![]() Our saw cuts on the edges, however, needed extra work. The board we bought for this project was already surfaced smooth, so its faces only needed a bit of sanding to get them ready for an oil finish. Step 4: Sand it smooth and bevel the edges The great thing about this rack is that the intersecting notches don’t have to be perfect for the whole thing to be solid and stable. If any of your notches are a little too tight, feel free to take a thin slice off the inside edge with the jigsaw and try again. Don’t sweat the bottoms of the notches - they’ll be hidden when the rack is assembled, so they don’t have to look perfect.īefore you put the saw away, give your pieces a quick test fit. One straight cut across the bottom finished the job. To make the square notches, we started by cutting straight down each side of the notch, along the inside edge of each pencil line, and then pulled back to make curved cuts that removed the waste from the middle. Image used with permission by copyright holder They typically cost just a few bucks, and will provide drastically better results. For this project, we recommend picking up a jigsaw blade designed specifically for making smooth cuts in hardwoods. What makes your jigsaw even trustier is an upgraded blade. It’s now time to bust out your trusty jigsaw: a small but powerful tool that can make all kinds of cuts, both straight and curved. Step 3: Use your jigsaw to cut the notches So we used one of the feet to lay out the last line on each of the notches, lining up the foot with the first line we laid out and using a very sharp pencil to trace the other side of the board. Knowing that all the parts came from the same board, we knew they were all the same thickness. The key to nailing the width of the notches is using the actual workpieces to lay them out. After you’ve penciled the outside edge of each notch, it’s time for the next trick. ![]() The first trick is to use the angled ends of the feet as layout tools, helping you pencil in the notches at the same 10-degree angle, but facing in the opposite direction. Then we made a couple of key landmarks for the notches and set them about 2.5 inches in from the top edge. Best of all, we did all the dirty work for you and came up with some surefire tricks to that’ll ensure you end up with notches that fit together perfectly.Īs you’ll see in the video above, we started by trimming the ends of the base boards (aka the “feet”) at 10 degrees on the miter saw. The stand is held together by intersecting notches in the pieces - a tried-and-true method that not only lends itself to an easy setup, but also allows you to break down the rack in seconds if necessary. Once you have the basic rectangles cut, the rest is fast and easy. A decent handsaw will cut out all the parts too - with a healthy dollop of elbow grease, of course. Most independent lumber stores will be more than willing to make cuts for a small charge. Once that’s done, you can do the rest of the project with simpler tools. ![]() Image used with permission by copyright holderĭon’t feel like jigsawing everything yourself? An alternative is to take the drawing below to your local hardwood retailer and ask if they will crosscut your pieces to rough length and “rip” them to the exact widths you need. The beauty of this project is that you can make all the same cuts with a jigsaw (though you’ll likely end up with rougher edges that will need more sanding). ![]() We began by chopping our pieces to rough length using our trusty miter saw, and then cut them to width on a table saw - but don’t worry if you don’t have access to a table saw. If you’re going this same route and using one board for the whole project, you’ll need a slab that’s at least 60 inches in length. We went with the latter option and started with a single hardwood board, roughly 1 inch thick and 10 inches wide, though a slightly thinner or narrower board would work too. You can embark on this project in one of two ways: either start with multiple smaller boards of the same thickness, or use one large board and chop it up to create the pieces you need. Step-by-Step Build Process Step 1: Get some wood and cut it to create your four pieces Miter Saw (capable of cutting 10-inch boards).Hardwood slab (roughly 1 inch thick, 10 inches wide).Tools and Materials Image used with permission by copyright holder
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