A Miniature Bike Rack

I always wanted a bike rack for the bakery/coffee shop. I found one on Miniatures Marketplace's website but I debated if I wanted to pay $14 for it and not be certain if my bikes would fit properly.

So I decided to try to make one first to see how it goes, if not I can always buy it. Initially, the idea came to me while looking at a piece of fencing I have, so I started to cut away the unwanted parts. Then I needed to figure out a way that it could stand on its own. I searched through my wood stash and found this porch/stair rail and trimmed off the top edge to allow it to stand flat. As I was doing this, it dawned on me to just use two pieces of railing and a wooden dowel. I used the bikes to figure out the height and the spacing between the dowel railings and made the cuts. I turned the porch rails on their sides and inserted the glue dipped dowels in between the top and bottom rails. I spaced them out and let it dry. I used wood glue, my favorite, because it sets up fast and allowed me to turn the bike rack upright in a short time without falling apart. I took some "Aluminum" colored spray paint and covered the whole rack. I wish I had sanded the pieces before painting for a smoother finish and not spray so heavy but I was in "creative thought mode to see it finished". I think I will live with it for now.

The middle piece, I later removed to reduce the height 

I used the doll to figure out the final height

and make sure the bikes would stand on their own inside the rack

I found these little tie/fasteners at Home Depot that I though would work as mini bike locks