30″ wide shoe rack plans

Parts

Cut list

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
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 3Build the two end frames

   Lay two legs (A) side by side and mark the top of every end rail on both at once, measured from the bottom: 3 1/4″, 10 1/4″, 17 1/4″.

   Lay the legs 9″ apart, inside faces toward each other, and set the rails (B) between them with their tops on the marks.

   Drill a pilot hole through the leg into the middle of each rail end. Spread glue on the rail end, clamp, and drive one 2 1/2″ screw per joint.

   Build the second end frame on top of the first so the two match exactly.

   • Tip 2×2s split easily near the ends. Drill the pilot all the way through the leg and slightly smaller than the screw into the rail.
   • Tip A combination square set to the mark lets you check each rail is square to the leg before the screw goes in.

   ✓ Each frame is 12″ wide at the top and bottom, and its diagonals match within 1/16″.

4. 4Join the frames with the back stretcher

   Stand both end frames up, back legs to the back. Clamp the back stretcher (D) between the back legs, flush with their back faces, between the bottom two tiers.

   Drive two 2 1/2″ screws through each leg into the stretcher end, predrilled, with glue.

   • Tip The stretcher is what stops the rack from leaning sideways (racking). Keep it square to the legs.

   ✓ The frames stand parallel, 30″ apart outside at the front and at the back.

5. 5Lay and fix the slats

   Each tier has 4 slats (C) laid across the end rails, ends flush with the outside of the frames. Start with the front slat tight behind the front legs.

   Cut a scrap spacer 1″ wide and use it between slats so every gap is the same.

   Predrill and drive one 1 5/8″ screw through each end of each slat into the rail, centred on the slat. Work from the bottom tier up.

   • Tip Put the best face of each slat up and sight along it: lay any slight bow (crown) up so shoes flatten it.
   • Tip Countersink the screw heads so socks and laces don't catch on them.

   ✓ Every slat end is flush with the frame and the gaps are even. Press on the middle of each tier: it springs back.

6. 6Ease the edges and add pads

   Sand every edge and corner with 120 grit until it is round to the touch; shoes and ankles bump this rack every day.

   Stick felt pads under the legs on a hard floor so it slides when you mop without scratching.

   • Tip Finish it with two coats of water-based polyurethane: wet shoes and salt from winter boots stain bare pine.

   ✓ The rack sits flat without rocking. If one leg is short, sand the long legs down a little at a time.

7. 7Finish

   Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.

   Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.

   Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.

   Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.

   Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.

   • Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.