Of all of the Home & Garden projects we’ve created and featured on the blog over the years, there is little doubt that our DIY wine racks have been one of the more popular.
Especially each year as the holiday season rolls around, and folks look to make that “perfect” homemade gift for someone special. Or perhaps, maybe even for their own home!
We built our very first wine rack way back in 2013. Using pallet wood and a slab of live edge wood, it went together in a single day. And it quickly became one of our favorite pieces of “furniture” in the house. (See : Building A Classic Wine Rack From Pallets)
At the time, we didn’t realize just how popular it would become with friends and family too. So popular, in fact, we began building them as gifts. It really is a fun project to create, and one in which you can let your creativity go free.
Building DIY Wine Racks
Over the years, using the same simple building process, we have crafted DIY wine racks of all sizes. And out of all kinds of wood as well, including cherry, oak, pine, walnut, barn wood and more.
Although they look elegant and complex, they are actually quite easy to build and assemble. Best of all, it’s easy to personalize the size and elements to any rack. With the simple “ladder” style construction, you can easily adjust the size, all while creating wine glass holders, shelves and more.
As for tools, all you need is a table saw, a miter/chop saw, and a small nail gun. In fact, you can even forgo the table saw if you want to purchase the wood to size.
Here is a look below at how we build one of our favorites, a classic 20 bottle / 12 wine glass rack. We did place these plans in our Etsy store for those that want complete step by step plans : DIY WINE RACK PLANS
Creating A Classic 20 Bottle / 12 Glass DIY Wine Rack
A few years back, we came up with our go-to wine rack as a gift for friends and family. With a 20 bottle capacity, it’s enough to hold a modest collection of wine. But even better, it holds 12 standard red or white wine glasses too!
The completed rack measures 19-1/4″ wide x 12″ deep, x 36-1/2″ tall. Because of its smaller size, it makes it great for fitting into any space. And best of all, it doesn’t take much material to create.
In fact, you can build the entire frame from just (6) standard 1” x 6” x 6’ boards or the equivalent in board feet of any size lumber. It is important to note that 1x (1″) lumber is actually 3/4″ thick wood, which is perfect for the size and weight of the piece. (Still not sure why we need to label lumber sizing so confusingly)
How It All Goes Together – The DIY Wine Rack
Using a table saw, you can quickly rip down the 1 x 6′ boards into the legs, rungs, and the top and bottom frame rails you will need to create the rack. A chop/miter then cuts them all to length for assembly.
The main body of the wine rack is created by building a series of identical ladders using the legs and rungs. Each ladder is made from (2) legs and (5) rungs, and attach quickly with a nail gun.
The ladders fit together with a top and bottom frame piece to create the rack. As they go together, the ladder spacing is set at 3.5″, which is the perfect side for holding a standard 750ml wine bottle. Even better, it is also the perfect spacing for wine glasses too!
Placing a top above the ladders completes the entire piece. For attaching the top, we use either nails or “L” brackets to secure it all together. Using the same plans and method, you can easily adjust to make any wine rack of any size and length.
Adding Personal Touches – The DIY Wine Rack
One thing we love about the top is that it leaves so much room for personalizing. We use live edge, wood slabs, pine panels, metal and more to create all kinds of custom tops.
They really do make the perfect gift. So much so that we have since made a tradition of giving one to each of our children when they move into their first apartment or home. Kind of an old take on passing down heirloom furniture so to speak!
Here is to creating homemade gifts from the heart, or maybe even a DIY wine rack for your own home! Happy Building – Jim & Mary.
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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