How to Build a Plate Rack With Dowels

Sand the surface of the dowel rods and wood strips using 180-grit sandpaper. Remove any splinters and sand until the wood is smooth and even.

Lay out the dowel rods evenly side by side. Mark each rod using a pencil at the 6-inch line.

Cut the dowel rods on the pencil line using a hand saw, and then sand the dowels’ edges removing any splinters.

Lay out the wood strips with the widest portion facing upward. Mark a dot in the wood strips’ centers strip every 3 inches, moving vertically up the strips. These mark the dowel rod placement holes.

Equip a power drill with a 1/8-inch drill bit and turn the drill to its lowest power setting. Carefully drill into each pencil dot on the wood strips, only pushing the bit one-half to three-quarters of the way through the wood. Do not go all the way through the board. Repeat the process until all of the holes on each strip are drilled.

Coat the inside bottom and sides of each drill hole with the wood glue. Press one end of a dowel rod into the hole ensuring it stands upright. Repeat this procedure until each hole in both strips of wood has a dowel rod pressed and glued in it. You now have two strips of wood with dowel rods resembling a plate rack. Let the pieces dry for two to four hours or until the glue is completely dry.

Lay out a piece of newspaper and set the plate rack pieces on top. Paint the plate rack’s surface using spray paint in any color of your choice. If placing the rack inside a cabinet, use the same color as the cabinet’s frame. Let the pieces air-dry overnight.

Use the plate rack by placing the wood strips side-by-side and setting a plate in between the rows of dowels. Move the strips closer together or farther apart to accommodate different sizes of plates.