A simple wooden storage rack that anyone can DIY

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With my chauvinistic Y chromosome shining through, I thought women were the guilty party when it came to an abundance of shoes. But unfortunately, as I look towards the entrance to my man cave, I have to face the fact that I have a big pile of shoes to deal with myself. Often a literal pile. As a professional carpenter, I decided to design a simple shoe storage rack to organize my shoe clutter. The shoe rack I came up with is made from wood that you can easily find at your local big box home improvement store. On top of that, you only need a few basic carpentry tools to get the job done. So if you too are tired of clutter and ready to test your DIY skills, this rack might be for you.

You will need an 8-foot 1-by-12-inch board of selected pine to make the sides and shelves. Select is the highest grade lumber you will find at home improvement centers and is well worth the price. Check the board to make sure it is flat and straight. Next you will need 1 inch diameter dowels. I bought two, both 72 inches long. Also, if you don’t already have one, get a drill bit that will drill a 1 inch diameter hole. A paddle tip will do the trick and is probably your cheapest option. You’ll also need some kind of saw that cuts wood well. You can actually easily use a handsaw for this project, but a jigsaw or small circular saw will make the job faster.

I made my shoe rack 21 inches tall and 20 inches wide. It fit nicely in a spot by my front door, near the coat and hat rack. You could easily make yours wider — you just have to cut the shelf and dowels longer. That’s one of the great things about building your own DIY furniture. For my design, the shoe rack materials list included two 1-by-12 side supports, five 1-inch-thick dowels cut to 20-inch lengths, and one 18 ½-inch-long shelf, which I’ll discuss later.

Begin by cutting the two sides (each 21 inches long) from the 1 by 12 lumber. It is important that your cuts are square – 90 degrees to the edges of the board. A great way to make sure of this is to mark the cut lines with a square.

The ends of huge lumber like 1 by 12 are often cracked, dented, or otherwise damaged. You can’t assume that the end of the board is exactly square either. So your first cut should be to cut about an inch off the end of the board. With a fresh square cut in place, proceed to cut your sides lengthwise.

There are five 1 inch diameter holes that will need to be drilled on each side piece to make this shoe rack. Marking them right on the side is crucial. The photo above gives an idea of ​​where to drill the holes.

Following the schematic hole placement above, the topmost holes are located 1 ½ inches in from the side edges and ¾ inch down from the top edge. The lowest mark (on the left side of the board) is 11 ½ inches down from the top and 2 ½ inches to the side. Then mark 5 ⅝ inches up the side (essentially in the middle of the board) and 9 ¾ inches down from the top edge. The final location is 2 ½ inches in from the right edge of the board and 8 inches down from the top. Finally, mark the top of the shelf 1 ½ inches down from the top of the side. Now your layout task is complete.

I only marked one side and then taped the two sides together using double faced tape (also known as carpet tape) and lined up the edges all around. I was then able to drill the 1 inch diameter holes down through both sides at once. This two-to-one approach ensures that all the holes will line up perfectly.

To drill the holes through both panels at the same time accurately, I used easy hack to hack to help me know that I am drilling the hole at 90 degrees to the surface. It’s a square block of wood with a registration line on it that allows me to align my drill exactly in one orientation. The block itself also provides a visual guide to a second orientation. These two data points allowed me to drill right into the countries. These 1-inch diameter holes attach the dowels that hold the boot together and give the shoes a place to sit.

You will need to cut all five dowels into 20-inch lengths. When you do this, mark the cut point all the way around the dowel. If you are cutting the dowels with a hand-held jigsaw or hand saw, this mark will guide your blade right through the cut.

I made the “legs” of the side panels by cutting a small section from the bottom edge of each side. I measured them 2 inches wide and at a 45 degree angle, exactly ¾ inch up the sides. I then cut out the section. The legs are optional, but I think they add a satisfying detail and intentional look to the design.

The last piece to cut is the shelf. Assuming the dowels are 20 inches and subtracting 1 ½ inches (the thickness of both sides combined), you should cut your shelf to 18 ½ inches. But double check the true thickness of your sides. I actually had to cut my shelf 18 ⅜ inches long since the sides were just over ¾ inch thick. Note that it’s better to cut the shelf a little bit, as you can always sand the dowels sticking out of their holes. It is more difficult to fix dowels that do not reach all the way.

Sand all pieces smooth. I sanded the sides and shelves to 180 grit and sanded the dowels with 100 grit paper. Test the fit of the dowels in their holes. If it is too tight, sand the ends of the dowels until they fit smoothly.

To begin assembling the shoe shelf, attach the shelf to one of the sides. Position it 1 ½ inches down from the top edge of the page. I used two socket head screws to secure it. Place the side on a work surface with the shelf sticking up. Place a dab of glue in each 1-inch-wide hole and insert the dowels. Make sure they go all the way through the holes and touch the work surface. Allow the glue to harden. Then place the second side on top of the assembly, just starting each dowel in its respective holes. Place a small amount of glue in each hole and tap the sides to push the dowels further into their holes. Screw in screws to secure the shelf. Tap the sides until the dowels protrude slightly above the surface. Place the shoe rack upright, adjust for squareness, and allow the glue to set.

When the glue has hardened, sand the sides of the storage rack smooth. There will likely be mess and even drips around the dowel holes. This adhesive must be completely removed. Start with 80 grit paper and work up to at least 180. Take your time sanding. I recommend a random orbit sander sand your wood pieces properly. Move it about 1 inch per second while sanding to ensure quality results.

Applying a finish is a must with this project. Shoes, especially in winter, carry moisture, grit and dirt with them. I chose General Finishes Hard Wax Oilas I prefer to see the natural texture of the wood and I think the exposed ends of the dowels look great. But painting is also a good, strong and protective coating for a shoe rack. If it ever gets irritated, you can just apply another layer. I placed my shoe rack on a plastic tray to catch any water that might drip down. But if you were to use it to organize your shoes in the closet, there’s no need for the tray – just put it in and say goodbye to shoe clutter.