A few years ago we saw a metal putter rack in a pro-shop gently caressing a long line of gorgeous putters. We loved the modern look of the rack, but it in speaking with the shop owner the display was a bit flimsy and was no longer being manufactured. We filed the design in the memory banks hoping that we could build a wooden version of the rack for our golf cave at some point in the future.
Fast forward a few years and we had the good fortune to meet Daniel Sharp a talented woodworker located in Eatonton, Georgia. We mentioned the rack to Daniel just in passing and he said "well, let me take a look at it, and we'll see what we can do."
A genuine southerner with a heart of gold Daniel came up with a design based on a photo we sent him of the metal rack, but in a more durable wood product. We were thrilled and asked if we could follow along with the build process.
Daniel started by providing me with some drawings of what the rack might look like. Since we didn't have the rack for him to refer to, Daniel had to estimate the measurements and angles from a picture.
He then built a template out of scrap wood and we made some adjustments before moving onto the final design.
Next he sourced some maple, a hardwood that he felt would lend itself well to the project. Beyond the durability aspect of maple, it accepts both stain and paint very well.
For the final project Daniel started by making a metal template for the rack's uprights. He cut the uprights for the rack, painstakingly insuring that both sides were the exact same height, width and shape. If I heard Daniel say "Measure twice cut once, I heard it a hundred times" throughout the project. When I asked him why he said that so often Daniel kindly informed me "lumbers expensive!"
Next Daniel cut holes in the side of each upright recreating the look of the metal rack. When I incorrectly referred to them as saw holes Daniel pointed out that those are "lightening holes." Lightening holes are used by NASCAR & motorcycle builders to reduce the weight of the car/bike to make it go faster, while still maintaining the stability of the frame. I learn something new everyday.
The next step in the construction process was to build the cross bar support for the putter handles. Daniel used a router and forstener bit to carve out U-shaped holes to hold our putters upright and then sanded it smooth.
Now with all the pieces cut out it was time to assemble the unit. Daniel used nails and wood glue to tie everything together meticulously removing any glue at the seams so as not to cause issues with the stain/paint.
With the wood working complete we took the rack back to our office and painted it to match our golf cave. We think it came out awesome and plan to add the Golf Gear Box logo to the kick plate on the rack at a later date.
Thanks to Daniel & Lake Oconee Woodworking for all their help with this project. If you would like to contact Daniel for your custom wood working project we have provided his information below.
Lake Oconee Woodworking
Eatonton, GA
Lakeoconeewoodworking@Gmail.com
