch hole cutting bit to cut five arcs into the top of one of the three-inch by 24-inch wine support boards. Center your hole cutting bit one inch above the top of the board so you're cutting partial arcs rather than half-circles. Leave two inches free on either end of the board so you won't overlap the notches, and space your arcs evenly throughout the remaining 20 inches in between. Repeat this process using another wine support.
6. Cut narrow arcs in wine supports. Repeat step four using a one-and-one-half inch hole cutting bit and the remaining two uncut wine supports. The wide (four-inch) arcs will support the bottoms of the wine bottles, while the narrow (one-and-one-half inch) arcs will support the necks.
7. Assemble your wine rack. Use sandpaper or a sander to remove any splinters and smooth rough edges. Then put together your wine rack as in step four. Your wine rack is now ready to use.
Tags: wine rack, wine supports, each board, four pieces, hole cutting