Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The rail passes the sag check.
- Finish with food-grade mineral oil (and board cream if you like). No stain, paint, varnish or polyurethane on anything that touches food or wet dishes: film finishes crack and peel in water.
- Sized to stand in a 20″ × 15″ plastic drip tray. Measure the tray you buy before you cut.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×2 hard maple board (S4S), 6′ (board) | $14.40 |
| 6 | 3/8″ × 36″ hardwood dowel rod (each) | $12.00 |
| 1 | Waterproof wood glue for indirect food contact (Titebond III or similar) (bottle) | $9.00 |
| 1 | #8 × 1 1/4″ stainless steel wood screws (box of 25) | $8.00 |
| 1 | Food-grade mineral oil, 12 oz (bottle) | $8.00 |
| 1 | Board cream (mineral oil and beeswax) (tin) | $10.00 |
| 1 | Plastic drip tray (boot tray), about 20″ × 15″ (each) | $12.00 |
About $73 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Rail Stands on its narrow edge; the dowels go in the top edge. | 2 | 18″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 hard maple board (S4S) |
| B | Foot Lies flat under the rails. | 3 | 11″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 hard maple board (S4S) |
Cut list
1×2 hard maple board (S4S), 72″ → A 18″ · A 18″ · B 11″ · B 11″ · B 11″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Brad-point drill bit to match the dowels
- Fine-tooth handsaw and miter box, or a miter saw
- Countersink bit
- Mallet
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Check the wood
Hard maple is used here because it is hard, has tight pores that don't soak up water and food, and has no smell or taste. Avoid oak: its open pores hold water, and it turns black where it touches wet steel.
Sight down each board like a rifle barrel. Pick straight ones without cracks or knots.
Cut the two rails (A) to 18″ and the three feet (B) to 11″. Sand all of them with 120 then 180 grit now, while they are easy to hold.
- Tip Maple burns easily on a saw. Feed steadily; if you see scorch marks, sand them off now.
✓ Both rails lie flat on the bench on their narrow edge with no rocking.
4Mark the dowel holes
Clamp the two rails side by side, narrow edges up and ends even, so one set of marks serves both.
Square a line across both edges at 1 1/2″ from the left end, then every 1 1/4″: 13 lines in all.
Unclamp and, on each rail, mark the centre of every line: 3/8″ in from either face, halfway across the edge.
✓ The last line is 1 1/2″ from the right end, the same as the first is from the left.
5Drill the holes
Fit a 3/8″ brad-point bit and wrap tape around it 3/4″ up from the tip as a depth stop.
Drill a test hole in scrap and push a dowel in. It should go in with firm hand pressure. If it is loose, glue will not save it: buy a different bag of dowels or a bit 1/64″ smaller.
Drill every mark straight down, stopping when the tape touches. Hold a small square next to the bit, or drill through a scrap block that has a square hole in it, to keep the bit upright.
- Tip Lift the bit out every few seconds to clear the chips; packed chips make the hole wander.
✓ A dowel pushed into any hole stands straight up against a square.
STOP. Clamp the rail down. Never hold a small part in your hand while drilling it.6Cut the dowels
Clamp a stop block to your saw 4 1/4″ from the blade and cut 13 short dowels. Move it to 7 3/4″ and cut 13 long ones. You need 6 dowel rods.
Round the top end of every dowel with sandpaper, turning it as you sand, so no sharp edge chips a plate.
- Tip A fine-tooth handsaw in a miter box cuts dowels cleanly; a coarse blade shreds them.
✓ All the short dowels are the same length when stood side by side; same for the long ones.
7Glue in the dowels
Put a little waterproof glue in each hole with a toothpick, spreading it on the walls. Push the short dowels into the front rail and the long ones into the back rail, and tap each down to the bottom with a mallet.
Wipe off squeeze-out with a damp rag right away; dried glue blocks the oil and shows as pale spots.
✓ Every dowel is straight up and the same height as its neighbours. Sight along each row and nudge any leaner while the glue is wet.
8Screw on the feet
Lay the three feet (B) flat, one at each end and one in the middle. Set the rails on them, 1″ in from the front and back ends of the feet.
Drill a pilot hole and a countersink up through each foot into each rail (6 in all), add a dab of glue, and drive the stainless screws from underneath.
✓ The rack sits flat on the bench with all three feet touching.
STOP. Use stainless screws only. Plain steel rusts from the wet dishes and stains maple black.9Oil it
Flood mineral oil over every surface, including inside the slots and under the feet. Wait 20 minutes and wipe off the rest. Repeat the next day.
Rub in board cream for a little more water resistance, let it sit overnight, and buff off.
Stand the rack in the drip tray. Re-oil whenever the wood looks pale and dry, about once a month.
✓ Water beads on the wood instead of soaking in.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.