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Eggs on parade ...
Eggs on parade iDesign Plastic Egg Holder for Refrigerator with Handle and Lid, Fridge Storage Organizer for Kitchen, Holds up to 14, 4.25" x 14.5" x 3", Clear
See through egg holder with lid, and built-in handles and feet. This design is a sturdy and durable egg holder which will hold 14 large eggs. And with a lid you can also safely store other food items on top helping you to keep your fridge organised while maximising on available fridge space.
Buy NowWhen we bought our latest fridge it came with a plastic egg rack for six eggs that fits into a small shelf (on the inside of the door) although the shelf itself is big enough to hold almost three times that many eggs. A little irritating as we like to just open the fridge door and take a few eggs meaning that we are constantly having to replenish the small rack from the egg boxes stored further back in the fridge. It would have been considerate of the manufacturer, for a little extra effort at the design stage to have added a full size egg rack that fitted the whole shelf and the extra cost to the manufacturer at production stage would only be pennies.
However while tidying up the home workshop after a recent DIY project I came across a piece of 6mm (1/4 inch) thick opaque Perspex that was just ideal for making my own egg rack, made to measure, to fit in the shelf; an egg rack that would hold 16 eggs instead of the current six.
in this article I give a step-by-step process of how to make your own egg rack from Perspex to fit into your fridge, or from wood/plywood to sit on your kitchen worktop or kitchen shelf; with suggestions on how you may further adapt the ideas and tailor make your own egg rack to suit your tastes, style and kitchen layout.
Dependant on whether you intend to make an egg rack for the fridge or for use elsewhere in the kitchen will determine the choice of material. Whichever material you choose the basic principle in design and built is the same. Essentially if for use in the fridge I would recommend Perspex or if intended for your kitchen worktop or on a kitchen shelf or fixed to the wall then wood would be more suitable; or if you you're more at home working with metal then the egg rack could be made using aluminium or sheet metal.
Whether you use Perspex, plywood or soft wood in making your own egg rack I would recommend using thicker rather than thinner material simply because the holes cut to hold the eggs are so close together that any material (excepting metal) thinner than 6mm (1/4 inch) would be considerably weakened and liable to snap easily. You could compensate for this and use thinner materials if the holes were spread-out more; which may mean you may not be able to store so many eggs in a given space.
For this DIY project I used 6mm (1/4 inch) Perspex but 6mm plywood or softwood e.g. a piece of skirting board would work just as well.
Perspex for making an egg rackIf, like us, you have a shelf on the inside of the fridge door designed to hold an egg rack, or would be suitable for an egg rack then the first thing you'll want to do is make a template of the interior size and shape from which you can cut your Perspex.
In our case the shelf was removable so I was able to remove it and take it down to the home workshop from where I made a template out of thin card. I used thin card rather than paper because it's less floppy and therefore easier to get a more accurate template, as follows:-
Sellotape two sheets of card together length ways. Press the card firmly into the fridge door shelf and run the tip of your fingers (fingernails) around all the interior edges of the fridge shelf to score a clear line; to identify the outline shape of the shelf. Carefully cut along the score line with sharp scissors to create your template. Place the template back into the fridge shelf to ensure a good fit and to ensure none of the edges is bigger than the fridge shelf; it's better to be a millimetre or two (a fraction of an inch) too small to give some room for movement than slightly to big so that your rack doesn't fit when made.Once you're satisfied with your card template place it on top of the Perspex and mark around with a thick marker pen e.g. the Perspex is too shinny to mark with a pencil; but try not to use an indelible marker pen as this may be difficult to clean off later.
If your egg rack is for the kitchen worktop, shelf or wall then you don't need the Template; you're free to make the rack as big or as small as you like (to fit the area intended) and you can make it to your own design and shape e.g. a heart shape or egg shape egg rack to stand on the kitchen worktop made from a pine panel or plywood or a piece of skirting board (any length you want) if you want to fix the egg rack to the wall.
If you've used a marker pen on the Perspex sheet to mark around your template (as illustrated in the photo below) securely clamp your Perspex sheet to your home DIY workbench and using an electric jig saw carefully cut on the inside of the marked line e.g. so that the Perspex shape when cut-out will be marginally smaller than the fridge shelf giving some margin for movement rather than being too big and not fitting.
Egg rack cut to shape and tested for fit before assembly.Once the Perspex piece is cut place it in the fridge shelf to double check it fits.
If however you're making a freestanding or wall mounted egg rack from wood for your kitchen then cut-out your desired shape, or if using skirting board or similar cut the length to size.
If there are no curves in your design instead of the jig saw you may consider using a circular saw or hand saw as appropriate.
Measuring and marking the holes for the eggs in the Perspex.The measurements given in this brief best suits standard to large sized eggs. If you regularly buy smaller eggs you might wish to make the holes just a fraction smaller than the 44mm (1 3/4 inches) suggested here; but no too small.
If you're not sure I would suggest you cut a few holes in scrap wood for size, and test them with the eggs you buy before, before committing yourself to making the egg rack only to find the holes are marginally too big or too small.
Regardless to whether you use Perspex, wood or metal to make your egg rack the measuring and marking of the egg holes is the same:-
You'll need a 44mm (1 3/4 inch) hole cutter to make suitable size holes in the egg rack to support the eggs.
With a minimum gap of 5mm (about 1/4 inch) between each egg hole to maximise on space. However, cutting holes this close will considerably weaken the material you're using with a risk of segments snapping between holes while cutting the holes, if you're not careful. Therefore, if you're not confident I would suggest making the gaps between the holes larger e.g. 10mm (about half an inch).
The easiest way to mark-out for the holes is to create a grid and mark your centre points on the grid to drill the holes as described below (and shown in the photos):-
1. Draw a centre line across the length of the egg rack at a distance away from the edge that is equal to the radius plus the gap between egg holes e.g. 22mm plus 5mm = 27mm (just over one inch); or if you're working on the cautious side then 22mm plus 10mm = 32mm (about 1 1/4 inches).
2. Assuming you're being more cautious in not making the holes too close as to risk any partitions between egg holes breaking while being cut; mark the centre point for the first egg hole 32mm (1 1/4 inches) from the edge.
3. Mark the centre points for the rest of the holes on the first row at regular intervals equal to the diameter of the egg hole plus the gap between egg holes e.g. 44mm plus 10mm = 54mm (2 1/8 inch). For extra clarity e.g. so as not to mistakenly drill any of the holes in the wrong place later, I drew little circles around each point to drill. As I was marking on Perspex I also used a pen rather than pencil as a pencil doesn't mark on Perspex; alternately you could use a fine point felt tip pen (provided it's not indelible) which you can later wash off.
4. If making more than one row of egg holes either repeat as above, or if you wish to maximise on space mark up your centre points on the second row halfway between the centre points on the first row; to create a honey type effect (see photos). This way instead of the centre points for the second row being 'the diameter of the holes plus the gap' from the centre point of the first row it can be set at the 'diameter less the gap between holes' e.g. 44mm less 10mm = 34mm (1 1/3 inch) instead of 44mm plus 10mm = 54mm (2 1/8 inch).
5. Using the 44mm hole cutter as a template centre on some of the centre points you've marked and draw around it to give a visual double check that everything looks as you expect it to look, see photo.
6. If there are any odd corners where you can fit in an extra hole off centre to the other rows, as in the photo below, then using the hole cutter as a template mark its circumference and then centre point.
Similar to the kit I use, it includes the 1 3/4 (44mm) which not all kits do, has good reviews, and being from Dewalt is a sign of quality.
Buy NowThe ideal depth is about 18mm (3/4 inch) but I would recommend you test your egg rack with real eggs before finally gluing and fixing it all together.
As I was making my egg rack from Perspex I could have cut some strips of Perspex 18mm wide and glued them to the base of the egg rack as support. However, I happened to have some spare drawer runners in my home DIY work shed just collecting dust that was just under the 18mm so I decided to use these as the base support for the egg rack.
If you make your egg rack from wood then you'll want to use thin strips of wood approximately 6mm (1/4 inch) by 18mm (3/4 inch) e.g. thin strips of plywood, softwood or beading.
Once you've cut your base support to size (and smoothed any rough edges with sandpaper) glue the base supports in place to support the front and back ensuring none of the supports obscure any of the holes too much; the base support protruding across any of the holes by a few millimetres (fraction of an inch) isn't going to do any harm because of the curvature of the egg and thickness of egg rack the egg isn't going to be obstructed by the support. Once the egg rack's supports are glued wait until the glue has set. As I was using plastic and Perspex I used Araldite to glue them together, as Araldite will bond most materials (including most plastics), it sets in 10 minutes and sets firm in one hour; therefore it was an ideal glue to use in this instance.
Once the glue is fully set, fit your egg rack in your kitchen or fridge and start using it for storing your eggs.
Making the base for the egg rack Rachael Ray 53106 Serveware Egg Tray, 12-Cup, RedAn egg tray for 12 eggs available in a choice of four colours, red, blue, orange or purple; suitable for fridge, kitchen worktop counter and also popular as a kitchen to table serve-ware for serving mini appetizers at parties.
Buy Now 30-Egg Plastic TrayAn inexpensive plastic 30 egg tray measuring 11.5 inches square; ideal for having all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, either on a shelf in your fridge or to hand on the corner of your kitchen worktop.
Buy NowIf your egg rack is for the fridge it should be Perspex but if you decide to make an egg rack for placing on a kitchen worktop or to fix to the kitchen wall then making it from wood may be easier.
The guide given above is for an egg rack made using Perspex with tips for making it from wood when appropriate.
So in this section, if you decide to make your egg rack from wood, here are some additional pointers you may find helpful.
Ideally use 6mm (1/4 inch) panel of wood for the top e.g. plywood and 3mm (1/8 inch) plywood for the base; separated by a 18mm (3/4 inch) gap using thin strips of wood (6mm x 18mm).
Rather than plywood you could use 12mm (1/2 inch) or 18mm (3/4 inch) soft wood sheets e.g. pine panels and reduce the gap between the top and base accordingly.
If you're making an egg rack using wood in this way it can be any shape and size you wish; just limited by your imagination and available space to store the rack. It could be heart shape, round, square, oblong, egg shape or if you're artistic, hen shape; and if painted and decorated with acrylic paint could make an ideal or novel Christmas or birthday present.
If the egg rack is square or oblong the 18mm supports between top and base could be around the outer edges and if your egg rack is a shape other than square the supports could be placed near the edges to give adequate support (without blocking any of the egg holes) as appropriate.
75mm (3 inch) skirting board is an ideal material for making a wall fixed egg rack, and can simply be made as follows:-
Cut two pieces of skirting board to the required length. Cut your egg holes in one piece of skirting board, but use a slightly smaller hole cutter so that small eggs don't fall through the holes e.g. 38mm (1 inch); and ensure the outer edge of the holes are at least 12mm (1/2 inch) away from the square end of the skirting board. Glue and pin the square end of the skirting board with the holes cut out on top of the square end of the other piece of skirting board at right angles so that the curve of the bottom skirting board is facing towards you and the curve of the top skirting board is facing down (illustration to follow in due course). Drill and countersink a suitable hole on the bottom skirting board at both ends; ready for fixing to the wall when complete. Smooth and round off any rough ends with sandpaper, and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Apply your preferred finish e.g. wood stain, varnish, wax or paint; and when dry fix your egg rack to wall. Bespoke fridge egg rack complete and in useThis content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
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sendingAUTHORArthur Russ
2 years ago from England
Thanks for all your feedback; good point anonymous, our fridge did come with an egg rack, but it wasn't very big where as the one I designed was made to measure to hold far more eggs.
anonymous
7 years ago
Now that is really something, I want that too! Really nicely done.
anonymous
7 years ago
Refrigerators used to come with egg racks all the time built in and I notice they seem to not always be a feature, so your egg rack DIY will certainly be a welcome find to those missing one. Nicely done!
queenofduvetcover
7 years ago
Wow, this is great. I actually needed an egg rack for my fridge. Now you got me thinking.