Here's a test tube spice rack that I made to hold all of my spices. I tried to improve upon previous test tube spice racks that I've seen by using a nice looking piece of bamboo plywood and by using oversized O rings to "float" the tubes in the rack and eliminate the base plate. Also, my kitchen is short on counter space, so moving the spices out of the cupboard and onto the wall was a bonus. I've got a lot of spices, so I made two of these racks, but the design would work well with just one, or as many as you might need to hold all of your spices. Sorry I can't publish this as a full step by step Instructable since this was one of the few builds I've done where I didn't take pictures along the way, but I'll do my best to explain how I made it in the text below.
Materials:
Construction:
Cut appropriately sized strips of wood for your test tube rack. On a drill press, use a 1 1/8" forstner bit to create evenly spaced holes on the rack. Try to drill as straight as possible if you're using a hand drill. Slip the O-rings onto the test tubes, fill with spices, and insert cork stopper into the top.
Installation:
Hang test tube rack onto the wall with small steel L brackets using appropriate anchors or hardware for your specific wall type.
Materials:
- plywood bamboo strip approx. 2" x 16"
- glass 25mm x 150mm test tubes from Drillspot
- size 10 cork stoppers to match test tubes from Mcmaster
- 22mm x 4mm rubber O-rings to match test tubes from Mcmaster
- assorted spices
- skinny measuring spoons from Lee Valley
- screw hook to hold measuring spoons
- mini L brackets
- hanging hardware for plaster or drywall walls
- saw to cut wood
- drill or drill press (better) to drill holes in wood and hang rack
- 1 1/8" Forstner bit to make clean holes that are slightly larger than test tube diameter, but smaller than O-ring.
Construction:
Cut appropriately sized strips of wood for your test tube rack. On a drill press, use a 1 1/8" forstner bit to create evenly spaced holes on the rack. Try to drill as straight as possible if you're using a hand drill. Slip the O-rings onto the test tubes, fill with spices, and insert cork stopper into the top.
Installation:
Hang test tube rack onto the wall with small steel L brackets using appropriate anchors or hardware for your specific wall type.
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Do you wish you got bigger/smaller ones, or are they just the right size for spices?
Latin names, major chemical components (i.e. "cinnamaldehyde"), or just drawings of molecules. Just don't outright lie on the labels, though (no "Strychnine" please.)
If you are going mad-scientist in the kitchen, you have to go all the way.
Please, tell me you have a complete set I can grab somewhere?
That's a great idea, I'll do something like that, if it looks good I'll send a msg with pics :)
Thanks for sharing.
thks
Great post.
The only change I would make would be adding another lower level for the tubes to rest on instead of the o rings. They tend to dry out quickly. then you have a mess on the floor when they fall through..
Moving the spices into the light (from inside your cabinet) in clear glass, however, shortens their shelf-life and potency. Spices stored this way are pretty much worthless after just a few months, having lost a high percentage of their flavor. I keep all my spices in aluminum containers that have tightly fitting lids, most of them stored whole, ground when needed. Even spices I purchase preground are stored this way. Whole spices basically last forever. The stuff you get in supermarkets, sold in glass bottles, is already less than half their original potency, and is a waste of money.
I think you could also mount the rack on the inside of a cupboard door, though. That way you’d save space and keep them dark at the same time, and you could still have the cool looking test tubes :)
(Perhaps something along the lines of a liquor bottle pour spout,
or a close-able shaker top?)
thanks for posting.
I use a lot of beads and think this would be great way to have them displayed for use.
I can tell just by the color and size... years of experience, I guess.