Chunky Shelves Out of a Single 2x6

We had the need to install a couple of new sturdy shelves for a sewing station, had a leftover 2x6 beam we could use, so spent a few days putting it to good use. The lumber is basic pine so it most definitely is not the hardest wood out there, but with a little attention to detail and some creative finishing it can produce beautiful results.

As for tools: other than the usual hand tools - a thickness planer, table saw and sanding tools were used. This is a relatively simple project that could definitely be done without the large power tools, but using them does help you end up with a much sharper and cleaner result.

For the finish, the wood was then lightly torched with a hand held torch and small propane tank, stained and then varnished.

There really isn't much to do at this point other than prepare the wood for the project. In our case, the 2x6 beam had developed quite a bit of patina on its exterior (that gray color it often exhibits after having sat around for a while), and had the rounded corners that are a product of its manufacturing process. Both of those items needed correcting.

The beam was cut down to more manageable sizes (for both the shelves and the support blocks) and then taken through the thickness planer in order to remove the top and bottom patina as well as any superficial damage to the wood. Once the top and bottom were smooth, it was taken through the table saw to remove the side edges and give the lumber crisp 90degree corners.

Once you have your support designed, you need to think about how you'll attach it to the bottom of the shelf.

One way is to simply glue it on, but that might end up being tricky to hold in place while it dries (as the pieces will slide around) and might not be the strongest connection since the two pieces are only attached via one glue surface.

A second method would be to also add screws, either going down into the support from the top of the shelf, or perhaps using pocket screws and going up into the shelf at an angle, from the support's sides or back. This approach would be significantly stronger, but you would then need to worry about concealing the screw heads (which is quite possible, but involves extra work and will not be 100% invisible in the end).

A third solution, used here, is to use a mortise and tenon. In simple terms, the top of the support is shaped into a plug (aka a "tenon"), a perfectly matching (and tightly fitting) hole (aka a "mortise") is made in the bottom of the shelf, and the two are then glued together. This is similar to the first approach, but also offers a mechanical advantage in that the support can no longer easily bend one way or the other, and now has nine glue surfaces instead of just one. Those nine surfaces would be the horizontal top of the support, the four vertical edges surrounding the tenon, and the four horizontal edges of the tenon's "lip" that the shelf sits upon (see photo for details).

To cut the tenons, the support blocks were first run vertically through the table saw to cut notches 1/2" deep and 1/4" away from the edge on all four sides, and then run horizontally to remove those newly formed edges by cutting notches 1/4" deep and 1/2" away from the edge.

With the tenons prepared, it was then time to add slight recesses in the back to later on hold the keyhole hangers. These were done by tracing the hanger on the back of the support and then using the drill press and a 1/2" forstner bit to hollow out the depression at a depth of 1/8". Additionally, the center area of the hanger had to be drilled in a bit further in order to accommodate the screw's head.

Then it was time to cut out the final shape of the support. Using a cardboard template, the same cutout was sketched onto all four blocks. The section to remove could have then be cut off in one of many ways, but the simplest in our case was to use a drill press to remove most of the material and then finish it off with a jigsw.

To get the final correct shape, the supports were attached with double sided tape and shaped using a belt sander. It's very easy to tilt the pair too much to one side or another, so a small level was temporarily attached to the top so the blocks could be kept perfectly parallel to the floor at all times during the sanding.

Lastly, the support blocks were held down in a temporary desk clamp so the edges could be rounded over with a router and a 1/4" round-over bit, and then get sanded with an orbital sander using 80 and 120 grit sandpaper.

One of the issues with the lumber of choice was the fact that it was only 5.5" wide, and that was simply too narrow. We needed the shelf to be 7.5" deep, so two additional 1" strips were cut and glued one to either end. A single 2" strip could have also been glued to one end, but the diving line going down the shelf at an off-center distance from the edge would not have been too pleasing, so we went with the smaller strips and ended up with a more symmetrical result.

With the shelf glued up, it was time to sand it down using an orbital sander with 80 and then 120 grit, round the top front and top side edges using a router and 1/4" round-over bit, and then soften the remaining edges with just some sandpaper in order to break the sharp lines and make it more comfortable to touch/handle.

The next step was to prepare the mortices for the support blocks. To get the right positioning, the block was placed upside down on the shelf (using another block as a spacer from the shelf's edge), and then the tenon was traced out. Using a drill press and 1/2" forstner bit the majority of the mortice was then cleared out to a depth of 1/2" (basically the height of the matching tenon), and the remaining material was then removed with a hammer and chisel.

The chiseling action was continued until the support block sat snugly in the mortice, and then it was time for some glue, a couple of clamps, and a few hours of drying time.

Once everything is nice and dry, it's time for the best part - finishing and installation.

To begin with, we started by lightly hand sanding any parts that are still rough to the touch, and then started with the torching. This is done by attaching a hand torch to a propane tank, and lightly charring the surface of the wood from a couple of inches away until you see some color start to set in. If you find you've charred the surface too much you can always go over it with an orbital sander and remove some of it. You should also ensured you're doing the charring in a well ventilated area (preferably outdoors), and take all fire-prevention precautions possible.

After the charring, apply your stain of choice (we opted for Golden Oak) and follow up with a good varnish. We applied three coats of the latter, with a light 220 grit sanding in between layers.

The last step is to attach this to the wall, and here you want to use the screws and anchors that best suit your wall type. In our case we were going into drywall and studs, so used "wall driller" drywall anchors for the former and 2" wood screws for the latter.

Thank you for reading this article, and we hope you found it useful and enjoyable. As always, any and all feedback is welcome.