Quick Cheap Easy Shelf!

Need some Quick shelving?

Need some Cheap Shelving?

Need some Easy Shelving?

You can make this instructable in less than 30 mins, with limited tools, for less than £15 ($18)

For this shelving you will only need 2 pieces of timber - 1 x 8ft (2 x 4) + 1 x 8ft (1 x 6)

I have added pictures of these 2 pieces that i used. I had these left over from previous projects but I estimate that in total the cost of buying these pieces would be approximately £6 ($8)

In addition to the wood, all that is needed is a number of screws. Here i used 4 x (8 x 100) Rawl screws per upright, which have the rawl plug attached and dont require any pre-drilling and accurate lining up with the wood. For these, the rawl plug and screw go straight through the wood and into the wall. Much handier and quicker than traditional methods. You can read more about the screws I used here but normal screws and rawl plugs would work just as well if this is all you have.

I didnt photograph this part but I have drawn a CAD illustration of how the 2 x4 is mounted to the wall using these screws. I cut the 2 x 4 down into 800mm lengths and placed them on the wall 1500mm apart.

I set up a stop block on the mitre saw to cut the overall depth I wanted the shelf to be. As I am making repetitive cuts I set the stop block to 250mm and cut the 1x6 board into smaller pieces.

Following this I set a freshly cut pieces at an angle leaving approximately an inch at each end. The reason for this will become apparent in the next step. When I was happy with the line I had drawn and how it lined up with the blade, I made the cut. NOTE: MAKE SURE THE PIECE IS SECURE AGAINST THE BACK FENCE AND HANDS ARE KEPT WELL AWAY FROM THE BLADE DURING THIS CUT.

When the cut is made you will be left with your finished piece and a small triangluar piece. This 'waste' piece will now become your guide for future cuts. By setting it against the back fence it creates the angle you just cut on the original piece for future pieces to follow. When you line up the next pieces with the tip, it creates the exact same angle you cut previously meaning you can make multiples - for this shelf section you will need 8 pieces.

When you are done you should have something that looks like the last picture.

If you dont have a Mitre Saw, a hand saw would work just as well. Use your first cut as a template to mark the future pieces and cut along the line.

So with the angled pieces I cut, I added them to a top piece which is the same overall length. These parts are simply glued and screwed together.

When they are assembled, simply place them onto the 2 x 4 uprights and secure them in place with screws at each side as shown in the CAD model.

NOTE: When mounting the lower shelf supports, the top part of the shelf arm will need to be reduced in order to fit around the upright. This is shown int he last CAD model. The assembly process is the same. This too is held in place with screws on each side, as before.

I used this quick easy and cheap method of wall mounted storage to hold some previous projects which I had made - modular shelving! They were taking up floor space that i need in my workshop so I wanted them up and out of the way. As you can see from the pictures, it works for me and I was actually surprised how much weight these simple wall brackets can support. I have had them in place for about 3 weeks now and they are a welcome addition to my work area.

Thanks for reading and good luck making!