Sliding Pot Rack

This drawer slide pot rack is easy enough for beginners, and can help make a cluttered cabinet into more useful space.

I found a comparable unit for purchase online, for $200USD - this is cheap and pretty easy. I put it together in about 3 hours, and that included doing some cleaning in my shop prior to starting.

I forgot to take pictures as I went, so I'll try to update with some more detailed images later, if there is any demand.

Feel free to ask questions and Ill do my best to answer them.


Materials you will need:

1×4 3/4" lumber twice the depth of your cabinet, or two pre-sawn pieces.

2 heavy duty drawer slides. I used 22" fully extending ball bearing slides. I spent about 25$ Canadian on these from the local big box store

A drawer pull or scrap of wood to fashion one

"L" brackets or scrap wood for attaching to the cabinet (if your cabinet doesn't have a solid top inside)

Hooks for hanging the pots (about 6)

Wood Screws:
#6 or #8 5/8" for attaching the slides

#8 1 1/2" (or so) for attaching to the cabinet

Tools you will need:

Measuring Tape

Adjustable Square (optional)

Drill

Drill-bit sized for pre-drilling your screws

Saw ( I used my table saw, you can use a chop saw, circular saw or hand saw, you don't have many cuts to make)

Sander (or Sandpaper and Sanding Block)

Screwdriver or bit for your drill

Router w/ roundover bit (optional) for rounding off the facing ends of the boards.

First, find the cupboard you're going to use. Give it a quick measure by fitting the largest pot or pan you want to hang inside - does it fit? If so, it's time to get more technical.

Pull out the measuring tape and measure the depth of your cabinet or cupboard. Write this down. Measure the height too while you're at it. Make sure you're tallest/longest pot or pan still fits with at least 2" to spare, we need to account for height of the sliding rack.

For bonus points mark the centerline of your cabinet at the back and front, it'll save finding it later.

I used 1×4 construction grade pine. You can use whatever light, strong wood you prefer.

Cut two lengths at least as long as your drawer slides, but not longer than the depth of your cabinet, leaving a little bit of front space for the door to close.

Pull out your sander, or some sandpaper and a block to wrap it around, and go to work.

You may want to round off the fronts of the boards for prettiness and splinter reduction, you can use a router with a round over bit like I did, or just go to town with the sanding. Don't worry too much about the top or bottom of the top board, the lower one is the one you'll see the most of.

If you're going to paint it to match the cabinets, do that now.

Remember those heavy duty drawer slides you got for this project? It's time to attach them.

Flip the top board over on your working surface, bottom up. Attach the first slide so that the cabinet side (the thicker side) is square and straight to the edge of the board.

Mark, pre-drill (to avoid splitting the wood) and screw in the back screw first. I used the provided screws, but #6 or #8 5/8" wood screws should be fine.

after attaching the back, make sure the slide is square to the rail, mark, pre-drill and fasten the front screw.

Now that it won't go anywhere do the others. I used three per rail.

This part is the trickiest, but still really simple.

Start with the back again. Make sure it's square and flush to the back of the rail. Mark, pre-drill and fasten.

Now, measure the distance between the two slides at the back. Make sure the distance is the same at the front. Parallel is more important than straight here, or it will be tough to slide out.

Back to the front, keeping the slides as parallel as possible, mark, pre-drill and fasten.

Finish off the rest of the screws like last time.

This rail is the one that pulls out, the one you'll see the most of, most often.

Make sure it's as pretty as you want it. Set the whole top and sliders onto the top of the bottom rail.

Push downwards and slightly back. You slides should start to slide out staying in place. Make sure everything is even and square and....you guessed it...mark, pre-drill and fasten the front screws.

Now you can slide it out further and work your way back doing each pair of screws as you get to them.

You can use a store bought drawer pull fastened to the bottom of the bottom rail.

I made one out of a scrap strip of oak that I drilled countersunk holes in and sanded smooth.

I considered sanding a finger groove in with a detail sander and decided a more grippy pull would be better.

You could do this step earlier if you want to paint the whole shebang, adding it after just makes it easier to set everything flat and level when attaching the drawer slides.

Mark the centerline of your lower rail.

(Did you know you can use an adjustable square for this? I'm sure there's an 'ible on how to use an adjustable square, maybe I'll find one, or make one.)

Figuring out the hook placement doesn't have to be very technical.

Arrange the pots in the order you want to hang them, now, call a helper!

Have your assistant hold the creation level while you figure out where you want your first pot to hang. Mark across your centerline where the first hook goes.

Pre-drill your mark and screw in the hook.

Again, have your assistant hold the creation. Hang the first pot. Hold the second where you want it, mark your centerline and repeat.

You only need to hang the pot on the most recently installed hook each time to get your measurements. I used 6 in 22" for my pots and pans.

I'll try to get a better picture of this, but here is where you may need to use some ingenuity.

If your cabinet has a solid top this may be easy.

First, figure out how to detach the bottom of the drawer slides. Usually there is a plastic tab to push or pull so you can pull the bottom most rail completely out.

Now, if you have a solid cabinet top, align the centerline of your slide rail with the centerline you drew on your cabinet in step 2. (You did that right?)

Pre-drill (I forgot to and split the wood of my rail slightly) and fasten the top rail to the cabinet top with appropriate length wood screws. Make sure you're not poking through the top of your cabinet. It would surely suck to find out you screwed your cabinet drawer into place.

My cabinet had a front top rail, and a drawer space above.

I had to get creative. I made a bracket out of an old curtain rod hanger to fasten to the back of the cabinet.

If yours is like mine you could use "L" brackets, make your own custom one from wood or metal, or fasten a top rail to the back of the cabinet.

You're done. Load it up and test it out!