WHAT IT TAKES
TIME: 2 weekends
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
If you’re looking for a way to maximize the storage on a wall, look no further. These shelves are easy to build, stylish enough to display your collection of favorite things, yet strong enough to hold plenty of books. In addition, you can easily customize the versatile system to fit around windows, doors, desks and other features and make every inch of wall space count.
Here, we’ll show you how to make these handsome shelves with plywood and iron-on edge veneer. Then we’ll show you how to mount them in simple grooved 1x2 uprights that you fasten to the walls.
Cutting the groove in the uprights (Figure B) and making square, splinter-free crosscuts on the plywood are the only tricky parts of the project, and we’ll show you foolproof methods for both. Even though the shelves are simple, you’ll be cutting out a lot of parts, so plan to spend a weekend on this project. Allow a few more days for staining and finishing.
You’ll need a circular saw with a sharp 40-tooth carbide blade for cutting the plywood. To cut the groove in the 1x2, you’ll need a table saw and standard blade. You’ll also need a drill and countersink bit, a level and a clothes iron to melt the glue on the iron-on edging. The edge-trimming tool we show isn’t mandatory (a sharp utility knife and patience give good results), but it simplifies the job.
You’ll need 1-1/2 sheets of 3/4-in. plywood. to build the 8-ft.-long section shown. We purchased 3/4-in. veneer-core oak plywood with two good faces. Less-expensive plywood may just have one good side, but since only the uprights require two good sides, you may be able to work around any defects on the less desirable side. For a contemporary look, we stained these oak shelves black and applied two coats of sealer, but you can choose any paint or stain color to match your decor.
Start by cutting the 4 x 8-ft. sheet of plywood into four 10-in.-wide strips (Figure C). Cut the 4 x 4-ft. sheet into five 8-in.-wide strips. We used a table saw, but clamping an 8-ft. straightedge to the plywood as an edge guide for your circular saw will also work. Sand any saw marks from the edge of the plywood strips, being careful not to round over the corners. Then vacuum the edges to remove the sawdust.
The next step is to cover one long edge of each plywood strip with veneer tape (Photo 1). You’ll find iron-on veneer tape at woodworking stores and home centers. Start by cutting strips of veneer tape a few inches longer than the plywood. Then align one edge of the tape with the face of the plywood and press the tape into place with a hot iron. Move the iron slowly enough to melt the glue, but fast enough to avoid scorching the veneer. An 8-ft. strip should take about 10 seconds. While the glue is still hot, rub a small chunk of wood along the tape to press and seal it to the plywood. Inspect the seam between the tape and the plywood for gaps, and reheat and press any loose areas. Use a sharp utility knife to trim the ends of the tape flush. Then use a special trimmer (Photo 2), a utility knife or a block plane to trim the long edges flush. Finish by sanding the edges of the tape flush to the plywood. Wrap 220-grit sandpaper around a small block of wood and angle it slightly when sanding to avoid scuffing through the thin veneer on the plywood face. Cover the ends of the shelves with veneer tape later, after you cut the short shelves (E) to length.
It may take a half hour to build, but an accurate crosscutting jig is essential for perfectly square, splinter-free cuts (Figure A). Start by cutting a 14-in. square of 1/4-in. plywood on your table saw. Align a 1x2 stop with the edge of the plywood and attach it with 3/4-in. screws. Keep the screws 3 in. from the ends to avoid sawing through them. Countersink the screw heads.
On the opposite side, attach another 1x2 perpendicular to the first one and about 5 in. from the edge of the plywood. Use a Speed square or combination square to align this 1x2 90 degrees to the first one. Clamp the jig to a scrap of plywood. With the saw’s base tight to the fence, saw through the jig and plywood (check for screws in the path of the blade before cutting). Check the test cut on the plywood with a framing square. If it’s not perfectly square, adjust the position of the stop slightly. You’ll have to make new screw holes for each adjustment. You can also use the jig as a measuring guide for the longer uprights by cutting the jig to 11-7/8 in. wide on the table saw. For repetitive cuts without measuring, line up one end of the jig with the end of the plywood and cut along the opposite end.
To avoid splintering the plywood, press high-adhesive masking tape over the cutting path (Photo 3) and cut slowly with a sharp, thin-kerf 40-tooth carbide blade.
There are many ways to cut the grooves in the 1x2s. We’ll show you how to do it with your table saw and a standard blade. Of course, if you own a set of dado blades for your table saw, cutting the groove will take less time. You could also use a router mounted in a router table to cut the groove, but we won’t show this technique here.
The first step is to use a scrap of wood to set the exact width of the groove. Cut a 16-in. length from one of the 6-ft. 1x2s as a practice piece. Adjust the height of the blade to 3/8 in. above the saw’s table and set the fence 11/16 in. from the blade. Set up a featherboard and clamp a hold-down board to the fence (Photo 4). Run the 1x2 through the saw. Use a push stick when the board gets within 6 in. of the blade. Rotate it end-for-end and run it through again. You should have a groove that’s about 1/8 in. wide. Move the fence about 1/8 in. closer to the blade and make two more cuts on the 1x2. Repeat this process to make the groove progressively wider. When the groove gets close to 3/4 in. wide, make finer adjustments with the fence. Test after each pair of passes until the 1x2 fits snugly over the edge of the plywood. Make sure the mending plates also fit in the groove (Photo 10). With the width of the cut perfectly set, cut the grooves on the 1x2 uprights in reverse, starting from the outer edges and moving in (Photo 4). Run each 1x2 through the saw twice, once in each direction. Then move the fence about 1/8 in. farther from the blade and repeat the process until the groove is complete. Remove slivers of wood from the grooves with a sharp chisel.
First attach the 8-in.-tall plywood uprights to the low end of the 1x2s (Photo 5). Determine the length of each 1x2 by literally stacking uprights and scraps of plywood in the groove to simulate the shelving system you want. Then cut the 1x2s to length.
Photos 6 – 8 show the process for mounting the 1x2s to the wall. Start by locating the studs with a stud finder. Mark the studs with a strip of masking tape centered about 80 in. from the floor. Then screw the long 1x2s to the studs (Photos 6 and 7). If the wall has a stud that’s bowed, the 1x2 will be crooked and the shelves won’t fit well. To avoid this problem, hold a straightedge against the face of the 1x2 after you’ve screwed it to the wall. If it’s crooked, back out the screw near the low spot and add washers to shim the 1x2 straight (Photo 8).
With the long 1x2s in place, add shelves and uprights until you get to the level of the first long shelf. Photo 11 shows how to make sure the long shelf will be straight when you mount the short 1x2s. The rest is simple. Stack the parts and screw them together until you reach the top. Photo 12 shows how to anchor the top shelf with an angle brace. If you also want to anchor the bottom of the final upright, drive a trim screw at an angle through the shelf from underneath.