In this Instructable I’m going to show you how I made a wine rack out of pine wood and copper pipe. It can hold 1 bottle and 3 glasses.

The design of this wine rack is quite simple, and it took me only a day to build it. It consists of 3 pieces of wood, and 4 copper pipes which connect everything together.

Materials:

Pine wood (your local hardware store)
Copper pipe https://amzn.to/2IgeZ3d
White spray paint https://amzn.to/2uyVMYK
Epoxy https://amzn.to/2Gnkltj
Glue stick https://amzn.to/2IdCtpH

Tools:

Jigsaw https://amzn.to/2GjU66O
Cordless drill https://amzn.to/2J4hJlN
Coping saw https://amzn.to/2IeBfuC
Hacksaw https://amzn.to/2usrU09
Forstner drill bits https://amzn.to/2GlCwn6
Rasp https://amzn.to/2uurWEV
F-clamps https://amzn.to/2uwazDn
Sandpaper https://amzn.to/2GmLcpl

Step 1: Creating the Design

To start with this project I drew the design onto 3 pieces of paper with all the details included.

You can find all the dimensions onto the template above.

I chose pine wood, because it is a cheap soft wood, I can easily cut it and shape it, and I can paint it whatever color I want.

To make cutting much easier, I stuck the paper onto the wooden board with an all-purpose glue stick.

Step 2: Cutting the Shapes

Then, I clamped down the board, and made all the cuts making sure to cut outside the lines. Anyway, I’ll make some corrections with a rasp.

One important thing you should pay attention to is the jigsaw blade. In order to get clean cuts, make sure to use a clean cut blade, as I did in this project.

I cut the two largest pieces, and when I got to the smallest one I needed to make a large opening in the middle. So, I drilled a 15 mm hole with a Forstner bit in the middle, installed a coping saw there, and made the opening.

Here I left too much extra wood that needed to be removed in order to get a perfectly round opening. So, I took a rasp and spent a lot of time until I was finally done.

After that I made the rest cuts with a jigsaw.

All the pieces are cut to size, but I need to spend some more time shaping the wood with a rasp until I’m happy with the result.

Step 3: Making Holes and Channels for Wine Glasses

The top piece of the wine rack will have 3 holes for wine glasses, and 3 channels that will actually guide the glasses into the holes.

I drilled the holes with a 25 mm Forstner bit, which is enough space to fit the glass bottom.

On the other side, the channels need to be around 13 mm wide, which is enough for the glass stem. The channels I made with a coping saw.

Making tinier channels and wider holes will keep the glasses in place when they’re hung onto the rack.

Step 4: Cutting the Copper Pipes to Size and Drilling Holes Into the Wood for Them

I found 2 copper pipe scraps, and I’ll use them to cut 2 pieces 21 cm long, and 2 pieces 11 cm long.

Using a hacksaw I made these cuts. You can use a pipe cutter if you have one, it is much easier and faster.

The shorter copper pipes will connect the bottom and the smaller wooden piece in the middle, and the longer pipes will connect the bottom with the larger piece on the top of the rack.

To make those connections I need to drill 15 mm holes on the pre-determined points, where the pipes will be positioned. For this purpose I’m using 15 mm Forstner bit, and drilling halfway through the wooden pieces.

When drilling these holes, be sure to make the holes on the bottom parallel with the holes above them, because the pipes need to be perpendicular to the wooden pieces.

Step 5: Sanding All the Pieces

Then, I peeled off the paper, and sanded the wooden pieces, first with 120 then with 220 grit sandpaper, until I got nice and smooth surface.

Step 6: Painting the Wooden Pieces

Next, I spray painted the wooden pieces with white paint. I applied 3 coats of spray paint, waiting one hour between each coat.

I chose white, because I think it matches copper perfectly.

Step 7: Cleaning the Tarnished Copper Pipes

Meanwhile, I cleaned the copper pipes with salt and vinegar.

I took a plastic container, put the pipes inside, and added a little salt and more vinegar until I completely covered the pipes.

After 5 minutes I wiped the pipes off with a clean cotton cloth.

The difference between tarnished and clean copper is obvious. I was really surprised how good they turned out.

Step 8: Joining All the Parts Together

With this done, I can assemble the wine rack.

To secure the pipes into the holes that I previously made I used an epoxy. I applied epoxy into the holes, and inserted the pipes, making sure they’re perpendicular to the wood. Then, I waited for a few minutes until they were completely dry.