DIY Easy Shelves

By Ben Uyeda

SKILL
easy

This projects uses affordable and common shelf brackets to make a retro modern set of shelves.This versatile DIY concept could be used to make bookcases, media consoles, cubbies, and even entertainment centers. I used ½”plywood and 6”by 8” brackets but larger brackets and thicker plywood would also work.

Tools

  • 18V ONE+ HP Brushless 1/2" Drill/Driver
  • 18V ONE+ 5" Random Orbit Sander
  • 18V ONE+ HP Brushless 7-1/4" Circular saw

Accessories

  • 65 PC. DRILL AND IMPACT DRIVE SET
  • 7 PC. 5" RANDOM ORBIT SANDER SAND PAPER

Materials

  • (1) 4-Foot By 8-Foot Sheet of 1/2" Plywood
  • 1-5/8" Finish Screws
  • 6" By 8" Shelf Brackets

Steps

STEP 1

Pick the plywood I had the nice home depot associates rip a 4’by8’ sheet of plywood into four 12” wide strips. Not only does this save me the time from doing it myself on my table saw it also makes it easier to fit the wood in my car.

Materials

Plywood

STEP 2

Cut the plywood to length I cut the plywood into the lengths shown in the drawing. I used my circular saw but this could also be done with a compound miter saw. I made my shelves 4 feet long with 11” tall vertical supports and 7” tall legs.

Tools

7 1/4 IN. Circular Saw

Materials

Plywood

STEP 3

Sand the pieces I used my orbital sander with 150-grit sanding pads to sand down the edges of the plywood

Tools

18V ONE+ 5IN. Random Orbit Sander, 150-Grit Sanding Pads

STEP 4

Screw it together I screwed the brackets to the vertical supports and then screwed the supports to the shelves.

Tools

18V ONE+ Compact Drill/Driver

Materials

Shelf Brackets, Plywood

STEP 5

Screw the plywood to plywood If you want to save a little money and use fewer brackets you can just use brackets on the front face of the shelves and then use finish screws to screw the plywood to the plywood in the back.

Tools

18V ONE+ Compact Drill/Driver

Materials

Plywood, Brackets