Hanging Bookshelves
Introduction: Hanging Bookshelves
Like myself, my wife has several books going at any one time and so her bedside table gets quite full at times, leaving no room for cups of tea, etc. So, I thought it a good idea to make her a simple set of bedside shelves.
It consists of two simple side frames, horizontal pieces at the top, with angled braces from the bottom, angling up to just below the lower shelf. There are two shelves. The side frames have glued halving joints at the top, and the angled braces are also glued and screwed to the frame, for extra strength.
I used a router to route a moulding along three sides of the shelves, (front and two sides) and also to do the halving joints. If you do not have a router, you can bevel the edges of the shelves with a jack plane and cut the tenons with a tenon saw, using chisels and/or files to adjust the final fit. A router is definitely easier for the halving joints - perhaps rent one, if you do not own one.
Caution: Cutting tools are used in this instructable. Please ensure that you are familiar with the safe handling thereof - obtain tuition/guidance in their safe use before commencing.
Please also use eye, ear and respiratory protection while using them.
Keep small children at a distance while using them.
You will need:
Wood: I used Red Luan, because I especially like using it - any similar wood is fine. I use (PAR), planed all around wood.
I used two widths for the shelves, one each of 145 mm, (just under 6 in) and 95 mm, ( just under 4 in), both 22 mm, (7/8th in) thick. I joined them edge to edge, using a Silent Screw Technique, (see my Instructable on how to do it - really quick and easy!) That will make a shelf 240 mm deep, (just under 10 in).
I used two pieces 44 mm wide (1 3/4 in), and 22 mm,( 7/8th in) thick, for the frames.
All the planks are 1.8 metres long, (just under 6 feet.)
* Tri square, pencil, rule.
* Tenon saw.
* Jack Plane
* Router with table, moulding router bit of your choice and straight bit, optional, see text above.
* Small clamps.
* White glue.
* Sandpaper, 150 and 1200 grit, sanding block.
* Cordless drill, with drill bits and screw driver attachment.
* Masonry bit.
* Wood screws, 20 mm x 4 mm, and 35 mm x 4 mm.
* Nail-in anchors.
* Sanding sealer.
* Varnish, interior.
* Thinners and turps.
* Empty tin cans (two).
* Paint brush 1 inch.
Step 1:
The unit was made to fit a particular spot in the room - you may, of course, make them any size you wish. Mine was 540 mm wide (22 in), the frames 600 mm (24 in), high at the back and 480 mm (19 in) in front.
I started with the shelves. 787
Sometimes wood from the lumber mill has paint on the ends - cut those ends off, (pic 1).
Cut the lengths for the shelves from each width. True up the mating edges with the jack plane. If you are lucky, sawn and PAR wood from the lumber mill is fairly true already, and you might just have to plane away the jointer marks. Set the jack plane to remove very little wood at a pass - with practice, one develops a feel for the whole process and truing becomes quite quick. (see pic 2)
Test now and then - place one board upon the other, mating surfaces together. Attempt to turn the upper board - if there is a high spot, the board will turn. If not, there may show a slight gap between them. This will guide you as to where to plane away wood to improve the fit. (see pic 3 and 4).
Mark out and drill for the silent screw technique - (see pics 5 and 6).
Latch the boards and check fit - if OK, then unlatch, glue up and latch again, (pics 7 and 8).
Step 2:
Once the joined boards for both shelves had set, I found that there was a slight curve to them. I first planed across the grain with the jack plane to correct the curve, the plane being set to take off little wood, (pic 1).
Once the curve was corrected, I planed with the grain, to smooth the wood down nicely, (pic 2). I adjusted the thickness of the shelves, so that they were the same. 599