How to Build a Bottle-Vase Holder

Presenting flowers may be somewhat predictable, but not when they come in this tabletop display piece. All it takes is a simple framework made from stock oak and molding. Pluck the “vases” from the recycling bin or buy new ones with a shape you like. Ours look like scaled-down milk bottles, bringing a touch of old-timey character to the table.

Cut list to build a vase holder that holds three bottles (Ours is 14 inches long by 3½ inches deep by 7¼ inches high.):
1×4 oak top: Cut to fit. (Ours measures 11½ inches.)
1×4 oak base: Cut to fit, 1½ inches longer than the top. (Ours measures 13 inches.)
Oak base molding or plinth blocks: two @ 3½ inches. Select a profile that matches the height of your bottles.
½-by-¾-inch oak shoe molding: Mitered to fit.

Step 1: Measure the Top

Position three glass bottles along the centerline of a 1×4 oak board. Adjust the bottles so that they’re evenly spaced and there’s an equal space on either side of the bottles at each end. Use a combination square to mark three evenly sized sections on the board. Mark an X in each section to find its center point. Cut the board to size.

Step 2: Make the Holes

Place the top on a piece of wood scrap, with the marked face of the board pointing up. Measure the diameter of each bottle mouth and select a hole saw of that size. Fit the hole saw into the drill/driver and bore a hole for each bottle at the marked center points on your board. Use a rasp and then a file to widen the holes on the underside of the board so that the bottles will slide easily into the holes.

Step 3: Cut the Sides

Trace the 1×4 on the base molding to mark the width of the sides. On a miter saw, cut the base molding or plinth blocks into two 3½-inch-wide pieces. If the cut molding is taller than your glass bottles, cut it down to the height of the bottles.

Step 4: Make the Base

Measure the length of the top piece. Add 1 ½ inches to that length and mark a cutline on a second piece of 1×4 oak. Cut the board down to form the base. Position the base on your worktable with one end hanging over the edge of the table. Run a bead of glue on the bottom edge of the cut base molding, and clamp it to the base, flush at the end. Using a drill/driver with a countersink bit, bore pilot holes through the base and into the molding, and fasten them with 1½-inch wood screws. Repeat on the opposite side.

Step 5: Apply the Molding

Mark and miter cut shoe molding to fit around the base. Apply alternating beads of wood glue and superglue to the back edge of the shoe molding, and glue it in place.

Step 6: Glue the Top

Run a bead of wood glue along the cut ends of the top. Fit the top between the base-molding sides, and clamp it in place until the glue sets. When the glue is dry, sand and stain the finished piece. Add the bottles.

Tools