Spice Rack Plans

A Spice rack plans for all seasons.

How I made this spice rack with these easy to follow spice rack plans, and you can too. Download a pdf copy of these free spice rack plans. The link opens a new window. Print a copy on your home printer.

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How the project evolved.

A spice rack is a cost effective storage solution to help keep your kitchen tidy. It's a great gift that anyone will appreciate.

Making a spice rack is an quick and easy project even if you don't have many woodworking tools. It will always be special gift because you made it. I decided to design my own spice rack.

A little research on the internet turned up some useful information, but nothing that I really wanted to make, so I decided to design my own. The first thing I did was to measure the height of a spice bottle, which came to 105mm high. Then I lined up 9 bottles in a row, and measured that distance, which came to about 370mm. Allowing for a little extra clearance by adding 10mm, thus making it 380mm.

I decided that I wanted three tiers, and so I made a quick sketch to see how everything would fit together.

List of materials.

Once I had the sketch, it was time to make a list of what I would need.

• 12 x 63mm pine, 3.0m long. My local hardware didn't have this, so I got a length of 10 x 65mm meranti skirting board instead.
• 40mm long x 2mm dia. finish nails.
• 15mm long panel pins.
• 9.5mm (3/8") dia. dowel at least 1.5m long.
• 3mm thick masonite. This sometimes comes in project board size of 600mm x 900mm. I used backing board which is white on one side.
• Wood filler to match the wood you are going to use.
• Sandpaper - 80, 120 and 240 grit.
• A tin of varnish or varnishing stain.

Tools that I used.

• Cordless Drill.
• 2mm drill bit for predrilling for nails.
• 10mm drill bit for the dowel.
• Combination square. This is a tool that I use all the time.
• Hammer. Everybody has one.
• Tenon saw, sometimes called a backsaw.
• Hacksaw for cutting the dowels.
• Half round wood file.
• Sanding block & 120 grit sandpaper.
• Nail punch.
• 12" sanding disk, handy for trimming end grain. This is not an essential item to complete this project, so if you don't have one, don't despair.
• Bandsaw. Here again, this is not an essential item. A jigsaw would do just as well, and in a pinch, a coping saw.

Step by step instructions.

This spice rack plan has been designed for spice bottles that measure roughly 41mm dia and 105mm tall. My guess is that most spice bottles are pretty much the same whever you may be.

	The first step is to cut the timber to size. This is where it's a good idea to develop the habit of "measure twice, cut once." It's very important to have the pieces all the same length. Here I am using the first piece to accurately cut the next piece. Do this for all the pieces.
	Clamp the four shelf parts and sand the edges square using the 12" disk sander.
	Mark the decorative curves and cut them with a bandsaw or a jigsaw. I used the lid of a spray can for the smaller radius and the lid of cooking pot (that I am supposed to be fixing) for the larger diameter. Clamp the two pieces together and drill the holes for the dowels. Also a good idea to pre-drill the holes for the nails in the corner joints and for the shelves.
	I used a 10mm drill bit for the dowels, because I find that using a drill bit the same diameter as the dowel makes for a tight fit. A slightly looser fit helps to minimise the chances of splitting the wood. Using the wood file and sandpaper, round off the decorative curves.
	Now for the assembly - make sure everything is square. I prefer to put a small dab of woodworking glue on the corner joints only, not in the middle shelves, because it tends to get a bit messy. The middle shelves are fixed in place with panel pins only.
	Cut the dowel to size using a hacksaw. Pre-drill the holes for the nails that will keep the dowels in place. There are at least three advantages to pre-drilling holes - one is that it helps to prevent splitting of the wood. The other is that it helps to keep the nails straight when knocking them in. The third advantage is that it helps in the assembly process by placing the nail in the hole, acting as a third hand.

Final Assembly and Finishing.

Using a nail punch, knock all the nails just below the surface. Measure and cut the backing board to size. Attach it with panel pins. Fill all holes and imperfections with wood filler.

Allow the wood filler to dry, then give everything a light sanding with 120 grit sandpaper. Apply at least two coats of varnish according to manufacturers instructions.

I hope you will enjoy making this project from these free spice rack plans. Use this contact form if you would like to share your version of this project in the gallery.