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Towel Rack with Shelf[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 racks
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A bathroom towel rack with a shelf on top for folded towels, soap and jars, and a 1" hardwood bar below for a hand or bath towel. Each rack is a glued-up shelf on two angled brackets and a back plate that screws into the studs. One 4ft pack makes two racks plus two matching hook strips for robes.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelf pieces | 4 | Boards 1–2, two each | 23" × 4" × ¾" | 23" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Back plates | 2 | Board 3 | 23" × 4" × ¾" | 23" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Brackets | 4 | Board 4 | 6¾" × 4" × ¾" | 5⅝" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Hook strips | 2 | Board 5 | 22" × 4" × ¾" | 22" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Towel bars (1" dowel) | 2 | Store-bought | 21" long | 21" long |
Shelf: 2 boards edge-glued, 23" long.
Brackets: 45° cut at the front, 2 screws each through the back plate from behind (end grain, no glue).
Shelf to frame: glued and screwed to the back plate's top edge (long grain); screws only into the brackets.
Towel bar: 1" dowel, 21" long, glued into ½"-deep holes in the brackets.
Finished size: S4S 23" L × 8" D × 4¾" H · S2S 23" × 7" × 4⅜". Brackets 6¾" (S4S) or 5⅝" (S2S) deep; 20" clear between them. Hook strips 22" long.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Water-resistant wood glue (Titebond III)
- 1 × 1" hardwood dowel, 48" long (two 21" bars)
- 8 × #8 flat-head screws, 1¾" (S4S) or 2" (S2S), and 14 × #8, 1¼" (S4S) or 1½" (S2S)
- 8 × #10 × 3" screws for the studs (or rated anchors), ⅜" wood plugs
- 6 robe hooks with screws
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Hardwax oil, spar varnish or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Jigsaw or hand saw for the 45° cuts
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 1" Forstner bit with a depth stop
- ⅜" counterbore bit
- Stud finder and level
- 3 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" 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
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Board 1 makes the shelf for rack 1, board 2 the shelf for rack 2. Board 3 gives both back plates, board 4 all four brackets, and board 5 the two hook strips.
- 2 Cut the parts. Crosscut boards 1–3 into two 23" pieces each, board 4 into four 6¾" brackets with a stop block, and board 5 into two 22" hook strips.
- 3 Glue up the shelves. Edge-glue the two board 1 pieces into a 23" × 8" shelf, and the board 2 pieces into the second. Use a water-resistant glue. Clamp and leave overnight.
- 4 Shape the brackets. On each bracket, mark 2¼" down from the top at the front end. Draw a 45° line from that mark down to the bottom edge and cut it. Drill a 1" hole ½" deep on the inside face, 5½" from the back end and 1½" down from the top. Make two left and two right brackets.
- 5 Sand. Flatten the shelf seams and sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the shelf's front edge and the bracket cuts.
- 6 Attach the brackets. Draw lines ¾" and 1½" in from each end on the back plate's front face. Clamp a bracket on each pair of lines, flush with the bottom, holes facing in. Spread glue in the holes, set the 21" dowel between them, and drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 1¾" screws through the back plate into each bracket. No glue on the brackets — that's end grain.
- 7 Add the shelf. Glue the back plate's top edge, set the shelf on it flush at the back and ends, and drive pre-drilled #8 × 1¼" screws down into the back plate (3) and each bracket (2). The back plate joint is long grain to long grain; the brackets get screws only.
- 8 Seal it. Plug the top screw holes if you like. Apply hardwax oil, spar varnish or water-based poly to every face, end grain included. 3 coats.
- 9 Hang it. Find the studs — a 23" back plate spans one 16" stud bay. Drill 2 counterbored holes in the back plate between the brackets, lined up with the studs, and drive #10 × 3" screws. If a stud doesn't line up, use rated anchors (50 lb each or more). Hang the hook strips the same way, below the rack or on a solid door. Load: 10 lb on the shelf, towels on the bar.
S2S Lumber Pack
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). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Board 1 makes the shelf for rack 1, board 2 the shelf for rack 2. Board 3 gives both back plates, board 4 all four brackets, and board 5 the two hook strips.
- 3 Cut the parts. Crosscut boards 1–3 into two 23" pieces each, board 4 into four 5⅝" brackets with a stop block, and board 5 into two 22" hook strips.
- 4 Glue up the shelves. Edge-glue the two board 1 pieces into a 23" × 7" shelf, and the board 2 pieces into the second. Use a water-resistant glue. Clamp and leave overnight.
- 5 Shape the brackets. On each bracket, mark 2¼" down from the top at the front end. Draw a 45° line from that mark down to the bottom edge and cut it. Drill a 1" hole ½" deep on the inside face, 4⅜" from the back end and 1½" down from the top. Make two left and two right brackets.
- 6 Sand. Flatten the shelf seams and sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the shelf's front edge and the bracket cuts.
- 7 Attach the brackets. Draw lines ⅝" and 1½" in from each end on the back plate's front face. Clamp a bracket on each pair of lines, flush with the bottom, holes facing in. Spread glue in the holes, set the 21" dowel between them, and drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 2" screws through the back plate into each bracket. No glue on the brackets — that's end grain.
- 8 Add the shelf. Glue the back plate's top edge, set the shelf on it flush at the back and ends, and drive pre-drilled #8 × 1½" screws down into the back plate (3) and each bracket (2). The back plate joint is long grain to long grain; the brackets get screws only.
- 9 Seal it. Plug the top screw holes if you like. Apply hardwax oil, spar varnish or water-based poly to every face, end grain included. 3 coats.
- 10 Hang it. Find the studs — a 23" back plate spans one 16" stud bay. Drill 2 counterbored holes in the back plate between the brackets, lined up with the studs, and drive #10 × 3" screws. If a stud doesn't line up, use rated anchors (50 lb each or more). Hang the hook strips the same way, below the rack or on a solid door. Load: 10 lb on the shelf, towels on the bar.
Why screw the brackets from behind? The brackets meet the back plate with their end grain, which doesn't hold glue. Screws from behind are hidden once the rack is on the wall, and the shelf screwed down on top locks the whole thing square.
Why glue the shelf to the back plate? Both parts run the same way, so it's a long-grain joint that moves together through the seasons. Glue there makes the rack stiff. The brackets cross the shelf's grain, so they get screws only.
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
- Curved brackets: trace a paint can on the bracket blank and cut a curve with a jigsaw instead of the 45° line.
- Contrast bar: a walnut dowel on a maple rack, or the reverse.
- Kitchen version: hang one by the stove for tea towels and spices.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- 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.
- Keep the shelf to about 10 lb. Don't hang on the bar or use the rack as a grab bar — it isn't one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Yes, with every face sealed — end grain included — and a water-resistant glue. White oak is the best choice for a bathroom. Keep it out of the shower spray and re-oil when the wood looks dry.
About 10 lb on the shelf plus damp towels on the bar, when screwed into studs. The hook strips hold robes and towels.
Yes, on a solid door. Use #8 × 1¼" screws and keep the robes light. On a hollow-core door, use hollow-door anchors.
Planned offcuts: about 1" off boards 1–3, about 19" off board 4 and about 3" off board 5. All 5 boards go into the racks.
Yes, with a narrower rack. A 2ft pack makes one 20" rack and one hook strip: two 20" shelf pieces from boards 1–2, the back plate from board 3, the brackets from board 4 and the hook strip from board 5. Cut the bar 18".
