Coffee Pod Rack

My lovely wife bought me a Nespresso-style coffee pod machine for Christmas, but she recently started objecting to the way I store my pods.

Do something about it, she said. Make a rack for them or something.

So I did.

As well as the files attached to this step, I cut the rack from 3mm plywood (three sheets 400x300mm), PVA glue and clear spray lacquer.

You can cut yours out of whatever materials you like (as long as they're 3mm thick), but you'll need different glues and finishes.

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Hang on, those holes aren't circles?

It's a design feature. Seriously. I worked out that if the holes were circular, it would be harder to pick the pods out. With the ovals, I have space for my fingertips to reach under the edge of the pod and lift it out.

Exactly what it says on the tin - cut the pieces, discard the scrap, and move on to the next step.

Start gluing with one side and the bottom shelf.

I put the finger-joints together and drew a line of PVA along the fingers, and glued the edge of the shelf as well, then fit them both into place.

Press and hold them together for a couple of minutes before the next steps.

Once the first side and shelf are stuck in place, glue the edges of the rest of the shelves and slot them in place one at a time.

Remember to press each shelf firmly in place for a few moments before adding the next.

(Yet again, Neptune the cat decided she wanted to help, but furry paws are not really suitable for dealing with PVA glue.)

Once all the shelves are pressed firmly into place, you need to add the final part, the second side.

I glued along the fingers again, and drew lines of glue where the ends of the shelves would meet the side.

(As an aside, I recently bought myself a "glue pen" - it makes it really easy to apply PVA to small places. I think the manufacturer expected me to buy a new one when it was empty, but the tip unscrews quite easily, and I can pour in more glue from the large bottle of cheap PVA I had been using.)

Thin plywood can develop a noticeable curve on longer parts, and that can stop joints gluing firmly.

Once you've got the rack assembled, you need to clamp the whole thing to keep the joints firm. The easiest way to do that is to lay the rack on its back and lay something reasonably heavy on top with something flat to spread the load.

Leave it under pressure for at least an hour to get a decent join, and don't move on to the next step until the glue is completely dry.

Personally, I normally prefer a raw wood finish, but the rack could get splashed with coffee and stained, so I decided to give the rack a finish. I could have used a stain or paint, but the poplar plywood happens to coordinate perfectly with our kitchen's colour scheme.

So, instead of an oil (which can make the wood turn a yellow or golden shade), I added a coat of clear spray-on lacquer.

And that's it - the nice tidy rack has replaced the slightly tatty box, and all my coffee pods are in easy reach of my machine.