My hot sauce collection was getting to large for our current spice rack, so something had to be done.

I was thinking about doing something rustic with both wood and metal .

I also had a pallet I had been saving that had achieved a perfect patina for the look I was going for.

So I went to work.

You can watch a video of this build here on YouTube...

Step 1: Pallet Breakdown & Cutting Our Main Pieces

The easiest way I have found to breakdown a pallet is with a reciprocating saw and a demo blade. It will cut through the nails with ease.

Once I had all the boards removed I marked my center point on the side of each one. I wanted to make a kind of herringbone type pattern with them pointing up. I then used my 90 degree miter sled on my table saw and cut them in half with matching angles to get the pattern I had in mind.

Step 2: Arranging and Attaching the Boards

I cut out a thin sheet of plywood that was slightly smaller than the dimensions I wanted the spice rack to be. I marked the center point of it with a line up and down it. I then started to arrange my wood on it. Pallet boards are rough and uneven, so you have to play around with them a bit to get them to align properly.

Once I had the pattern arranged, I put some wood glue on the plywood base and used my headless pin nailer to secure the boards in place. I then flipped the whole thing over and attached some screws on the back side to make sure it was really solid.

Step 3: Removing the Excess Wood and Cutting the Shelving

I used a circular saw to take off the overhanging pallet wood. The plywood base was a perfect straight edge for my saw to ride along side and keep everything lined up. Now that my edges were straight, I took it to the table saw to take off a little extra on the sides.

I went ahead and at this point and cut some shelves and out on the table saw. I also cut out some thin strips to frame around the spice rack. I then used a miter saw to cut those pieces to the proper length.

Step 4: Measure and Cut Out Shelf Locations

Now I am ready to measure out the spacing on my shelves. The lower two I want short for spices and the 3 upper one I want more spacing for the taller bottles.

I drilled a hole and cut out where the shelves would slide in with a jigsaw. I cut out some notches connecting the side and back of my shelves on the band saw. This allowed me to slide them into the slots I had cut out.

Step 5: Aging the Exposed Raw Wood

I wanted the sides of my shelves to look like they had an aged patina to match the rest of the piece. In order to pull that off I mixed up half a jar of apple cider vinegar and balled up some #000 steel wool and let it sit for 3 days.

After that, I grabbed an old paint brush and applied the mixture carefully to the edges. It takes about 30 minutes for it to react fully and reach peak darkness.

Step 6: Attaching the Shelves and Framing the Sides

I applied some wood glue inside the slots I had cut and inserted the shelves. I used my headless pin nailer to secure the shelves once in proper placement. I used a framing square to ensure my shelves were all at 90 degrees before pinning them.

I then attached my framed sides with a little wood glue first, then used my brad nailer. The look of it overall was rustic enough that you don't notice the brad nail holes.

Step 7: Attaching the Steel Rod Railing

For this part, I measured, marked, and drilled holes where I wanted my steel rod railings to be attached. I used 3/16" steel rods so I used a matching 3/16" drill bit for the holes. I then used an angle grinder to cut the rods to the length I wanted. I then took a 2x4 and drilled a hole in the side of it. The hole I drilled was the same depth as where I wanted the rod to bend and the length of the 2x4 was the same length as each rod would be. This allowed me to bend each rod to the exact same specifications. a little brute force and a little hammer work was all it needed.

I then used some epoxy with a tiny applicator tip to fill each hole before attaching my rods. Even though the rods were a tight fit, This made them more secure.

Step 8: Clean & Kill Any Bugs

I used some Borax powder mixed with water and applied it with a soft bristle brush. I didn't notice any bugs, but I wanted to make sure since it was going in our kitchen. This process also cleans the wood which has been outside for quite a while and who knows where else.