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Coffee Mug Wall Racks[8/4 Wide · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 mug racks
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 Wide · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 6-8"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Two thick hardwood mug racks for the coffee corner. Each rack is a 22" back plate with six square pegs that tilt up 10°, topped with a 5½" deep shelf for beans, a jar of sugar or a small plant. Boards 1–4 are the plates and shelves, and board 5 rips into the 12 pegs. Each rack screws into two studs. Hang one by the coffee maker and give the other away.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back plates | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 22" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Shelves | 2 | Boards 3–4 | 22" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Peg strips | 3 | Board 5, ripped 1" wide, then 1" thick | 23" × 1" × 1" |
| Pegs (10° back end) | 12 | Four from each strip | 5" × 1" × 1" |
Rack: 22" × 5½" back plate (boards 1–2) with a 22" × 5½" shelf (boards 3–4) glued and screwed down onto its top edge — long grain to long grain, 3 × #10 × 3" screws, counterbored and plugged.
Pegs: board 5 ripped into 1" × 1" strips → 12 pegs 5" long, back end cut at 10° so they tilt up. Six per rack, 3¾" apart, the first 1⅝" from the end, 2¼" up.
Peg to plate: one #10 × 3" screw from the back into the peg's end grain, plus a thin coat of glue to stop it turning. The screw carries the load.
Mount: 2 × #10 × 3½" screws into studs 16" apart, 3" from each end, counterbored and plugged.
Finished size: Each rack 22" W × 7¼" H × 5½" deep at the shelf; pegs stand out about 5". About 10 lb in walnut. Holds about 15 lb, screwed into two studs.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 2ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 18 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws (12 pegs and 6 shelf screws)
- 4 × #10 × 3½" wood or structural screws (two per rack, into studs)
- 10 × ⅜" wood plugs (same species or a contrast)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: hardwax oil or wipe-on poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with 10° setting
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide), push sticks and a featherboard
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, ⅜" counterbore bit
- 10° scrap wedge (drill guide for the peg holes)
- Flush-cut saw or chisel (plugs)
- Clamps
- Stud finder and level
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Cut the plates and shelves. Square one end of boards 1–4 and crosscut each at 22". Boards 1 and 2 are the back plates; boards 3 and 4 the shelves. Pick the best faces and edges for the front.
- 3 Rip the peg strips. Set the fence at 1" and rip three strips off board 5. Then lay each strip on its side and rip it again so it is 1" × 1" square. Use push sticks and a featherboard — these are thin rips. A 1" peg slips through almost any mug handle; a 1¾" peg would not.
- 4 Cut the pegs. Set the mitre saw to 10° and trim one end of each strip. Clamp a stop block and cut four 5" pegs from each strip, square at the outer end — 12 pegs, each with a 10° back end that tilts it up. Hold the strip with a clamp, not your fingers, on the last cuts. Chamfer the outer ends about ⅛" and ease the long edges.
- 5 Lay out the back plates. On the front of each back plate, mark six peg centres 1⅝" from the left end and then every 3¾", all 2¼" up from the bottom edge. Mark two stud holes 3" in from each end (16" apart) and 4¼" up from the bottom.
- 6 Fit the pegs. Drill a clearance hole through the plate at each peg mark, tilted 10° up toward the front (a 10° scrap wedge under the plate guides the bit), with a ⅜" counterbore ½" deep on the back. Drill a pilot 1½" into the centre of each peg's end. Spread a thin coat of glue, hold the peg on its mark with the tilt pointing up, and drive a #10 × 3" screw from the back. End grain won't hold glue — the screw carries the load; the glue just stops the peg turning.
- 7 Add the shelf. Lay the shelf on the back plate's top edge, back edges flush and ends flush. It is long grain on long grain, so glue it. Drill three ⅜" counterbores ½" deep through the shelf at 3", 11", 19" from the left end, centred over the plate, then pre-drill and drive #10 × 3" screws down into the plate. Glue in wood plugs and sand them flush.
- 8 Sand and finish. Sand 120 → 180 → 220 and soften every edge. Wipe on 2–3 coats of hardwax oil or wipe-on poly on every face, including the back — it hangs in a steamy kitchen.
- 9 Hang it. Find two studs 16" apart and centre the rack on them, shelf level. Drill ⅜" counterbores ½" deep at the stud marks, pre-drill into the studs and drive two #10 × 3½" screws. Plug the holes. Each rack weighs about 10 lb in walnut and holds about 15 lb: six mugs plus a few jars or a small plant on the shelf.
Why 1" pegs? Most mug handles have an opening about 1" wide. A 1¾" peg would look chunky but no mug would fit on it. A 1" hardwood peg is still far stronger than a mug needs.
Why tilt the pegs 10°? A level peg lets a mug creep off the end when someone closes a cupboard. A 10° tilt keeps the handle sliding back toward the wall.
Why screw the pegs from behind? The peg meets the plate with its end grain, and glue alone won't hold end grain. A long screw from the back pulls it tight and carries the weight. The rack hangs flat, so the screw heads never show.
Why 3" from each end? Studs are 16" apart on centre. Holes 3" in from each end of a 22" rack are exactly 16" apart, so both screws land in studs when you centre the rack on a stud bay.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Hooks instead of pegs: skip board 5 and screw in six brass cup hooks. Use the board 5 strips for a matching coaster set.
- Rail on the shelf: glue a ¾" strip along the front edge of the shelf so jars can't slide off.
- Contrast pegs: make the pegs from a second species — maple pegs on a walnut rack.
- Long coffee bar: hang the two racks end to end with a 1" gap for a 45" mug wall with 12 mugs.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the 1" peg strips with push sticks and a featherboard, and never reach past the blade. A bandsaw is a safer choice for the second rip.
- Clamp the strip or use a hold-down when crosscutting the 5" pegs. Never hold short parts by hand at the blade.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Mount into wall studs (or rated anchors sized for the load). Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
About 15 lb screwed into two studs: six mugs plus a few jars or a small plant on the shelf. Don't hang heavy cast-iron pots or lean on the shelf.
Pegs are 3¾" apart, so mugs up to about 3½" across hang side by side. For big latte mugs, use five pegs at 4½" apart, starting 2" from each end.
A 22" rack reaches only one stud at 24" spacing. Screw one end into the stud and use a heavy-duty anchor rated for at least 50 lb at the other end, and keep the load light.
Planned offcuts: about ⅞" off the end of boards 1–4, the ¾" strips ripped off the pegs, a 2" wide strip left on board 5 (enough for four spare pegs) and about 2½" off each peg strip. All 5 boards go into the racks.
Yes. A 4ft wide pack makes two 44" racks with 12 pegs each: use boards 1–4 full length and rip board 5 into six 1" strips for 24 pegs. Screw each long rack into three studs.
