How To Build A Mahogany Wine Rack At Less Than Half The Cost

Elegant wine racks abound everywhere. Wine enthusiasts can choose to purchase wine racks online or at the local store, or learn how to build a wine rack. In any case, mahogany wine racks consistently stand out as the richest, deepest and most stylish of all wood wine racks. For wine enthusiasts, the proper storage and presentation of their precious wine means everything. It is therefore not surprising that many wine enthusiasts are likely to choose to own a mahogany wine rack since mahogany wine racks provide decorative uniqueness as well as that expensive antique look.

However, mahogany is a very highly prized wood. Depending on the wine rack size and features, buying a mahogany wine rack or wine rack cabinet plus shipping could put a deep dent in your pocket. You are very likely to have comparatively far fewer dollars to spend on good wines of cellaring quality.

There is one way to have your cake and eat it at the same time. Why not build your own wine rack or wine cabinet using mahogany? You can save a significantly amount of money when you choose to learn how to build a mahogany wine rack. The mahogany wine rack can be fitted with a tabletop to tastefully display candles, flowers or other home décor items. It is also extremely easy to fit mahogany wine racks into any wine storage space.

Mahogany is a very reliable wood. It has a bendy, thick and rough grain, and is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its fine quality makes it ideal for building wine racks, wine rack cabinets and other furniture. Just like the deepening colour of red wine as it ages, mahogany has a reddish brown colour which darkens over time, and displays a beautiful sheen when it is polished. The mahogany wine rack that you build will look like an extremely expensive antique, adding a touch of class to your living room or wine room.

How To Build A Mahogany Wine Rack At An Even Lower Cost

You can adopt use mahogany in virtually all wine rack plans that you come across. However, if the cost of building a mahogany wine rack still too high for you, you could think about building wine racks with other types of timber, but use mahogany veneer for decoration and a beautiful finish. Mahogany itself already has a beautiful rich color. There is no need to use wood coloring or dyes, finishing with tung oil and regularly polishing your mahogany wine rack and wine rack cabinet would do just fine.

While using mahogany veneer helps lower cost and allow you to build a wine rack with a beautiful exotic finish, veneer can be easily damaged if you do not know how to cut it. Save time and effort by having major parts cut and edged by your supplier. Take offcuts away to use later. Buy one metre of spare edge strip to repair any damage.

How To Build A Wine Rack Using Mahogany Veneer

Below are simple tips you can follow when you need to cut veneer without damaging it.

Tips on Cutting Veneer:

• Commercial veneers are typically cut very thin, and have a tendency to split when handled. To prevent this, tape the edges of the veneer. The tape will prevent the edges from cracking further.
• Similarly, tape off the intended seam, and carefully cut the veneer using a razor knife. The tape will prevent the edges of the veneer from splitting. 
• When you are working with multiple sheets of veneers, stack neatly the veneer strips between two poplar boards. This helps to get all of the edges flat and neatly lined up for edge gluing. Once the package is temporarily clamped together, use screws to secure the poplar boards tightly together. 
• Use a straight-edge to draw a straight line near the edge of the poplar, then cut to the line at the band saw.
• Next, flatten the same edge at the jointer. This will leave the edges of the sandwich flat and square. To compress the veneers between the cauls, add a lot of clamps. Then make one pass using a hand-held router and flush-trim bit between the clamps. 
• Reposition the clamps one at a time, then make a final pass to finish the ends. This technique will also leave the edges flat, square and ready for glue-up.