There are many options for those looking for large capacity wine storage. Most of the storage being sold is very pricey, after all it is just some wood that is secured together with glue or screws. I am going to show you how to build a simple wine storage rack that will hold approximately 40 bottles, cost about $15 and take around an hour max to build. The finished unit can be stained to give it a real nice look and they are modular so they can be stacked to grow with your needs.

First of all you will need to be comfortable using a power saw. If not, you are better off buying storage from somewhere.. no need to lose a finger. And make sure you don’t drink wine before you start this process.

What you need..

• (1) 1 x 10 x 8 board – one inch by 10 inch by 8 foot
• (1) 1 x 10 x 6 board – on inch by 10 inch by 6 foot
• Self tapping wood screws
• Circular Saw
• Power Drill
• Tape Measure
• Pencil

Optionally.. (or if you’re anal)

• Mitre saw
• Jigsaw
• Right angle square
• File

Step One … the prep

Prepped and ready!

Pick nice straight hardwood boards from the local hardware superstore. The type of wood doesn’t matter but just don’t go and get plywood. You need one eight foot piece of 1 x 10 for building the outside frame and one 6 foot piece of 1 x 10 for building the inner supports. Since you need to go to the hardware store for the lumber you should pick up some 1 1/2 inch long self tapping wood screws as well. No need to risk splitting your frame with some old deck screws or something.

Prep your area and have everything handy.

Step Two … cutting the frame

8 ft board cut into frame pieces

For the frame we are going to cut the 8 foot board into the following sections.

• (2) 23 3/4 inch lengths
• (2) 22 1/4 inch lengths

Measure each piece one at a time otherwise the saw will take an eight inch bite out of the board and you will be short on all the boards but the first.

Step Three … assemble the frame

Assemble the frame.

Next attach a shorter piece on the inside of a longer piece using the self tapping wood screws. Take your time here to line up the edges. I put in one side at a time using a single screw until I had a square. Then I attached 2 more screws on each connection.

Step Four … cut the inner supports

For the inner supports we cut the 6 foot board into

• (2) 30 3/4 inch lengths

Inner support with chank mitre cuts.

If you have a mitre saw you may want to cut the ends with opposing 45 degree angles to wedge the support into the corners. Just make sure the run of the board is 30 3/4 inches, not measured  from point to point.

After cutting, place each board inside your outer frame to make sure that you have a relatively snug fit. If your measuring and cutting skills are like mine you made need to make a few minor adjustments on the inner boards. Go small. You can always cut more wood away but you can never get it back.

Step Five … notch the supports

This is the most difficult step because it will involve some math. Math is hard for us wino’s. If you had to adjust the inner supports you will need to measure the midpoint of them. If you didn’t need to adjust then the midpoint will be at 15 3/8 inches. You will need to take out a 3/4 inch gap centered on the midpoint on each support measuring 4 5/8 inches deep. 3/4 inch gap because a 1 inch board is actually 3/4 inches thick, 4 5/8 deep because a ten inch board measures 9 1/4. That is just how it is.. the 1 x 10 is the measurements before it is finished and sent to the store. Anyway,  once the midpoint is determined mark it with your pencil and mark where it is 4 5/8 inches deep.

Notch cuts with a circular saw..

You can use a jigsaw for this step if available.  The circular saw will do fine though, just make sure the board is well supported and make three cuts at the midpoint gap going to the 4 5/8 measurement. Flip it over, measure to 4 5/8 and make the same cuts. Break off the pieces. Now there is a peak at the middle of the board in the cut. Measure how far it is from the peak to the board base. The base is where the original 4 5/8 measurement is, the difference from there to the peak is the additional amount you need to take your cut. It will vary depending on the diameter of the blade. I had a 10 inch blade and there was a 1/2 inch difference. If it is 1/2 inch take the cut an additional 1/2 inch on each side, break off the pieces and then file the middle if you want. Repeat for the second board.

Step Six … final assembly

Assembled inner supports

Majestic

Now that we have made it this far all that is left to do is to piece the notched inner supports together to form an ‘X’ shape. Take this and place into the outer frame. You should have a nice snug fit. You may need to tap the corners with a fist ( or a rubber mallet if you are a wuss ) to get the inner supports all the way inside the frame.

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