This is one of the most-used projects in my kitchen.  Made from century red oak, it’s a simple, yet convenient, way to hold my knives while keeping precious counter space clear.

The construction is a bit deceiving.  The screws don’t hold the unit onto the wall–they don’t even go all the way through.  The two vertical pieces are glued to the wall, and that’s what holds it up.  The screws simply attach the horizontal piece (the actual rack) to the verticals.  This way, as I purchase new knives, I can remove the horizontal, cut a new groove, and replace it.  By doing it this way, I’m not causing any wear on holes into the plaster.

The two paring knives are handle-heavy, and don’t sit well.  That issue was solved by creating a “bar” out of some copper wire I have (old power lines from behind my house).  This allows them to rest against the bar instead of falling out.

The slot for the boning knife (the long thin one) needed to be chiseled out at an angle because of the shape of the handle (it wants to tip forward, out of the rack).  Unfortunately, when I was building this, I only had my old chisels–which had been horribly misused while I was out of the country, and completely dulled/chipped.  That slot needs some work now that I’ve replaced the chisels.