Quick projects for beginners

Above-the-door bookshelf

The space above a doorway is an overlooked storage bonanza! It’s the perfect spot for a cookbook cubby in the kitchen. Consider adding a cubby over the doorways in your home office, laundry room and bedrooms too. You’ll be surprised how many books, knickknacks and other items you can find room for in these valuable unused spaces.

Cutting List

Perfectly flat 1x12 lumber or plywood

2 shelves: 11-1/4" wide x 3' long

4 risers: 2-1/4" wide x 24" long

8 dowels: 3/4" dia. x 13" long

Portable bookshelf

Here’s a cool knock-down shelf for a dorm room or den. You just slide the shelves between the dowels, and they pinch the shelves to stiffen the bookshelf. It works great if you’re careful about two things:

■ Make the space between the dowel holes exactly 1/16 in. wider than the thickness of the shelf board.

■ Be sure the shelf thickness is the same from end to end and side to side.

After test-fitting a dowel in a trial hole (you want a tight fit), drill holes in a jig board so the space between the holes is your shelf thickness plus 1/16 in. Clamp the jig board on the ends of the risers and drill the holes. Cut the dowels 1-3/4 in. longer than the shelf width, then dry assemble (no glue). Mark the angled ends of the risers parallel to the shelves and cut off the tips to make the risers sit flat. Disassemble and glue the dowels in the riser holes. When the glue dries, slide the shelves in and load them up.