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Make your Own Shelves

This wall-mounted shelf system is simple to make and it supports a reasonable weight.

Make a Simple Shelf

You will need two lengths of 44x44mm SA pine, two 8mm shield wall anchors and 25mm dowels (numbers are dependent on the number of shelves you intend installing)

  1. Use a 185mm Circular saw to cut the 44x44mm SA pine into two. Clamp both lengths lightly together and mark off a drill point across both at 100mm centres, down the centre line of each beam.
  2. Attach a 25mm spade bit to your drill and drill each hole through the beam. Where the tip of the bit reaches the far side, stop, flip the beam over and complete the hole, so that you avoid chipping the wood.
  3. In the case of two of the holes, one per beam and about three-quarters of the way to the top, drill the 25mm hole only until the tip of the bit just penetrates the bottom surface. Complete the hole with the hole for the 8mm shield wall anchors (Fig. A)
  4. Position the uprights against the wall, mark the posts for the shield anchors, drill the two holes and attach the uprights to the wall.
  5. Cut the 25mm dowels to length. Note: this system is not designed to take great weight but it will support a reasonable mass if the dowels are under 300mm or so.
  6. Tap the dowels into the holes at the desired intervals, slide the shelves into position and load them up.

Shelving tips

Easy to Make Adjustable Shelves

You will need two lengths of 10mm threaded rod, 24 nuts, 24 washers and three lengths of timber. The tools required are a hacksaw and an adjustable wrench.

  1. Lightly clamp the three lengths of timber together and drill a 10mm hole in each corner, 20mm in from each corner.
  2. Cut the two lengths of threaded rod each in two (A hint: before cutting, turn a nut onto the rod, close to the centre)
  3. Cut the rod almost all the way through, then screw the nut across the cut line – it will align the thread. Complete the cut.
  4. Now, bolt each rod to the bottom shelf and turn a nut onto each to the required height for the middle shelf. Add the shelf and turn the second nut on each rod down to meet the top of the middle shelf.
  5. Add the top shelf, as a mirror image of the bottom one.
  6. You can now adjust the middle shelf at will to provide whatever spacing is needed.

Shopping List

  • Adjustable wrench
  • Hacksaw
  • C-clamp
  • 44x44mm SA Pine
  • 2 x 8mm Shield wall anchors
  • 2 x 25mm Dowels
  • 185mm Circular saw
  • 760W Drill
  • 25mm Spade drill bit
  • Cordless drill/driver or Power Drill
  • 6 Lengths of timber
  • 2 x 10mm Lengths of threaded rod
  • 24 x Nuts
  • 24 x Washers

Click here to download this PDF