Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Put a new slant on shelving
A WHOLE NEW SLANT ON SHELVING
PROJECT 1 ZIGZAG SHELVES
Gather your supplies
• 135 x 19mm x 1.8m Tasmanian oak
• 6mm dia. x 1.8m Tasmanian oak dowel
• Keyhole brackets (3)
Components
Long shelves 135 x 19 x 270mm oak (3)
Short shelves 135 x 19 x 255mm oak (3)
Dowels 6 x 65mm (20)
You’ll also need Measuring tape; pencil; masking tape; mitre saw; combination square; drill press or cordless drill; 6mm drill bit; nail gun (optional); nails; hammer; PVA glue; flush-cut saw; clamps; rags; scrap timber for trimmer jig; trimmer fitted with straight-cut bit; wood chisel (optional); screws; sander; sandpaper; Danish Oil; spirit level; Wallmate plaster fixings
Here’s how
STEP 1 Cut lengths of timber for shelves 10mm over the required length. Tape pieces together in 2 bundles, long pieces and short pieces, so their ends are roughly flush.
STEP 2 Use mitre saw to cut off one end of both bundles of timber. From the cut end, mark each bundle with their final length and cut at this mark. This makes each of the short and long pieces all exactly the same length.
STEP 3 Undo tape on the long shelves and remove one. Along this shelf use a combination square to draw a line across it 9mm from 1 end. Repeat to draw lines across both ends of the pair still taped together. STEP 4 Along lines drawn on ends, mark for dowel holes 20 and 58mm from each side.
STEP 5 Use a drill press fitted with a 6mm bit to drill dowel holes at each point.
STEP 6 Using offcuts of Tasmanian oak, set up a jig on your bench that will hold your shelf pieces square and upright as you join them together. Nail pieces of the jig to your bench, making sure they are square. STEP 7 Sit a long and short piece in the jig so short piece butts into the long flush with one end. Drill through top dowel hole in long piece into short piece then tap in a length of dowel to act as a locking pin before drilling the rest of the holes.
STEP 8 Separate pieces and remove locking pin.
Spread PVA glue along edge and inside holes of short piece then reposition in jig. Tap dowels through holes in long piece, leaving them proud by about 5mm. Tap pieces together to ensure a tight join.
STEP 9 Flip joined pieces in jig and butt open side of short piece into a second long piece. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 to drill and dowel these together, then continue adding alternating short and long pieces in the same way.
STEP 10 Use a flush-cut saw to cut off end of dowels flush with shelf pieces.
STEP 11 Clamp shelves together for really tight joins. Remove excess glue with a damp rag.
STEP 12 To make slots on the back edges of shelves for keyhole brackets using a trimmer, first make a jig out of scrap pieces to suit the base plate of your trimmer and the size of the bit you are using. Make slots 45mm long, 16mm wide and 3mm deep. Make the slots in the same position on each of the long pieces of the shelf.
STEP 13 Use trimmer to rout slots in shelves for brackets. If you don’t have a trimmer, carefully cut out the slots using a very sharp wood chisel. Further drill out the centre of the slot to make room for the screw that will sit in the brackets.
STEP 14 Predrill and screw the brackets to shelves inside slots.
STEP 15 Use sander to smooth pieces, especially where dowels are. Finish off by hand sanding to remove sanding scratch marks.
STEP 16 Apply 2 coats of Danish Oil to the shelves using an old rag.
STEP 17 Lightly mark the position of the end of the slots in the brackets on the shelf. Hold shelves against wall and make level. Draw side of shelf and transfer marked point on shelves to wall. Make sure you mark the same side of the shelf for all keyhole brackets. STEP 18 Remove shelves and place screws into walls at intersections of marked point and side of shelf. For hollow plaster walls, insert Wallmate fixings into the wall to screw into. Hang shelves with screw heads going into keyhole brackets.