Handmade wine shelves can be as attractive as they are practical. It doesn't take exceptional woodworking skill, a great deal of time or costly tools and supplies to make your own wine shelves. Taking on this do-it-yourself project can be a great option for anyone who loves wine and wants an ideal way to display some favorite bottles, have easy access to wines for everyday use or even create a stable, long-term storage solution for a sizable cellar.
Instructions
1. Draw up plans. Handmade wine shelves can basically be as large or compact as you like. A good starting point is a unit with six shelves designed to hold eight bottles each, for a total of 48 bottles (four cases). With this configuration, each shelf needs to be 36 inches wide: 2 inches per bottle (16 inches in all), 2 inches apiece for nine dividers (18 inches in all), and an inch at each end. The unit would be 43 inches tall: 6 inches for each of the six shelves, 6-inch legs and a 1-inch top. Note that most wine bottles are 3 to 4 inches in diameter, so 2-inch gaps and dividers allow 3-inch bottles to rest securely and 4-inch bottles to fit snugly.
2. Cut rails. Each shelf will be a rectangle made of 1x4 rails placed 4 inches apart and resting on 12-inch supports. For each shelf in your design, cut two rails to the appropriate length.
3. Cut dividers. Cut 1x2 lumber into 12-inch lengths to create dividers to run perpendicular to the rails to support and separate the wine bottles. Cut one more divider than the number of bottles each shelf will hold. Rectangular dividers are fine, but you can also bevel the edges to make angled dividers.
4. Attach dividers. Place two rails in parallel with 4 inches in between. Place a divider perpendicular to the rails 1 inch from a side edge, and then distribute the rest at intervals of 2 inches. If you've calculated and measured correctly, your last divider should end up 1 inch from the far end. Attach the dividers to the rails using finish nails or brads.
5. Cut supports and corners. Cut 1x2 lumber to create two 12-inch supports per shelf, plus two more supports for the top. Then, cut 1x4 lumber to match the total height of your shelving unit (6 inches for each shelf + 6-inch legs + a 1-inch top).
6. Attach supports. Use wood screws to connect the supports and corners in a ladder-like configuration, with supports placed every 6 inches along the corners. Start from the top, with the first support an inch from the edge of the corner. Each support should be 6 inches below the bottom of the previous one.
7. Attach shelves. Place each shelf (rails and dividers) onto the "ladders" of corners and supports, and connect them using finish nails or brads.
8. Attach top. Cut 1x12 lumber to the length of the shelf, set it on the uppermost supports, and connect it to the corners and supports using brads or finish nails.
Tags: each shelf, finish nails, inch from, 12-inch supports, 6-inch legs