DIY - Inside Cabinet Plate Rack

In my previous post, I talked about how this small plate rack below, inspired me to tackle another project. 

Yep, another plate rack ;)

The small plate display rack was placed inside the cabinet to see how it would look in there. Nope, not that good.  But, hey! The idea of a built-in plate rack was born, followed by a quick assessment of what was stored in the cabinet, because the door had to go.

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The plate display rack dimensions right here were a great guide for me to complete this new project.

MATERIALS & TOOLS:

*It is important to have in mind that I was working with a 20" width cabinet, and the necessary space for my plates to have a snugly fit was 1.5"

• 4- ¾" x 36" Square Dowels
• 8- 5/16" x 48" Round Dowels
• ¼" & 5/16" Drill bits
• Wood glue
• Tape Measure
• Angle Square
• Drill
• Miter Saw (A hand saw can be used instead)
• Sander
• Gaffers tape
• Hammer and awl
• 8- 1" Screws
• Pencil
• Spray primer and paint

INSTRUCTIONS

First, measure the cabinet where you are planning to install the plate rack. Also, measure your plates, the diameter, and profile (side view).

*In my case, my plates had a diameter of 11" and their profile size was ¾".  That's why I decided to space the round dowels at 1.5" on center. and leave the height for plate space at 12".

Since the cabinet I was dealing with has a face frame, the slots on both ends had to be bigger, to accommodate that "dead space".

Once you know your numbers, it is time to cut the material.

The square dowels were cut 3/16" smaller than the 20" width of the cabinet to have a small wiggle room.
The round dowels were cut at 13.5" -> 12" for plate space + the 1.5" space that they had to go into the square dowels.

*Easy trick to cut those round dowels:  I didn't want to cut one by one, all the 22 pieces I needed.  If I cut just one with the miter saw, it's going to get damaged... too much power.  Doing the cuts with a hand saw...too much trouble!  So, they got bundled (four at the same time), using the miter saw and holding them tightly with gaffer's tape (One of my all-time favorite tapes).  The end result...perfect cuts ;)

On your square dowels mark the places where the round dowels would go. Trace a lengthwise center line on each dowel. Each intersection will be the place to drill the holes.

Using an awl and hammer, mark each spot before drilling the holes.
I used a ¼" drill bit to make pre-drills, then I used a 5/16" drill bit for the size of the round dowel.

*I tried to cut time by bundling two square dowels to drill all those holes, but it didn't work.  The hole in the top dowel was OK but the drill bit came out the lower dowel way off-centered.  I went one dowel at a time...44 holes total.

Once all the round dowels are cut and the holes drilled in the square dowels, you can go ahead and do a dry fit.  Don't skip the dry fit, sometimes the dowel doesn't fit in the hole >:( even though they are the same size! Just drive the drill bit one more time.

When you're happy with how everything fits, go ahead and glue it in place. It needs a very small amount of glue on each end of the round dowels.

Wait some time for the glue to dry, then using the same drill bits for pre-drill and actual dowel size, score four holes on each corner of each rack part.  

Do it only halfway through, as seen in the picture below, using tape around the bit, creating a hole that's only ½" deep.

DO NOT GLUE  those small connecting dowels, otherwise, you're not going to be able to fit the whole structure inside the cabinet.

You can now sand, prime, and paint the whole plate rack the way you want it.

Because of the face frame on the cabinet, you have to install the plate rack in parts (I learned that the hard way when I got into a similar situation with the bookcases in my bedroom).  

INSTALL THE PLATE RACK INSIDE THE CABINET

1. Place one of the rack sides against the back of the cabinet.

2. Bring in the connecting dowels. Set them in place.

I didn't glue the connecting dowels, they were mainly used as a support to hold the whole structure in place.

3. Bring in the other part of the rack and assemble the whole structure - getting the connecting dowels in place.

4.  Align the rack to the front of the cabinet, right behind the face frame.

Trace the square dowels' location on the bottom of the cabinet. Mark the location where to screw it in place (preferably in the middle of two round dowels.

Take the entire structure out to drill the holes in the lower part of the cabinet.

Do pre-drills. Then, bring the structure back in and screw it in place from the bottom of the cabinet up.

5. Place one of the shelves you already had in the cabinet on top of the plate rack.

Mark the spots where you want to drive the screws to secure them to the top part of the rack.  

Use a countersink bit to do the pre-drills.  Drive the screws from the top shelf down onto the rack.

After cleaning, all that is left to do is to bring your dishes, see how they fit and admire your job ;)

Well, I'm still thinking of adding a piece of wood to the face frame to hide the gap in between the plate rack and the shelf that was attached to it.  hmmm, now I can clearly see when one of my plates is missing :/  I remember I had 12, but somehow only 11 appeared.

I like how taking the door off and displaying the dishes and some cups, gives more openness to the kitchen.

This was one of those projects that requires patience. Drilling all those holes, taking measurements, trying to be precise... It took me a full day to complete it, of course, taking my time ;)

| Soup Bowls | DIY - Backsplash | Plates |

For more Kitchen DIY Ideas check these out:

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Updating the kitchen island

Build a range hood

Build a fridge enclosure

Closing the space above the kitchen cabinets

Add moldings to your kitchen cabinets

how to paint the cabinets

Install a marble backsplash

Tips about installing recessed lights

Kitchen cost breakdown

Above Fridge Tray Divider

1 ½ year later How the kitchen is holding up

LG Appliances Review and Complain

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