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Santa Claus brought a DVD/VCR player for the girls, and the unit doesn't fit well on the cheapo TV stand in the playroom. So, after a brief consultation with SWMBO, a new Corner Shelf project is born. |
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Design notes. Well, this project is pretty simple, but here are a few thoughts that I want to remember, for the next time I build one of these. The shelves are made of 1/2" plywood, supported by cleats attached to the walls. Each shelf has a 2" hardwood facing (or edging) glued to its front edge. The facing covers the exposed edge of the plywood, and drops down enough to help conceal the cleats from view. I had some hesitation about the potential structural weakness of the facing extending a full inch-and-a-half down from the 1/2" plywood edging - - but it is surprisingly strong and gives the shelves a much more substantial look. The shelves are spaced to hold some stuffed animals, books, a small TV, and the DVD/VCR player. As I constructed the shelves I tested how the half-inch plywood would stand up to the weight of the TV. It sagged about half-an-inch (before the addition of the facing, which would have lessened the sagging considerably). I decided to make that shelf a double-layer of plywood, and with that arrangement there is no noticeable sag. Each shelf is made of 1/2" birch G2S plywood. Picked up a 4x8 sheet of this at BORG for (ulp) $45. I looked briefly at MDF as an alternative, but I really liked the way the grain stood out in the birch. The edge trim on the front of each shelf, and the cleats holding it up, are made from hardwood (I chose hemlock). Each shelf is a triangle shape, with the rear part of the triangle (closest to the corner) cut off to allow room for cables and electrical cords. Materials. Hardware. | |
Lay out the shelf locations. To accommodate the size of the TV, and the DVD/VCR, I made the shelves extend 27" along each wall. The cleats will be 20-3/4" in length; they'll start 4-1/2" from the corner.Mark location of studs, and mark placement of screw fasteners for each cleat. I planned 3 screws for each cleat; the middle one in a stud and the other two into the sheetrock with wall anchors. | |
Prep the hardwood. Lightly belt-sand the hardwood, followed by block sanding with 150 and 220-grit sandpaper.
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Cut the hardwood to width, for the cleats and the facing. Tablesaw the hardwood to 1" widths for the cleats; and to 2" widths for the facing.
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Sand edges. Clear the saw marks with sanding again (150, followed by 220-grit).
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Cut cleats to length. Perfect assignment for one of my favorite tools - the fine-toothed Japanese saw that cuts on the pull-stroke.
Using sanding block, put slight bevel in one edge of each cleat. (This will be the lower, outer edge of each cleat - i.e. the only edge that someone might accidentally drag their hand across.) | |
Prep cleats. On each cleat, mark desired location of screws. Use 1/2" spade bit to create countersink; then drill pilot holes. I put 7/32 pilot holes in the cleats for the 2" screws; 11/64 pilot holes for the 1-1/2" screws.
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Prep wall for cleat assembly. Drill 5/32 pilot holes into wall for stud screws. Attach wall anchors - I like the screw-in type (see photograph) which spiral into 9/32 holes drilled into the wall.
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Ensure each cleat is level. Sorry for the obvious.
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Cleats, test-assembled to wall.
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Rout lower edge of facing. Back to the shop now. Using a quarter-round router bit, round one edge of the 2" hardwood facing. Sand with medium and fine-grit.With sanding block, slightly bevel top outer edge (e.g. above the rounded edge).
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Cut shelves with circular saw. Use a guide to ensure a straight-cut.
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Cut out rear notch. Cut out 4" from back of each shelf triangle using tablesaw.
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Attach facing. Cut the facing to length, oversize. Glue the facing to the front face of each shelf. I tacked the facing onto the shelf edges using 1-1/4" finishing nails. These aren't needed for strength but help hold the facing in place while the glue dries. Set the nails below the surface so they can be covered with woodfill later. I butted the shelves end-to-end and clamped them as shown in the photo. Clean up glue squeeze-out with clean rag. After about half-an-hour, further clean up glue using warm water and toothbrush. When dry (overnight), trim the edges to match the angle of the sides of each shelf. I used the mitre gauge set at 45-degrees on the tablesaw. Finish-sand all edges - using medium and fine sandpaper. Any glue remnants will stand out during staining, so sand away any remaining glue squeeze-out - being careful not to sand through the plywood birch veneer. | |
Test-fit the shelves. Looking good so far!
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Finish. As with most projects, this "final step" takes the most time by far. I used stain, polyurethane, and wood finish, as follows:
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The lumber racks made convenient hangers while the stain is drying. After the stain dried, I mixed a little stain with some wood filler and filled the nail holes in the edging. | |
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Before final assembly I drilled a countersunk hole from the bottom of each cleat, to allow a retaining screw to come up from the bottom of each cleat and up into the shelf. This will prevent the shelf from being pulled away from the wall and off the cleats.
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Screw the cleats back into the wall. Set the shelves on the cleats.
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Attach a retaining screw (panhead #6 square-drive) up through the bottom of each cleat, into the shelf above.
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All done!
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