Spice Holder

This spice rack is intended for cabinets 13in x 12in x 11in or bigger. It has two holes in the front that function as a handle for taking the rack in and out of the cabinet and two dividers that make three distinct rows to put spices. There are also two wooden rods to prevent spices in the outer rows from spilling out. It is advised to label the top lids of the spices for easy identification of spices when using the rack. My motivation for creating this spice rack was the mess of spice containers in my kitchen cabinet. I wanted to develop a way to organize the spices while also making them easy to identify and access. My original plan was to make a circular lazy Susan spice holder with a spinable rack to put spices in. I abandoned this idea because my cabinet is rectangular, and a circular rack would not optimize the cabinet space. Additionally, my cabinet is not tall enough to make a multi-tiered one. Instead, I made a rectangular spice rack that can be easily removed from the cabinet with two dividers to organize the spices while optimizing the cabinet space and making it easy to access. 

Cut list:

• 2x thick, rectangular wood (10in x 7.6in)-sides
• 1x longer (same type) rectangular wood (10in x 10.5in)-base
• 2x small wooden triangles-extra support
• 2x long wooden rods (10.5 in)-outer rails
• 2x long, thin rectangular wood (10.5 in)-dividers

Other materials:

• wood glue
• various saws (I used the scroll saw, band saw, drill press, and table saw)
• sand paper/other sanding tool (I also used a rotary tool with a sanding attachment)
• clamps
• chisel
• ruler and tape measure
• T-square
• pencil

4th picture from https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/1-4-x-18-wooden-dowel/

After drawing the design and making the cut list, I started out by cutting out the base (long, thick rectangular piece of wood) and the two sides out of a thick piece of wood that was not too dense and heavy so that it is sturdy and secure, but not too heavy. I originally used a much denser piece of wood but it was too heavy so I switched it for a lighter but still nice looking piece of wood.

I cut then sanded the two wooden rods (it was a little too long) to a little more than the length of the bottom board. I then used the drill press (with the bit circled in red) to make 4 circular indents on lower half of the sides of the side boards to hold the two wooden rods. The rods will be sandwiched between the two side pieces with each end going into one the these holes.

I then assembled the bottom board, side boards, and wooden rods and used wood glue and a clamp to attach them (pictured here is after I attach the wooden triangles and cut out the hand holes as well). I attached the wooden rods by inserting the ends into the circular indents in the side boards and sealing it up with wood glue. I then let it sit for at least 24 hours so the glue can set. I should have put wax paper under boards so as not to accidentally glue the rack to the table.

I then cut the two triangle reinforcement pieces and glued and clamped them onto the corners of the front side (the side that will have the holes or handle) of the spice holder to reinforce the handle using the same clamps and wood helpers shown here (the first picture shows the same tools and clamping method used on someone else’s project).

I then made the cutouts in the front board to act as handles by drawing two symmetrical ovals on the outside of the front side piece, drilling two holes with a drill press in the ovals and cutting out the shape using a scroll saw. The holes turned out uneven and the entire process was difficult; I should have made these cutouts before I assembled the side pieces, base, and wooden rods. After cutting them out, I sanded the holes with sandpaper and a rotary tool with the sanding attachment.

I then cut of the dividers out of a different, thinner piece of wood and used a spirit level to draw straight lines to mark where to glue the dividers (so that the dividers will straight and make 90 degree angles with the side walls).

I then glued the dividers onto the rack (I cut the dividers too short and had to use a lot of glue to secure the sides of the dividers to the side pieces). I also “clamped” the dividers onto the rack for the glue to set for 24 hours by using a thick piece of wood that pushed the dividers onto the rack and secured it with a rubber band.

I then removed the excess glue in the glue-heavy places (the sides of the dividers) with a chisel and sanded down the extra glue in the parts that had less glue.

And that’s it! Here are more pictures of the finished spice rack in use.

After the process, I realized I could have reordered the steps to make the process easier and the finished project nicer (such as cutting out the handle parts before attaching the rods and base). I also wished I measured and cut the pieces more precisely so that I would not have to use so much glue to make up for uneven edges/pieces that are a little too short.