No Products in Your Cart
Wine Bottle and Glass Shelf[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 wall rack
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 wall-mounted wine shelf that does two jobs. Up to 6 bottles stand on top behind a front lip, and up to 8 stemware glasses hang upside down underneath in four T-slots. The shelf is a two-board glue-up, the back screws into the studs, and the slot rails are simple glued strips. One 4ft pack makes the whole rack.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelf pieces | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 46" × 4" × ¾" | 46" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Back | 1 | Board 3 | 46" × 4" × ¾" | 46" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Rail caps | 5 | Board 4 | 8" × 4" × ¾" | 7" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Front lip | 1 | Board 5, 1¼" strip | 46" × 1¼" × ¾" | 46" × 1¼" × ⅞" |
| Rail spacers | 5 | Board 5, 1" strip | 8" × 1" × ¾" | 7" × 1" × ⅞" |
Shelf: 2 boards edge-glued, grain running the long way.
Back: on edge behind the shelf, bottoms flush. Glue + #8 screws through the back into the shelf edge (long grain to long grain).
Lip: 1¼" strip glued on edge along the front of the shelf top.
Glass slots: 5 T-rails (1" spacer glued on a full-width cap) screwed up under the shelf, ¾" stem gaps between the caps. Screws only, front holes slotted — the rails cross the shelf grain.
Finished size: S4S 46" L × about 8¾" D × 4" H at the back; rails hang 1½" below the shelf; 4 slots, ¾" stem gap, 3¾" for the glass foot · S2S 46" × about 7⅞" × 3½"; rails 1¾" deep; 3¼" for the foot.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 6 × #8 flat-head screws: 1½" (S4S) or 1¾" (S2S)
- 10 × #8 pan-head screws with washers: 2" (S4S) or 2¼" (S2S)
- 6 × #10 × 3" wood screws (into the studs)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Stud finder and 24" level
- 6 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. Boards 1–2 make the shelf, board 3 the back, board 4 the rail caps, and board 5 the front lip and rail spacers. Save the best-looking board for the back — it shows the most.
- 2 Cut and glue the shelf. Crosscut boards 1–3 to 46". Edge-glue boards 1 and 2 into a 46" × 8" shelf, ends flush and faces level. Clamp and leave it overnight.
- 3 Cut the rail parts. Crosscut board 4 into 5 caps at 8". Rip a 1¼" strip and a 1" strip off board 5. Cut the 1¼" strip to 46" for the lip and the 1" strip into 5 spacers at 8".
- 4 Glue up the T-rails. Glue a spacer flat on the centre of each cap, ends flush. Both parts run the same way, so this is a long-grain joint. Clamp and let dry. You now have 5 T-shaped rails.
- 5 Sand. Flatten the shelf seam and sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the edges of the caps where the glass stems slide in.
- 6 Join the shelf and back. Stand the back on edge behind the shelf, bottom edges flush. Glue the shelf's back edge, clamp, and drive #8 × 1½" screws through the back into the shelf every 8", pre-drilled and countersunk. Glue the lip on edge along the front of the shelf top.
- 7 Lay out the rails. Turn the shelf upside down. Centre the 5 rails across it, spacer side down, tight to the back. Use two ¾" scraps as spacers between the caps — that leaves 4 stem slots, each ¾" wide, with 3¾" of room above for the glass foot.
- 8 Screw on the rails. Mark each spacer's centre line on the shelf top. Drill 2 clearance holes through the shelf over each rail, 1" from the back and 1" from the front. Stretch the front holes front to back into ⅜" slots. Drive #8 × 2" pan-head screws with washers down into each rail. No glue — the rails cross the shelf grain, and the slots let the shelf move.
- 9 Finish. Wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats.
- 10 Hang it. Find the studs and draw a level line. Hold the holder on it, pre-drill through the back above the shelf, and drive two #10 × 3" screws into every stud. Slide the glasses in upside down from the front.
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. Boards 1–2 make the shelf, board 3 the back, board 4 the rail caps, and board 5 the front lip and rail spacers. Save the best-looking board for the back — it shows the most.
- 3 Cut and glue the shelf. Crosscut boards 1–3 to 46". Edge-glue boards 1 and 2 into a 46" × 7" shelf, ends flush and faces level. Clamp and leave it overnight.
- 4 Cut the rail parts. Crosscut board 4 into 5 caps at 7". Rip a 1¼" strip and a 1" strip off board 5. Cut the 1¼" strip to 46" for the lip and the 1" strip into 5 spacers at 7".
- 5 Glue up the T-rails. Glue a spacer flat on the centre of each cap, ends flush. Both parts run the same way, so this is a long-grain joint. Clamp and let dry. You now have 5 T-shaped rails.
- 6 Sand. Flatten the shelf seam and sand every part 120 → 180 → 220. Round over the edges of the caps where the glass stems slide in.
- 7 Join the shelf and back. Stand the back on edge behind the shelf, bottom edges flush. Glue the shelf's back edge, clamp, and drive #8 × 1¾" screws through the back into the shelf every 8", pre-drilled and countersunk. Glue the lip on edge along the front of the shelf top.
- 8 Lay out the rails. Turn the shelf upside down. Centre the 5 rails across it, spacer side down, tight to the back. Use two ¾" scraps as spacers between the caps — that leaves 4 stem slots, each ¾" wide, with 3¼" of room above for the glass foot.
- 9 Screw on the rails. Mark each spacer's centre line on the shelf top. Drill 2 clearance holes through the shelf over each rail, 1" from the back and 1" from the front. Stretch the front holes front to back into ⅜" slots. Drive #8 × 2¼" pan-head screws with washers down into each rail. No glue — the rails cross the shelf grain, and the slots let the shelf move.
- 10 Finish. Wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly, 2–3 coats.
- 11 Hang it. Find the studs and draw a level line. Hold the holder on it, pre-drill through the back above the shelf, and drive two #10 × 3" screws into every stud. Slide the glasses in upside down from the front.
How do the glass slots work? Each rail is a T: a narrow spacer glued on a wide cap. Between two caps there is a ¾" slot for the stem. Above the caps, between the spacers, there is a wider channel for the glass foot. Slide a glass in from the front, upside down, and the foot rides on the caps.
Why screw the rails instead of gluing? The rails run front to back and the shelf grain runs side to side. The shelf swells and shrinks across its depth through the year. Glue would crack it. Screws with one slotted hole hold the rails tight and let the shelf move.
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
- Bottle rail: glue the narrow leftover strip from board 5 on edge about 4" behind the lip to cradle the bottles.
- Two-tone: walnut caps under a maple shelf.
- Cork board: fill the space behind the bottles with a strip of cork for wine labels.
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.
- Load it on the wall only: about 6 bottles and 8 glasses. Keep it out of reach of small children and away from door swings.
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.
Most wine glasses: stems up to about ⅝" thick and feet up to 3¾" wide (S4S) or 3¼" (S2S). Two glasses fit in each slot, one behind the other. Very wide bowls may touch the glass in the next slot.
The 1¼" lip stops bottles sliding off the front, and the back board stops them at the wall. Set them down gently and keep the rack away from slamming doors.
Six is our limit for a 46" shelf screwed into studs. Bottles are heavy — about 3 lb each when full.
Planned offcuts only: about 1" off boards 1–3, about 6" off board 4, and a narrow full-length strip off board 5 (see Make It Yours). All 5 boards go into the rack.
Not as drawn. A 2ft pack gives a 22" shelf with room for 3 bottles and 2–3 glass slots. Cut everything at 22", make 3 or 4 rails, and keep the back screwed into 2 studs.
