DIY: How to Make a Safety Razor Rack For Idiots
In New Zealand I've searched high and low for a decent safety razor rack. They don't exist. They're a myth. I've even tried searching for test tube racks or toothbrush holders. While I can find these, finding a nice wooden variety is not so easy. So I made my own and this is how I did it.
What you'll need
A mini wine gift box or similar (key ingredient)
A power drill
Sandpaper - P100 rating (P120 optional)
Wood stainer (optional) or vanish
Ruler (T-square is even better)
Pencil
Drawing compass
The trickiest part may in-fact be finding this little box. I got mine by texting a number on the side of a bus stop to receive a free bottle of hot sauce. It was less dodgy than it sounds.
A power drill make things easier. I borrowed my Dad's.
P100 sandpaper should be sufficient for fixing any mistakes and smoothing surfaces, however, I do recommend the finer grained P120 for the final sand down.
The wood stain is for aesthetics. Most stains I saw provide some sort protection from water which is essential as your rack will likely be living in your bathroom where there can be lots of moisture. This can be substituted with wood vanish.
The steps
- Mark out the center of each hole
The best approach here is to find the center of the first hole (which is the left most hole when working left to right). I simply turned one of my double edge razors upside down, so the head was against the wood, and moved it to a position that looked good then marked the center of each side on the wood, so once removed, I can work out the center point.
Once you have the first hole's center point you can draw a horizontal line, using a ruler or t-square, across the wood where the center of each other hole will be.
The next center point to find is the last hole (right most hole). Using the same distance between the *left edge* and *first* center point, mark out the last hole distance from the right edge. This will give you two holes - one near the left edge and one near the right - that are even distances from the edges.
My rack has five holes. We've just marked two. We want the remaining 3 holes to be evenly spaced out. To have them even, measure the distance between the two marked hole centres (1 and 5) and divide that by 4 if you want 3 more holes. If you want 4 more holes you'd divide that by 5 and so forth. This gives you the even distance between each hole.
In my case, the distance between hole 1 and 5 was 160mm: 160/4 = 40mm spacing between the holes. Yes, the stars aligned and I was blessed with even numbers.
Starting at the first hole center point, mark off, with a ruler, every x number of mm along your previously drawn horizontal line. For me it's every 40mm.
I just realised these steps are probably way to detailed and possibly patronising. I'll try improve.
You should now have the center positions for every hole. Pull out that graphics compass you haven't used since school days. Let's draw some circles.
- Draw the holes outlines
As you can see, I've drawn two circles per hole. This isn't strictly necessary. In fact it’s not necessary at all. Truth be told, the inner circle was originally a mistake but I let it fly anyway.
The inner circle has a radius of 6.5mm while the outer circle has a radius of 8mm. Again, I don't want to sound patronising but I'll explain radius anyway so we're all in the same page: the radius is the distance from the circle center to the circle edge. So this is the distance you set your compass to. A 6.5mm radius will create a circle with a 13mm diameter.
Feel free to adjust these circle sizes. The inner circle is a good size for a lot of razor handle size but not quite big enough for others - hence the bigger circle. The outer circles, with 8mm radius, is big enough for all my razors, including the dial on my slim adjustable. I don't have a fatboy to test.
- Drill the holes
Before you drill, I suggest you get a smallish nail or something to make a reasonable indent on your wood at your center points. This will make the start of the drilling process a bit easier - and less likely to have an off center hole.
What I should have done was bought a drill bit that was the correct size. I didn't. Instead, I used what I'm guessing was an 8mm or 9mm diameter drill bit and through sheer patients and determination made the holes to the correct size. I don't recommend this. It sucked. I do recommend you get a drill bit slightly smaller than the size of the hole you want to drill; so in this case maybe 13 or
14 mm diameter. The slightly smaller bit will give you some wiggle room.
If you go with a small drill bit like I did, you can increase the hole size with some angles grinds. Use the inner circle as a guide to help keep your circle... circular. Don’t worry if the holes aren't perfect after the drilling. We can fix (read improve) that with sandpaper. Obviously do the best you can with the drilling as this will make you life easier later.
Once you’ve finished drilling all the holes your rack should be usable. Test it out and make sure the razors you want in there fit. If not, you should be able to sand the hole so it’ll be big enough.
- Sand down
With your P100 sandpaper, sand the hole to 1) make it bigger if necessary, 2) make it rounder if necessary and 3) bevel the edges a bit. A little bit of a sand takes the sharpness off the edge and, in my opinion, gives it a more polished looked.
Simply roll the sandpaper up so you can get it in the hole. It can be a bit trickier but it’s definitely doable.
I also recommend giving the hole box a sanding over. These boxes aren’t made for display pieces and a sanding, inside and out, really makes a difference. Also sand down any overlaps where two sides of the wood meet. At least for my box, quality control was... indifferent.
- Vanish
You should be able to get a wood vanish from your local hardware store. The unfortunate thing about wood vanish is that it is likely to be the most expensive part of the project. It’s not terribly expensive but when compared to what the box is worth it’s relative.
Never the less, it can make all the difference to how your rack displays. It also adds extra protection as the wood will often be exposed to moisture.
- End product
That’s really all there is to it. Find a box, drill holes in it, vanish. Now your wife will thank you for clearing your razors from the vanity and think you’re handy with the wood, too.