The Every Day Shelf

I am Dominico a high school student in California. I struggle with keeping myself on track especially in the morning, which inspired me to build a shelf that could hold all of the things that I carry daily, including my clothing, which I would lay out the night before. I looked into pre-made shelves but none of them seemed to have the strength or looks that I wanted for this project. I also found that most shelves would not have the hooks in the correct place. This lacking in the market led me to design a shelf that would suit my specific needs.

Materials

• 6" wide 1/2" thick shelf top
• 3.5" wide 3/4" thick shelf back
• at least 3 1 1/2" screws
• at least 2 L brackets & corresponding screws
• at least 1 hook & corresponding screws
• at least 4 2" screws
• wood stain or preferred finish

Tools

• Hand saw
• Drill
• Drill bits
• sand paper 60-220 grit

Sence I was making this from recycled materials and I knew the space that I was going to mount the shelf I was able to make a mockup in Fusion 360 before cutting any material.

Take the top & back and cut them to equal length, for me that was 2' but that may differ for you depending on your wall. Keep in mind that for most houses in the USA, studs will be separated by 16" so keep that in mind so that you will be able to hit at least one stud if not more while hanging the shelf later.

As I am using scrap wood from fence paneling, the surface is fairly rough and splintering. To negate this, take 60 grit sand paper and sand rapidly against both sides. Raise the grit slowly until you get to 220 and it is ready for stain. Remember not to over-sand as as you get to higher and higher grits you may begin burnishing and not removing any material. Though this will smooth the wood, it will not allow it to absorb finishes.

For my width of shelf, I decided on 3 connecting points for the top to the back, but that may need to be higher depending on your shelf width. I drilled a hole about 1" from either edge, and one in the center of the top of the shelf with a drill bit slightly smaller than the screws that I chose to use as to avoid cracking the wood. Once the top was drilled through, I used it as a template to drill the holes into the top of the back piece of wood.

Take 1 1/2" wood screws and drill them into the top and back through the holes you just pre-drilled. This connection is not very strong though, so we will also add angle brackets. Take the angle brackets and place one right in the corner on one side of the shelf. Screw one short screw into the bracket and one into the top. Do the same into the other holes of the bracket. Repeat this step for all the brackets you would like to include. Make sure to have at least one on each edge.

Unscrew the brackets and 1 1/2" screws and prepare a work area to stain. Make sure you have paper towels, gloves, and that you are wearing clothes that you don't mind getting messy. With your stain of choice take the paper towels and fold a small piece to soak up some stain on the end. Apply an even layer of stain over both pieces of wood repeatedly soaking up more stain and replacing your towel as needed. Once an even coat has been applied, take a new wad of paper towels and wipe off any excess stain. If the color is not dark enough, repeat as needed.

Reassemble the shelf with the 1 1/2" screws and brackets and grab whatever number of hooks that you would like to use. I chose to have two on the face to hold my pants and jacket, and one on the side to allow me to hold a heavy bag. Pre-drill and screw in the hooks into whatever place you wish.

With your shelf fully built, its time to hang it. With a stud finder locate and mark at least one stud next to where you want to hang it. If you can get two studs, that would be ideal. Have someone hold the shelf onto the wall using a level to keep it even. For every stud you are drilling into take 2, 2" wood screws and drill them into the back piece of wood lining them up with your marks for where the studs are.