Build Your Own Super-Strong Shelves

When building a shelving unit or bookshelf that will need to hold a great deal of weight (for instance, a bookcase that holds a series of very heavy books like law books or a set of encyclopedias), a single 3/4" shelf constructed out of plywood or a single 1x12 board will likely be prone to sagging over time. Fortunately, if you plan ahead for dealing with such weight, there are a couple of simple solutions to prevent the problem.

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I Can Do That: Hanging Shelves

Get a period look with big box materials.

by Megan Fitzpatrick
pages 23-23

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The inspiration for this small hanging set of shelves is a late 18th- to early 19th-century (circa 1775-1825) English dovetailed version in oak with a dark finish. I wanted to replicate the look as much as possible using the I Can Do That tool set and big-box stock, so I adjusted the dimensions to fit dimensional lumber, and, after the construction was done, sanded the edges heavily to impart a well-worn look. I then applied a somewhat distressed finish (more on that later).

Perfect circles. If you can’t find a compass, dividers work just fine for marking out circles – and the resulting tool marks add an air of period flair.

Lumber Choices
The inspiration project is 8" wide and appears to be made of stock slightly thicker than 1/4". But at the big box store, the thickness choices are 1/4" and 1/2", and I dithered between 4"-wide and 6"-wide stock.

Because I knew I’d be using nails rather than dovetails for the box’s joints, I opted for 1/2" stock to allow for a bit of forgiveness for slightly off-kilter drilling. And, I decided on the 4"-wide nominal lumber (which, as you know, is actually 3-1/2" wide) because 5-1/2" wide (the 6" nominal stock) simply looked too bucky. So, after crosscutting and gluing up two 19"-long pieces, the overall width of my back piece ended up 7" wide.

Add Curves
After the glue on the back dries, use the glue line as your centerline, and set your dividers (basically, a compass without a pencil) to a 7/8" radius, then scribe a circle at the center top of the back.

Then, measure down 4-1/2" from the top edge and mark a pencil line across the width. At either edge, that line locates the terminus of the arcs.

Now measure down 1-1/2" from that line, and at 7/8" to either side of the centerline, make a pencil mark.

Reset your compass or dividers to a 4-1/2" radius, set the point on one of those marks, then strike the arc from the bottom of the small circle to the edge of your back; repeat on the other side of the centerline. (This is not exact; please your eye.)

Use your jigsaw to cut the curves. Typically, we recommend the Bosch X-tra Clean for Wood blades, and I used that blade to cut the large arcs on either side. But when it came time to cut the tight circle at the top, I switched to the narrowest blade I could find, with lots of fine teeth, and cut slowly to overcome blade deflection. Once all the curves are cut, smooth them as needed with sandpaper.

Clamp for success. While you could try to hold adjacent pieces in place while you drill pilot holes, it’s much better to clamp everything together first – just be sure to keep the clamp pads clear of where you need to drill!

Five Easy Pieces
The box is simply five pieces of 4" nominal lumber, nailed together. The two sides are each 14-1/2" in length; the three shelves are 5-1/2" in length. Make all the cuts at the miter saw, and set a stop so the two side pieces are exactly the same length. Set the stop again so all three shelves will match one another perfectly. While you can measure and mark each cut individually, why would you? That simply opens the door to error.

It doesn’t matter if the sides are dead-on 19"; it does matter that they match – and the same is true for the shelves. If everything matches and is cut square, clamping up a square box is a breeze. But before assembly, sand all the pieces to #120 grit.

After you’ve clamped the five pieces in position, drill three pilot holes at each joint location, then hammer in 1" finish nails to hold the pieces together. (I recommend checking twice to make sure your clamps are tight before you start to hammer.)

Attach the Back
On the back face of the back piece, center your shelf assembly side to side and flush with the bottom, and trace around the shelf assembly inside and out. (You’ll drill your pilot holes centered between those lines.)

Now flip the back face up, and again center the shelf assembly side to side and flush to the bottom, then clamp the two workpieces together with a clamp or two – make sure to locate the clamps to leave access to drill your pilot holes. Now drill pilot holes through the back and into the shelf assembly. As always, drill pilot holes that are slightly smaller in diameter than the shaft of your nails, and be cognizant that the shelf assembly is only 1/2" thick; there’s little room to wander off course with your drill bit.

Roofing nails. Typically, we use finish nails in our projects, but in this case, I chose roofing nails because their wide, flat heads will help keep the shelves firmly attached to the back for years to come (copper roofing nails are also available – and those would look great on a nice wood with a clear finish).

To attach the back, I used roofing nails to add a little mechanical strength to the joints. Unlike finish nails, roofing nails have wide, flat heads that aren’t easily pulled through – though it’s unlikely anything small enough to fit on these shelves will impart enough weight to cause that problem.

A Fun Finish
To give this piece a well-worn look, I attacked the edges with #80-grit sandpaper, creating a few divots to emulate a century or so of wear and tear, and I softened the crisp 90° angles of the shelves’ butt joints the same way. I also hit the project a few times with the claw end of a hammer, and threw my keys at it repeatedly for a couple minutes.

After slaking my appetite for destruction, I went over the surface with #120-grit sandpaper, and painted on two coats of Benjamin Moore “Bittersweet Chocolate” latex. After the paint was completely dry, I sanded it almost all the way through in a few places. Then, I rubbed on a coat of ebony Briwax, making sure to fill the nail holes and purposeful imperfections I’d created (and perhaps some not-so-purposeful ones, too). PWM

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Shelves in May

It's not surprising, as I sit down and think what to write about the work I recently completed, that two people asked me to build them shelves in May. Spring does this to us. Spring creates in us an impulse to reorder. Perhaps the trees, now so full of perfectly orded leaves, inspire us to fill our walls and homes with little books, figurines, and other things we've picked up along the way. Maybe having these things on display make us feel alive.

I look forward to the feelings the Summer brings. I imagine a couple on their NYC rooftop, enjoying the sunset, breeze and each other in two lounge chairs made by me. I also think of a group of friends gathered around a picnic table in some backyard, enjoying the weather, good food and company.

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Shelves

It's rare that bookshelves look as interesting as the objects you display on them. After all, how much can you decorate the edges of your shelves and sides? This unit is unusual because the shelves and sides are beefier than you would normally see, and the two bevel cuts on the front edges give these shelves nice visual interest. Best of all, perhaps, is that this piece is simple and quick to build.

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Dividers and Shelves
Start by cutting out the sides and shelves. The 1-1/2"-thick sides are made by gluing two pieces of 3/4"-thick plywood together. The 1-1/4"-thick shelves are made by gluing 3/4"-thick plywood to a 1/2"-thick piece. Note that the finished sides have a 3/4" x 1/4" rabbet for the back that's formed by gluing a narrower piece to a wider one. The adjustable and fixed shelves in the side openings are all the same width. The center shelves are 1/4" wider to account for the lack of a back.

To cut the sides, crosscut a whole sheet of plywood to the length of the sides first, then rip them to width (11" and 11-1/4"). Cut the sides a little wide (1/16"), initially, to give yourself a little room to saw off a square straight edge. This will give you a clean edge for attaching a piece of maple later. Now nail and glue the dividers together, remembering to offset the back edge for the rabbet. Place your nails so the shelves will hide them.

Here's an easy way to cut the shelves. Rip them to width from a full piece of plywood, then nail and glue up a length of shelving. Then crosscut the shelves to length from the long pieces. You can get five 16" shelves out of a 96" rip. For even less work, cut the shelves to length after attaching the edging.

Edges and Angles
The edges for the bookshelves are solid maple. Because the thickness of 3/4" and 1/2" plywood is considered "nominal," you will end up with finished thicknesses about 1/16" less. Rip your edging stock a little wide and attach it with biscuits and glue. With a flush-cut bearing bit in a router, trim the edging flush to the sides and shelves, then clean up your work with a plane or scraper.

The last step is to bevel the edging. The photo shows how I did this on the table saw. Remember that the setup must change for the different width pieces.

Making it a Stand-Up Unit
The next step is to mill stopped grooves in the topmost and bottommost shelves to accept the tapered sliding connectors that attach the sides together. The grooves in the ends of the shelves are 3/4" wide by approximately 3/8" deep, and milled with a dado set on the table saw. It helps to make a practice joint because the depth of the groove is critical to a snug fit using this style of connector.

Installing the Shelves
After cutting the slots in the shelves, lay out and mount the small part of the tapered...

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How to Build Utility Shelves

Utility Shelf

Whether you need them in the garage, laundry room, wood shop, utility room, pool house or wherever else you can imagine, utility shelves are incredibly useful. However, there is a lot more to building a strong and yet aesthetically-pleasing utility shelf than attaching some wood to a couple of shelf standards.

Who says utility shelves have to be ugly?Difficulty Level
Woodworking: EasyFinishing: Paint or Stain (and Polyurethane)
Time to Complete
1-2 Hours
Recommended Tools
Miter SawCircular Saw or Table SawPower DrillPlate Joiner with #10 biscuits
Materials Needed 1 - 1x2 x 8 SPF Lumber1 - 16" x 4' piece of 3/4" sanded (AC) plywoodTape MeasureLevelPencil2 - Metal shelf brackets with screws and anchors (if needed)#8 - 5/8" Wood ScrewsWood FillerWoodworking GluePaint or Stain (and Polyurethane)Sandpaper

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Shelves

It's rare that bookshelves look as interesting as the objects you display on them. After all, how much can you decorate the edges of your shelves and sides? This unit is unusual because the shelves and sides are beefier than you would normally see, and the two bevel cuts on the front edges give these shelves nice visual interest. Best of all, perhaps, is that this piece is simple and quick to build.

Dividers and Shelves
Start by cutting out the sides and shelves. The 1-1/2"-thick sides are made by gluing two pieces of 3/4"-thick plywood together. The 1-1/4"-thick shelves are made by gluing 3/4"-thick plywood to a 1/2"-thick piece. Note that the finished sides have a 3/4" x 1/4" rabbet for the back that's formed by gluing a narrower piece to a wider one. The adjustable and fixed shelves in the side openings are all the same width. The center shelves are 1/4" wider to account for the lack of a back.

To cut the sides, crosscut a whole sheet of plywood to the length of the sides first, then rip them to width (11" and 11-1/4"). Cut the sides a little wide (1/16"), initially, to give yourself a little room to saw off a square straight edge. This will give you a clean edge for attaching a piece of maple later. Now nail and glue the dividers together, remembering to offset the back edge for the rabbet. Place your nails so the shelves will hide them.

Here's an easy way to cut the shelves. Rip them to width from a full piece of plywood, then nail and glue up a length of shelving. Then crosscut the shelves to length from the long pieces. You can get five 16" shelves out of a 96" rip. For even less work, cut the shelves to length after attaching the edging.

Edges and Angles
The edges for the bookshelves are solid maple. Because the thickness of 3/4" and 1/2" plywood is considered "nominal," you will end up with finished thicknesses about 1/16" less. Rip your edging stock a little wide and attach it with biscuits and glue. With a flush-cut bearing bit in a router, trim the edging flush to the sides and shelves, then clean up your work with a plane or scraper.

The last step is to bevel the edging. The photo shows how I did this on the table saw. Remember that the setup must change for the different width pieces.

Making it a Stand-Up Unit
The next step is to mill stopped grooves in the topmost and bottommost shelves to accept the tapered sliding connectors that attach the sides together. The grooves in the ends of the shelves are 3/4" wide by approximately 3/8" deep, and milled with a dado set on the table saw. It helps to make a practice joint because the depth of the groove is critical to a snug fit using this style of connector.

Installing the Shelves
After cutting the slots in the shelves, lay out and mount the small part of the tapered...

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