How to Build a Knife Rack – Kitchen Rack Keeps Utensils Handy
The only good knife is a sharp knife, and no knife will stay sharp kicking around loose in a kitchen drawer. Stored this way, even the best of blades will become nicked and dull. It also presents a serious safety hazard for any hand rummaging through the drawer.
Solution? A knife rack. Dozens of racks are already on the market, but here’s a design for a simple one you can make yourself. It consists of just two pieces:
A thick front block, slotted to take the knives.
A thinner back block to close off the backs of the slots and hold the knives in place.
The rack can stand on a counter, or you can screw it to a wall or the end of a kitchen cabinet. I keep mine on the end of the kitchen cabinet that borders the right edge of my sink.
The slanted design is ideal for a set of matching knives. Mine takes a big carving knife, a medium slicer and a pairing knife. The slant looks good and also staggers the heights of the handles so all are easy to grasp.
Materials: Just about any kind of wood will do. I have made several racks of this type, most of them from oak or cherry logs picked out of my firewood supply. Hardwoods hold up the best, but you can use ordinary pine, even a clear length of fir 2-by-8 – whatever you happen to have on hand. About your only limitations are that the front block should be at least 1 1/2 inches thick (the thickness of ”2-inch” lumber).
Sizing: It’s best to size your rack to the knives you wish to put into it. To do this, just lay out the knives on a table or bench, and work out the dimensions that will house them neatly.
After settling on the dimensions for the front block, cut it to shape. Lay out the positions for the slots on the back surface of the block, using a heavy pencil or marker so the marks will be clearly visible.
Next, cut the slots. If you have a table saw, great. If not, use a portable circular saw, holding the block firmly in a vise. Set your blade to cut about 1/8-inch deeper than the width of the blade that will fit that slot. Make the cut long enough to take the knife, but not so long that you cut all the way out through the end of the block.
After cutting the slots, flip the block over, face up on a table or bench and check to see that each knife will fit into its slot. If not, enlarge the slot as required to get a good fit. Make sure each knife will fit before you glue on your back block. Once that block is in place it becomes just about impossible to make any further adjustments in the slots.
Slots OK? Cut a back block about two inches longer than the front block and glue it in place. That’s about it. You can decorate the front of the block if you like. Over the years, I have made racks with leaping fish, sea shells, pumpkins, birds and an oak leaf and acorn design.
Finishing? Your best bet is a penetrating oil finish. Film finishes such as varnish or polyurethane aren’t as practical because they tend to chip under the inevitable stabbings they’ll have to endure over the years.
Mounting: The easiest place to mount your rack is on the end of a kitchen cabinet. Just drive a screw out through the end of the cabinet into the back of the rack, being careful not to hit a slot.
The rack can be ”left handed” – slanted to mount on the left end of a cabinet. Or, if you want to mount your rack on the right end of a cabinet, reverse the slope of the rack so that its long edge is to the right when viewed from the front.
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