Make Your Own Drawer Pull Knob Rack

Coat rack, scarf rack, necklace rack…what ever you want to call them or use them as, they each have one thing in common…you hang stuff from them.

This is a project where most people can make their own if they desire. They can be as rustic or eclectic as you wish. You can mix match knobs within a single rack or keep them all the same.

The awesome part of this project is how useful it is in just about any type of house. If they are used as a coat or scarf rack, they are typically by the front entry door or in a laundry room or mud room. If they are used as a necklace rack, well, they may be mounted on a wall near the vanity if you have one or where ever it is convenient for you.

There are nearly an unlimited number of styles of drawer knobs to choose from. There are also many different types of backer boards to mount the knobs to. With so many variations in backer boards and knobs, each rack could have a story of it’s own.

The designs of these racks are limited to your imagination, but there are a couple things to look out for and I hope to help you with that here.

Selection of Knobs

When selecting a type of knob, think about what might be hung from that knob.

If you are hanging coats from the knob, find knobs that have more of an edge to it and is less ball-like. The more ball-like the knob, the higher the chance the coat will slip off. If the knob has more of an edge to it, the coat tends to grab a hold of it better and will not slip off.

Ball-like knobs are better suited for smaller items like necklaces and scarfs where there is less weight to drag them down.

Racks like these are more pleasing to the eye when the knobs are in odd numbers, such as 1, 3 or 5. Even numbers tend to appear incomplete and unbalanced.

Knobs can be purchased new or used. New knobs aren’t necessarily the cheapest option and the price could add up quickly depending on the style you choose. Used knobs could be found at garage sales or thrift stores or antique shops. Some used knobs may have been around for many years.

The knob shown below works okay for coats, but not as good as some of the others:

I recommend looking for ones that have more of a lip than the one above. These knobs work much better:

Selection of Backer Board

The backer board is the piece that the knobs are mounted to, which is also the main support for the entire rack. It must support the weight of coats if it is being used as a coat rack.

Finding something sturdy usually is not a problem, but usually you would want to avoid anything thin. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. If the board is too thin and you weigh it down with heavy coats, the board could be the first thing to fail.
2. Most knobs require at least 3/4″ thick board to attach the screws through.

Joy and I have used wood from an old chicken barn. This wood is old and worn by the weather and has a very rustic look to it.

We have also used new pine boards and made them look rustic by using a wire wheel. We describe this method in a previous article here. We have stained these boards to give them color and others were burned with a propane torch.

I have seen these racks made with other materials, including cabinet drawer faces.

Find something that is at least 15″ long and you can mount 3 knobs comfortably on it. Make it 36″ long for 5 knobs. Of course, these lengths are not a requirement and you can make them as long as you want.

How to Mount the Rack

Just like the various options for the backer board and knobs, there are various options for the how you mount the rack. Here are a few ways to get you started:

1. Drill a hole through the rack and mount it with exposed screws.
2. Use keyhole slots on the back. This is achieved a couple ways…Use a keyhole router bit to route out a hole in the back. I would not recommend this for heavier items. There are also a various styles of metal keyhole slots on the market. These are all mounted to the back of the rack with a couple screws. Some sit pretty much flush with the back, while others stick out a little. The flush ones require a larger diameter or slotted hole to be cut in the back of the backer board for the screw head to fit. The ones that stick out do not require this hole, but this then does not allow the rack to sit snug against the wall.
3. Sawtooth hooks can also be used. This is another one I would not recommend for heavier items, but would work just fine for the lighter stuff.

Make Your Own Rack

The construction of these racks are pretty straight forward and do not need to be more complicated than necessary. Here are the steps I take when making these:

There are many possibilities when making your own rack. Go out and find some knobs you like along with a cool looking board, drill some holes, put the knobs on and hang it. It’s a fun little project you can have completed in a very short time.

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Rick Simper has various hobbies, including woodworking, metalworking, composting, and gardening. He is an Architect full time and uses these hobbies to get away from the busy week of Architecture.

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