Individual and unique; DIY magnetic knife racks.
Magnetic knife rack
Magnets used:
Disc magnets ø 20 mm x 3 mm N45 – 55 pcs.
Disc magnets ø 20 mm x 5 mm N42 – 5 pcs.
Materials used:
Acacia wood board 800 mm x 300 mm x 18 mm from the hardware store
Organic hard oil from a wood specialist
Forstner bit with a diameter of 20 mm
Superglue or all-purpose glue from a hardware store
I’ve put a lot of effort into making new wooden handles for almost all of my knives and have also bought some very expensive new knives. I wanted to build a nice knife rack to go with it. It’s not necessarily cheaper than a store-bought magnetic rack, but it’s more unique.
I have 17 knives and needed a long rack.
I got a board of acacia wood from the hardware store. First, I sawed the board in the shape of half a cognac bottle, cut it to the length of the knives, sanded it, and treated it with organic hard oil.
To ensure the knives really stick to the board, I needed magnets. I opted for circular disc magnets. It was easiest for me to drill holes with a drill, which would fit the magnets. For the large, heavy knives, I used the strongest magnets at the top.
Disc Magnets
I used the sawn-off scrap wood for test drilling. For this purpose, I purchased a cheap, low-end Forstner bit (20 mm diameter).
The Forstner bit has a height of 15 mm including the tip. To ensure the magnets fit as deeply as possible into the wood and their attraction to the wood remains effective, I drilled so deep that only 1 mm of wood remained between the Forstner bit’s guide tip and the outside of the board. It’s definitely worth practicing this beforehand to get the hang of it and avoid drilling through the wood.
Forstner drill
So I drilled two test holes in the leftover wood to see if the magnet would hold a knife. I noticed that there were some tears during drilling. So I stuck with my initial decision of drilling deep holes from the back rather than inserting the magnets from the front. Drilling with a drill press wasn’t necessary, as the magnets exert their power even when they’re not perfectly straight in the wood.
First, I glued some magnets in place with epoxy resin glue. But that made a mess, and the glue was quickly used up. For the rest of the gluing, I opted for superglue. (Please wear rubber gloves.) This was cleaner, but the glue also used up quickly. I attached the remaining magnets with all-purpose glue. I would do it this way from the beginning.
When gluing the magnets in place, I also encountered a magnet I had prepared that jumped onto another magnet that was already glued in place. I couldn’t get it out. So, instead of lining up the magnets next to each other, you should glue them in individually.
Unique piece in the kitchen
As I continued, I realized that it makes sense to use two magnets each for the smaller knives and three or even four for the larger ones. This keeps the knives neatly aligned and prevents them from turning sideways. I chose exactly the right size for the knives‘ holding power on the board. It’s important to remember that there’s 1 mm of residual wood to the tip of the drill, but 4 mm of wood to the magnet. So, choosing these strong magnets was the right decision.
I decided not to drive in any additional wooden crosspieces to avoid damaging the fragile magnets. This wasn’t necessary anyway. The adhesive holds the magnets firmly in the hole.
I decided not to use eyelets on the board, instead screwing the heavy board directly into the existing dowels of the previous rails.
The knives are suspended downwards so that any moisture can drip down. The bolsters of the knives on the wooden edge also provide additional support.