Free Plan: Mission Magazine Rack
Seven pieces of oak, one afternoon — the 1912 beginner classic where the joinery is the decoration.
Free download. No signup required.
- Full 1912 cut list
- Finish-before-assembly workflow
- Pocket-hole shortcut included
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One afternoon down. What's next on the bench?
The magazine rack plan is yours to keep. If you like having the next project drawn up before this one is oiled, take a look at the Ted's Woodworking plan library.
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This whole project is seven pieces of wood: four posts and five shelves. It has been a beginner project since 1912 because the design does the heavy lifting — Mission style means the joinery is the decoration. Nothing to hide, nothing to fake.
The plan walks through the cut list, the mortise-and-tenon layout, and the workflow the 1912 author got right: finish every piece while it is still a flat board on the bench, then assemble.
If mortises are not in your toolbox yet, the pocket-hole shortcut builds the same rack in an afternoon, hidden from the back.
Project at a Glance
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Main materials
- Quartersawn oak or red oak — four 2 x 2 x 40 inch posts, five 1 x 14 x 24 inch shelves
- Build time
- One afternoon (pocket-hole version) to a weekend (mortise-and-tenon)
- Tools needed
- Miter or table saw, chisel and mallet (or pocket-hole jig), sander, clamps
- Source
- Popular Mechanics, 1912 (public domain)
Before the oil comes out:
Finishing the parts before assembly is the best tip in the old plan — but keep the glue surfaces bare. Finish sealed onto a tenon or inside a mortise is a joint that will not hold. Tape them off first.
A rack like this is how furniture building starts: one afternoon, seven parts, a result that goes straight into the living room.
The question that follows is always the same — what next? A shelf, a bench, a table. Having the next plan ready is how one afternoon turns into a habit.
Recommended Next Step
Your next project is already drawn up
Ted's Woodworking is a library of 16,000 woodworking plans with cut lists, measurements, and step-by-step instructions — from afternoon builds like this rack to full furniture projects.
It fits builders who finish one project and want the next one waiting. If you only ever wanted this rack, the plan above is all you need.
Ted's Woodworking
16,000 woodworking plans with cut lists and step-by-step instructions.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It doesn't cost you extra.
Start with the rack plan
Download the Mission magazine rack plan and build at your own pace. The plan is yours whether or not the library ends up on your bench.