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 bottom passes the sag check.
- The crosspiece passes the sag check.
- Top may sag 1/16″ (target 1/16″). Use fewer columns.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
- Holds 60 bottles, about 210 lb when full. Store corked bottles lying down so the cork stays wet.
- Keep it out of sun and away from the oven, dishwasher and fridge vents: heat and swings in temperature spoil wine.
- 4 1/4″ cubbies fit standard 750 ml bottles. Champagne and magnums need 4 1/2″.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 2 | 1/2″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $104.00 |
| 1 | 1/4″ plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $28.00 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 1 1/4″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $7.00 |
| 1 | 1″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $6.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
About $250 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 50 5/8″ | 12″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Top and bottom Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 27 7/8″ | 12″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Kick One at the front, one at the back. | 2 | 27 7/8″ | 2 1/2″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| D | Upright Slotted from the back edge: 9 slots. | 5 | 46 3/4″ | 12″ | 1/2″ birch plywood |
| E | Crosspiece Slotted from the front edge: 5 slots. | 9 | 27 7/8″ | 12″ | 1/2″ birch plywood |
| F | Back | 1 | 48 1/8″ | 29 1/4″ | 1/4″ plywood |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1/2″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 2
1/2″ birch plywood, sheet 2 of 2
1/4″ plywood, sheet 1 of 1
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 12″, 12″, 12″, keep the rest.
- 1/2″ birch plywood: rip into strips 12″, 12″, 12″, keep the rest.
- 1/2″ birch plywood: rip into strips 12″, 12″, 12″, keep the rest.
- 1/4″ plywood: rip into strips 29 1/4″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Hammer
- Stud finder
- Level
- Jigsaw or handsaw
- Chisel, 1/2″
- Wood file
- 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. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
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.3Edge-band the case
Iron edge banding onto the front edge of both sides (A) and of the top and bottom (B). Trim it flush with a sharp utility knife and sand the corners.
✓ No banding hangs over either face: run a finger along each edge.
4Mark the grid slots
The grid is an egg-crate: the uprights (D) and crosspieces (E) each have slots cut halfway through, and they slide into each other. Every slot is 1/2″ wide (a hair wider than the 1/2″ plywood) and 6″ long.
Stack the uprights, ends even, and clamp them. Square lines across the back edge for the slots, measured from the bottom end: 4 1/4″, 9″, 13 11/16″, 18 7/16″, 23 1/8″, 27 7/8″, 32 9/16″, 37 5/16″, 42″ to the near side of each slot.
Stack and clamp the crosspieces the same way and mark slots on the front edge, measured from the left end: 4 1/4″, 9″, 13 11/16″, 18 7/16″, 23 1/8″.
- Tip Measure every mark from the same end with the tape hooked once; adding up short measurements makes errors creep in.
✓ Every slot is marked on both faces of the stack, and the depth line (halfway across) is drawn on the outside pieces.
5Cut the slots
With the stack still clamped, saw down both sides of every slot to the depth line with a jigsaw or handsaw, staying just inside the lines.
Make a few more cuts between them, then break out the waste with a chisel and clean the bottom of each slot square.
Test one slot on a scrap of the same plywood: it should slide on with firm hand pressure. Widen tight slots with a file or sandpaper wrapped around a scrap of 1/2″ plywood.
✓ Dry-fit the whole grid on the floor. It goes together by hand and the front edges are flush.
STOP. Keep both hands behind the jigsaw blade and let it stop before you lift it out of a cut.6Build the case
Glue and screw the two kicks (C) between the sides at the bottom, one flush with the front and one with the back: 2 screws, 1 5/8″, through each side into each kick.
Set the bottom (B) on the kicks, its underside 2 1/2″ up, and the top flush with the top ends. Glue and drive 3 screws through each side into each.
✓ The diagonals of the front match within 1/16″.
7Slide in the grid
Put a little glue in every slot and assemble the grid again.
Slide the whole grid into the case from the front, front edges flush with the case.
Drive two 1 1/4″ brads through the top and bottom into the end of each upright, and two through each side into the end of each crosspiece. Aim for the middle of the 1/2″ edge.
✓ Every cubby is 4 1/4″ square: try a bottle in a few of them.
8Nail on the back
Lay the rack face down. Square it, then glue and brad the back (F) to the back edges of the sides, top, bottom and grid every 6″.
✓ The back is flush with the sides and the top at every edge.
9Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.10Finish
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.
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.