Wine Rack model...

Wow, a great looking piece, and you did it in only a few days? Amazing. I like the contrasting walnut and maple. Great job Chip.

Sounds like you could go into the wine rack business.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

That is a really nice design. I really like the combination of woods and the through tennons..

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

Well, the thinking and designing part took more then a few days Bill, but the model making part wasn’t bad at all… no lugging around, cutting, routing big boards and stuff. You know how that adds to the time.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

and that’s “just” a model?
Pretty nice = nice idea; nice design; GREAT promotion!!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Very pretty! Do you plan on using solid walnut in the full-scale version? Your clients must REALLY like their wine.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Chip,

That is a fantastic design. I have found that the models help immensely, for both the customer and myself. They typically can’t visualize how nice it will be, and for myself it hashes out proportion and production details. This aids in an accurate bid.

The 1/4 scale is great to work with. The math is easy and the parts don’t get too small for most things.

You may want to consider attaching it to the wall for safety, if you have not already done so.

Once again, fantastic design, that is the hardest part of woodworking.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Solid 10”+ wide walnut boards are basically impossible to find right now (They are difficult to find even in the best of times). Even if I could find a couple, I would never find enough for these jobs. I understand from several mills I deal with that China has been buying up walnut for stuff they’re building for the Olympics. Has anyone else heard this? Anyway, yes I’m using walnut but, unlike the model, it will be glued up boards.

By the way, the top and bottom horizontal front panels (the bottom one has the arch) will be doweled with contrasting maple dowels, something I forgot to do in my haste to complete the model.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Great details.

This will truly be a fine furniture wine rack.

My brother lives in Napa California and is in the wine business. I have seen many private and public wine cellars and I have not seen a wine rack better looking than your model.

Good luck.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Glued up boards? Nice.
Veneered MDF may be nicer and less expensive and better choice of grain?
Just a thought.
Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Interesting thought Lee. I’d be curious to see examples of box joints and through tenons with veneer and MDF. Or perhaps you are suggesting jettisoning those elements of the pieces? Also I would be concerned about doweling into the edge of MDF. These will be in a cool, damp place too (think cellar). Would the MDF and veneer hold up well in those conditions?

I’ve had pretty good experience with matching grain if you take your time picking the boards, matching edges and are willing to waste more wood then usual (left over walnut is never left over in my shop).

Anyway, thanks for the comments. Let me know your thoughts.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Very nice… I’ll bet you’re glad you did that mock up… I wonder if it’s the right size for those mini wine bottles you can get in 4 packs! Probably too big for a “mini-bar”

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I don’t even concern myself much with matching grain on glue ups. I consider a well-made joint with a contrast between boards a design feature!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Chip, I like this design a lot. It reminds me somewhat of a wine rack that I posted some time ago.

I note in your design that you have three cross pieces. I’m assuming that the rear piece without the bottle contours is a stop to prevent the bottles from being pushed too far to the rear of the rack. Does this indicate that the rack will be free standing rather than be inserted in a cupboard?

Also, I see that you have made one row of the contours larger than the other. Why? If both were the same, the bottle would sit with a slight slant towards the neck of the bottle, but it wouldn’t be in danger of falling out. It seems to me that it would simpler to make all of the contoured bottle rails the same.

As I said, I like the design, Im just curious about the thinking behind it.

Keep on posting these fine projects, Chip.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Don, – Yep, the back piece is there to keep the bottles from slipping out. The customer wanted them as freestanding units around the walls of his wine cellar and to be able to take them with them if they downsize house in the future.

The client was a real stickler for keeping the bottles exactly level to the ground for some reason. Everything I had read during research indicated they should have a slight downward slant towards the top of the bottle (for the yeast sediment to settle I believe). Go figure. I wish I could make all of the rails the same. Would make life much easier for me.

Also, as mentioned, each shelf was changed to accommodate more bottles (12 bottles per row instead of 6) and the shelves were brought closer together and now there are nine instead of six. We tightened everything up considerably from what the model shows to take as much advantage of their space as possible.

I’m thinking maybe making these models first isn’t such a good idea after all! LOL. Seriously though, it did help work out the kinks to the customers satisfaction and I guess that’s what it’s all about. Very much appreciate your taking the time to look and comment. Thanks.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Chip, Beautiful Job. I think it would be wise to glue up panels in stead of trying to find a solid peice of walnut 10” wide.

A couple of years ago I built a book case for my neice in Texas and I used Spanish oak 10” wide for the side panels, top, bottom and shelves. BIG mistake. After it was moved form my shop in LA to TX the 10” wide boards started to warp and twist.

If I were to be building the same project that you are, I would build the panels from 3-3 and 1/2” boards glued cup up, cup down, cup up and then cut to size.

The difference of moving the project from LA to TX is probably not as great as your shop to a wine celler.

As far as using MDYuck, forget it. I just finished my first job with MDF and I will never try to mill it again. It is great to work with and mills down smoother than any wood I have ever used but the dust is not like sawdust it is more like baby powder. It has covered my whole shop (and yes I have a good central vaccumn system and used it along with a fan and doors open). It will take me 50 years to clean my shop and probably another 50 to clean my lungs. Plus when I put the first coat of primer on it, it looked like it had a 4 day beard growth on it after it dried (this should tell you what damp air might do).

Good luck and let us see the finished product.

Bill

-- Make Dust

re: the angle of the bottles… the X style cubes you see in italian restaruants (and pottery barn catalogs) keep the wine horizontal too. Pretty much the goal is to keep the cork wet, so it doesn’t dry out and the wine starts evaporating. I guess once they replace all the cork with the rubbery/plasticy “corq” this will only be an issue of aesthetics. I should ask my uncle – now that he’s a winemaker an all.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I’m sorry I haven’t made a comment yet, but I’ve been getting lost here, but also I’m trying ween myself off to get into my shop.
That’s sure an attractive Rack. Why would any want to hide such a beautiful work of art in the wine cellar?

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Great details on this wonderful and functional wine rack.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Very nice and well thought out. The use of contrasting woods is really a good idea and quite pretty.

-- Mark

Chip, your attention to detail and focus on finish is what makes your work stand out.

-- John

Dick,... Perhaps not hide it in the wine cellar so much as make it a nice place to hang out!

Nice wine, nice wooden shelves (just add a table and chairs) who’d want to leave?

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Nice model…I’ve always thought about doing some models of things I’d like to build…you’ve enspired me. I had a few requests a while back to do some wine cellar/humidors in San Francisco…I was not at all equiped to do it then…where the heck is that guy today….?

-- Steffen

Very cool design, wish I had the creative skill to come up with a unique idea. Nice use of contrast colour in wood choice. Thanks for the inspiration.

-- RMH Designs

Chip, that is a very beautiful wine rack.Your design is very refined and your joinery is superb.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

Amazing work CHIP ! Looking forward to seeing what you have been working on !

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com

I am glad this came around again. I was just working on a SketchUp wine rack I plan to make. I like yours.

-- Maplewood, MN

Very nice rack. Fantastic details.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

You posted this long before I came on board but I am glad that it came back up on my review list. We, as woodworkers, often do not do enough planning before starting a project. We are in such a rush to start making sawdust that we rush through the design and mock-up phases. You did a good job of planning here. Making mock-ups of the piece before starting the build is a technique I would like to see used more often.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.