How to Make a Knife Holder
- 1). Measure out how long you want your knife holder to be. Lay the wooden plank down and line up the knives you intend to store on it, or measure it for size against the length of wall you have available. You will be mounting the rack to the wall, so you need to leave 1" on either side for screws.
- 2). Turn the wooden plank over. Lay the rare earth magnets on top of the wood so you see how many you need to magnetize the length of your knife rack. The magnets should form a line from left to right, with no more than half an inch between magnets. Draw an outline around the magnets with a pencil when they're in position.
- 3). Remove the magnets. Chip away wood within the outline of the magnets with a chisel, creating a hollow dip where you will glue the magnets. This hollow dip should be deep enough to that the magnets, when glued, will be at the same level, or lower, than the wooden plank they're mounted to. This will let you mount the knife holder flush against the wall. Try to chisel as deep as possible without chipping through to the other side.
- 4). Finish chiseling. Clear off any sawdust or wood chippings. Color the plank on either side with varnish or stain until it matches the color of any wood in your kitchen. Leave to dry.
- 5). Wait for the stained plank to dry. Apply wood glue generously to the hollow trench you chiseled. Place the magnets one-by-one inside the chiseled-out trench and press them in place so they're firmly covered in glue. Continue doing so until all your magnets are in place -- essentially making a single strip of magnets in the center of your wooden plank.
- 6). Leave the glue to dry. Check to see that all the magnets are securely fastened in the chiseled-out trench. Turn the plank over to the "plain wood" side and test it with some kitchen knives. The magnets should be powerful enough to grip the wooden knives even though a thin layer of wood - making the magnetic knife holder appear like a single piece of wood.
- 7). Attach the completed knife holder to the wall with wood screws. Drill holes through the plank into the wall itself to do this. If you are mounting the knife holder on a plasterboard wall, you may need to use plastic anchors to secure it. Once mounted, use colored screws that match the rest of your decor, or cover up sunken screws with wood wax or colored grout.
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