Branch Shaped Display Shelf

I have had a wood shop for about a year, and this is my first instructable of my first paid project. I hope you enjoy it!

This is a display shelf I saw in West Elm that went for $100.  My version costs about $10-20 to build, depending on wood and stain prices.

Step 1: Drawing it out

I traced the picture of the original shelf in AutoCAD, scaled it, and gave it approximate measurements that are in the pdf.  

Using those measurements I drew out the shelf outline on a 1/2" piece of plywood, about 2'x4'. (3/4" would work too, to make it more sturdy).  You can get this at any Home Depot or Lowes.

Comments

[bagnitsch]

Hmm, this shelf looks familiar. If it's the one I think it is 0_o
Cool!

[leah_thomas]

I might have to try this out! It matches the decor of my new bedroom and would be perfect. I may have to tweak the design a bit to add leaves that match with everything else in my room but this is awesome!

[ahirosky]

Does anyone sell these? I am not able to build, but am interested in buying.

[guyzo35]

They used to be sold at West Elm stores, but I haven't seen one in a while.

If you wanted one badly, you could talk to me about potentially buying one that I can build in three weeks, after I'm done with school for the semester.

[yyuppy]

Hello
I am interested in buying one!

[arobbin]

Beautiful! I love it!

[LaLasha]

Very smart!

[miphz]

nice shelf, very instructable and inspirational ... cool stuff buddy ...

[LennyTheDub]

Very nice. I like imaginative design. For support for heavier items, pottery etc, you should consider the shelf brackets that have a 1/2" steel rod projecting from a steel plate. Looking down on it, it would be like a T with the top screwed to the wall and the leg sliding into a hole drilled into the back of the shelf. tacking a piece of 1/8" mdf onto the back of the piece before you drill for the brackets would provide you with a template for fixing the brackets to the wall in the exact positions needed. Places like leevalley and Hafele have untold amounts of specialist hardware. One other tip for a more detailed finish would be to use iron-on maple or birch veneer edging before finishing, so that you don't see the layers in the plywood. Always do the sides first so that the front piece covers the small amount of end grain from the sides. As a cabinet and furniture maker of seventeen years, welcome to the business.

[guyzo35]

Thanks!

[lancon]

Awesome, I will try this someday. If using a whole sheet of plywood, I think it would look nice if you kept the negative cut-out, stained it, and hung it opposite of the shelf. Just a thought.

[guyzo35]

That would be hard, since the angles of the branch make it difficult not to cut into the rest of the sheet. However, as a totally separate and much more detailed project, that sounds pretty awesome

[jiangtao]

Cool

[gummypaul]

Build one shaped like a usb symbol for the usb contest. Just kidding, cool shelf.

[JavaNut13]

Outstanding. Looks really good on the white wall. Will see what I've got to make one. Will

[ChrysN]

Nice, I have a wall that could use a shelf like that.

[Sunbanks]

Cool! :D