Cardboard book shelves, like a carpenter

If you are looking for a fun carpentry/woodworking project but lack the facilities or initiative to accumulate the tools and skills, this project will give you the same feeling of satisfaction at a job well done. I have taken the time to create CAD drawings to spell out how to make a cardboard alignment square, how to lay out the parts, even how to get great results folding. Please provide lots of suggestions for the next one - I have built many pieces but have 000 practice teaching other people. I am trying to cater these instructables to novices and clever engineers alike. Keeping this in mind, feel free to let me know if I have left out key information or if I am talking to you like you are "5". Hope you enjoy!

Step 1

This page shows you how to make a cardboard alignment square.  Alignment squares save you alot of time by isolating the position of parts down to one axis - thats just one measurement per shelf support, also known as a ledger.  Just lay out a single hatch mark where you want each shelf.  Hold the square against the edge of your side (known as an "upright" to cabinetmakers) and glue down the ledger...no more measuring and checking for square.  Notice that the ledgers end 1/8" away from the edge.  That is the thickness of a sheet of corrugated.  Check the photos and drawing for more explanation.  

Comments

[Creativeman]

Cool...do you cut the groove for method 2 on the table saw?

[live_corrugated]

Yeah, about 3/4 of the way through. Folds into itself in a very predictable manner.