How to Make a Shoe Rack


You can make Andy Standing’s handy storage project from just one plank of wood

Wooden drying rack on wooden surface.


This simple shoe rack will keep your shoes neatly out of the way and takes up little space. It is easy to make but relies on tight joints to keep it secure, so take care when cutting them. I have made the rack in pine, but you could just as easily use a more exotic hardwood if you prefer to create something a little sturdier.

You will need

  • Plank of pine or your preferred hardwood
  • Saws
  • Plane/block plane
  • Sliding bevel
  • Pencil
  • Chisels
  • Glue
  • Abrasives

Making the rack

Person using table saw to cut wood
1. Mark up the plank and then crosscut the end piece that makes up the two sides
Person cutting wood with a bandsaw
2. Cut it diagonally – this is an easy job for a bandsaw, but you could use a handsaw or jigsaw if you prefer
Carpenter using hand plane on wood
3. Place the two pieces together in a vice and plane both the sawn edges at the same time to make the pieces identical
Measuring angle on wooden block with bevel gauge.
4. Now mark the cutout for the feet. Use a sliding bevel to mirror the slope of the front and make each foot 30mm wide. Join the two with a horizontal line 20mm up from the base
Sawing wood with hand saw on workbench.
5. The tip of the triangular sides needs to be removed, so mark a horizontal line 260mm from the base and saw the top off
Cutting wood with a circular saw in workshop.
6. Again, the bandsaw can be used for shaping the feet, though a jigsaw or coping saw would also do the job
Cutting wood with a table saw in workshop.
7. Rip the four rails – they are all 30mm wide
Hand marking wood piece for construction project.
8. Now mark out the rebates to go on the rails. These are set 10mm in from the ends of the rails. The simple method is to lay the rails flat on the bench and then stand the ends on them. Mark the joints with a pencil
Hand sawing wood with ProfCut hand saw.
9. Use a tenon saw to cut down the sides of the joint – they should all be about 12mm deep. Make a cut on each side of the joint and then several across the width
Carving wood joint with chisel tool.
10. Pare out the waste with a chisel
Wood being sanded with a bench sander machine.
11. Form a small chamfer around the exposed ends of the rails …
Hand using a block plane on wood surface
12. … a disc sander is ideal for this, but you could use a block plane or
even a chisel to achieve the same result.
Applying wood glue onto a wooden joint
13. The joints alone should hold the rails in position fairly tightly, so only a dab of glue is needed
Wooden dovetail joints on angled wood structure
14. The precise position of the rails is not critical
Wooden weaving loom on a table
15. The finished shoe rack

Further reading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *