DIY Wine Rack from a Pallet

This is a DIY project I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.

When I started my current job last year, I noticed a plethora of pallets around our warehouse. I immediately started brainstorming ideas with my dad and uncle, who are both carpenters.

We decided on a DIY wine rack, so my Uncle Denny started looking around on Pinterest for ideas. He came up with a design, so (with my boss’s permission) I grabbed a pallet and we got to work!

We got pretty lucky with the pallet I was able to snag. It was made of good-quality pine, so it wasn’t too hard to take apart.

We chose the boards with the most character to keep on the wine rack. They didn’t have to be next to each other on the pallet; we were able to take them off and rearrange them.

To remove the boards we wanted from the framing, we gently tapped them out of place, putting a spare piece of wood between the hammer and the pallet to prevent divots.

Once we took off some of the boards, we cut the pallet apart at the height we wanted. This is where you have to be careful: if you get a crappier pallet, the wood might be too hard and cause some damage to your saw.

This was my first experience with power tools, so that was rather nerve-wracking. Luckily my uncle is a woodshop teacher, so he’s great at explaining how to do things and why certain techniques are better than others.

The next step was to add a bottom shelf so the wine wouldn’t fall right through. We took one of the boards we weren’t going to use for the backside and cut it to size. To make sure they were strong enough to hold several bottles at once, we glued and nailed them in place.

Using the nail gun was much more fun than your basic hammer and nails, but it could be done either way. And I promise I didn’t scream like so many people do on HGTV.

At this point, we could have sanded everything down, nailed the chosen boards to the back, stained it all, and called it good. But we wanted to take it to the next level: adding a spot for hanging wine glasses. After all, you need wine glasses to drink the wine.

Unless you’re hardcore.

First we had to attach spacers so the glass holder would be level. We cut three pieces of spare wood and nailed them to the bottom, one on each end and a third in the middle. It was important that they were the same size, because we would attach the glass holder to these. If they were different sizes, the glasses would be crooked, which is no good.

Next was making the glass holder itself. We used a new piece of lumber so the glasses would rest evenly. Starting out with a circular bit, we created holes that were spaced evenly and far enough apart that the glass bases wouldn’t run into each other.

Once all eight holes were drilled, we cut from the edge of the board to the circle to create a slot for the stems to slide into. We added a diagonal cut on each side of the opening so it would be easier to slide the glasses into place.

 

Then we sanded everything down, nailed all of the pieces in place, stained it, added a few coats of polyurethane, and hung it up!

It was a long process, but most of it involved me learning how to use the various tools my dad has set up in his garage. I even got to use the big miter saw, but my photographer was inside so she couldn’t take a picture of it. Thanks, Mom.

I’m lucky to have access to tools that made the process easier, but most—if not all—of the wine rack could still be completed with a basic set.

I love the rustic look it has, especially with the original ink still on the side.

What do you think? What would you make out of an old pallet?