Plate Display Rack - first project I ever built

This is how I got into woodworking. About 4 years ago, we were looking for a plate rack to fill a large open wall in our kitchen. Couldn’t find anything that was right. I finally said, “I’m going to build it.”

She Who Must Be Obeyed said, “You can’tbuild a plate rack!”

I said, “Sure I can – I’ve watched New Yankee Workshop for years, this stuff isn’t especially hard, you just need to take your time and be careful. I will need to buy a few tools, but…”

Her: “Well if you’re going to buy a bunch of tools, you’re going to have to build a hell of a lot more than one stupid plate rack!”

Me: “Deal.”

I built this from S4S maple from Lowes – horribly overpriced, but actually very nice quality stuff. A few maple dowels, and some pre-fab rosettes. Got a basic benchtop table saw at Sears, a cheap plunge router and some bits from ebay, and few weeks later this appeared, painted to match the trim in the room. Wife was so stunned that she immediately started placing order for other things, and away we went… LOL

Note: The red “back panel” is an illusion – merely the wall behind the rack painted to look like a back panel. The rack is nothing but a ladder frame. Shelves are stop-dadoed into the sides, so they look like butt joints. Screws though the sides into the shelves, with maple plugs to conceal the screws. After putty and paint, the plugs are invisible. I hand-shaped the little “balusters” that hold the rails – they are doweled into the shelves. The rack is hung with 4 keyhole brackets mortised into the backside of the frame, so it is tight to the wall all around. Put a couple little flutes on each side to add a bit of visual interest. You can’t see it very well, but the front of each shelf, and the top and bottom panels, are roman ogeed.