Plans for a Wooden DVD Storage Rack

Choose a Design

• Plans for wooden DVD racks are limited only by the imagination, but you must make several basic decisions. An open-front rack puts the emphasis on convenience, making the DVDs easy to spot and find. It is ideal for an informal media room or a bedroom.

  For a more formal room, such as a living room, exposed DVDs may hurt the overall look. In that case, consider a rack with closed drawers that can be labeled.

  Pine is a good choice to keep the cost of the rack down. But if appearance is important, choose cherry, oak or a wood that fits in with the room's construction and other furniture.

  Decide on a size - a small rack is portable and can be placed on shelves or a media center, but obviously holds fewer DVDs. Larger racks hold more, but add furniture to the room.

Open Design

• A number of websites offer plans for an open wooden DVD storage rack. Lee's Wood Projects has a free portable cherry design that can be made from two wooden boards, one 72 inches and one 40 inches long, plus Plexiglas dividers and a hardwood back.

  Building the rack requires a radial arm saw, a table saw and a dado blade. It holds 42 DVDs, but the design can be expanded to use more wood and hold more DVDs.

  Other web sites offer DVD rack plans for as little as $5 or $6.

Closed design

• A wooden DVD storage rack with drawers is more complex to build but can improve the appearance of a room. Woodsmith Magazine offers a free plan that includes not only six drawers with sliders but even the brass bin pulls with card holders for easy labeling.

Cheaper Design

• If appearance is not a major factor and cost is, build a simple bookcase-style rack from pine.

  Use lumber that is 3/4 inch thick and 8 inches wide. A 40-inch-by-24-inch stand requires just over 200 inches of board length. Cut the lumber into two 40-inch sides, a top and a bottom and three shelves, each 24 inches long.

  You will also need a dozen 1/4-inch wooden dowels and a 24-inch-by-40-inch piece of backing, which can be plywood or pressboard.

  Cut the pieces, drill holes in the two 40-inch sides for the dowels. Watch the hole heights - each set of dowel holes should be about 8 3/4 inches apart from top to bottom. Nail the 24 inch top and bottom to the two 40 inch sides.

  Nail or tack the backing firmly to the rear of the rack to give it structural support.

  Place the dowels in the holes and slide the shelves in on top of the dowels to complete the rack.