Cheap, easy, low-waste bookshelf plans

Build an easy, portable 3' x 8' wooden bookshelf in about 20 minutes, with a minimum of tools and less than 1% waste, for about $60. The basic concept can be modified to create any size shelf system needed.

For a similar bed see: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-easy-low-waste-platform-bed/
For a similar dining table see: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-easy-low-waste-trestle-table/

As a professional carpenter, furniture maker, and designer/builder, I see a lot of home carpentry projects that are grossly overbuilt and over-engineered. One of the goals of this Instructable is to avoid the unnecessary overbuilding that I frequently see on this site, and that I see every day working in the residential construction industry. Many of the building methods we (in the US) use today are horribly wasteful despite the advances that have been made in materials science and structural engineering, because most people in the residential building industry, from architects and engineers to carpenters, are mired in tradition, doing things a certain way "because that is how it has always been done", rather than consulting the best available science, or even questioning their own assumptions about "the right way to do it". I don't intend to knock tradition, either. Many of the tricks, techniques, and tools that I use daily are definitely "old-school", but seem to have been forgotten.

Thanks to my father for introducing me to this style of shelving, and who built a particularly fine example (using stained fir 2x4s and 2x12s, black washers, and brass acorn nuts) which is at least 25 years old and still in use.

Step 1 Tools and Materials

You will need:

(4) 8'  1x8  #2 and better pine
(2) 12' 1x4 #2 and better pine
(16) 9-3/8" long pieces of 1/4-20 all-thread rod (about 13')
(32) 1-1/4" fender washers
(32) 1/4-20 "acorn" or "cap" nuts
(1) 1/4-20 wingnut

My material cost was:
Lumber $39.62
Hardware $18.24
Total: $57.86

Hand or power saw for wood
Hand or power saw for metal
        (You can often have these items cut for a minimal fee at your local lumberyard)
Tape measure
Square
Pencil
Drill
9/32" drill bit for wood
Two 7/16" wrenches, or two adjustable wrenches, or a 7/16" wrench and a 7/16" socket and driver

Optional:
Awl, nail, or centerpunch

Comments

[mkslocomb]

have you tried this with 12" shelves, or just the 8"? this looks like a good replacement solution for my "milk crate shelves" (at least if it will hold 12"). also, very nice 'ible. looks easy duplicatable.

[aeray]

Thanks. 12" shelves should work fine, even with 1x material. If you need to dramatically increase the spans between uprights, or really dramatically increase the load-carrying capacity (like to hold bricks), you could use 2x material, but it shouldn't usually be necessary.

[laturb]

Tks, Aeray. I was scratching my head trying to convince myself that I must build a tools/nails/equipment shelf unit in our basement.
Your instructions seem idiot proof so within the next two weeks I should be able to place all my bits and pieces on shelves and more importantly, be able to find them when I need to.
Bravo!

[aeray]

You should also double-check the length of your all-thread rods. I'd dummy one up and try it out before cutting all of them. It needs to be just long enough to catch a couple of threads and snug down without punching out through the cap nut. The actual "cap" portion of cap nuts is fairly thin, and if the all-thread is even a bit too long it will punch through the end when you snug it up

[Avasar10000]

Would 2x2 material be strong enough if used as the upright supports? I did not see any mention of adding grooves that will ride over the all thread to keep the shelves in place. Is that not needed? My initial plan is to use 12" wide boards with 2x2 uprights and to make the bookshelf 5' to 6' tall by 60" wide.
I had also thought about adding some moulding to "jazz" it up a bit.

[aeray]

The 2x2s would be strong enough, but there might not be enough contact area between the upright and the shelf. The uprights clamp the shelves in place, and the friction between the shelf and upright is what keeps the whole unit from "going rhombus" (as starwalk put it). If you use 2x2s, there will be less surface area in contact, and less friction. And no, no grooves are necessary in the shelves, for the reasons mentioned above.

[aeray]

Post some photos when you're done.

[demxod8]

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a simple solution like this for years. It's brilliant.

[a.tyler.nelson]

Just build a 6'x6' version using the techniques in this 'ible. It looks great and works great! I used 6 lengths each of 1"x10" and 1"x4", both 6' long, and spaced the shelves to get on 18" shelf, one 16" shelf, and three 12" shelves. Mine cost a bit more (~$100 lumber and hardware), but the shelves went from concept to finished in only a few hours. Thanks a lot!

[aeray]

Pics would be great.

[a.tyler.nelson]

Here are a two views of the 6x6 shelves I built. Thanks again!

[mhendrickson]

Dear Aeray,
First thanks so much for your instrucables. So enjoy them. I've done the bed and will send pics later. Most recently did the bookshelves. Had about 20 boxes of books after a move and nowhere to put them. Did 3 sets of your shelves and emptied the book boxes in a day. Pics included. THANKS!
- MaryAnn

[aeray]

Extensive! Thanks for the pics!
Something about very long/low or very high/narrow bookshelves has always intrigued me but I haven't yet had the opportunity or space to build any.

[llmadigan]

thank you, thank you, thank you!! the lumber that i had in the garage wasn't exactly what your plans called for (2x4s and 1x10s), so i adjusted the length of the all thread to accommodate the depth. also, one of my 2x4s was kind of wonky and i was worried it would jeopardize the stability of the set - but it's totally solid! the shelves are level and aren't going anywhere!! :) (i threw all of my body weight against it, and it's totally solid!) it's approx. 4' wide by 7.5' tall.

oh yeah, and buying a bunch of cap nuts is not so easy unless you order ahead of time. i went to two hardware stores (one family owned and one big box) and they kind of laughed at me when i said i needed 32. so i got regular nuts, tightened them so they were flush with the all thread on the front side, hammered it against the board and tightened the back side while holding the front one in place with a wrench. so, some of them have a little bit of overhang on the back side, but i don't have to worry about gouging skin while walking past it. for my next set, i'll order the cap nuts in bulk from ebay ahead of time...

[llmadigan]

i said "totally solid" twice [blush]. i guess i'm excited :)

[narayas]

Made a nice set of shelves (30" tall x 8 ft) over 2 weekends. Home Depot cut the lumber, and I borrowed a hacksaw to cut the all-thread.
Sanding and staining the pine was more of a hassle than I thought it would be. I lost patience so it ended up kind of blotchy but the functionality is still fine. Didn't have a 9/32" drill bit so just used a 1/4" and it was a tight squeeze on the allthread but still worked fine. Nice & sturdy, glad to get all my books off the floor and organized.
Thanks for the very nice instructable.

[aeray]

Looks good. Thanks for the photos. With pine (or other species with inconsistent density) using a pre-stain conditioner really helps to even out the "blotchiness".

[leander37]

here's my 6x6 version build with #2 pine. shelves are 1x10 and threaded rod upsized to 5/16" to allow for extra width. center upright spaced at 1/3 side to side. this is very complex structurally - all the commenters who don't believe it should build it to really feel how it works. it is basically like a post-tensioned high rise. i think i'd like to paint the uprights and stain the shelves.

[aeray]

Good analogy, and thanks for the pics. I'm a big fun of the judicious and appropriately proportioned use of asymmetry. Looks good.

[Xpyd3r]

This worked like a charm and I love the simplicity. I'll definitely continue using the design, Thanks for the great instructable.

[aeray]

Thanks. Excellent corner application. What are the specifics? Are the shelves themselves joined in any way? Mitered? Butted? Splined? Pocket screwed?

[scallywag_ak]

Here is the one I built. Had to sand my lumber & decided to stain it. Hardware store did not have acorn nuts so I used regular nuts & will order acorn nuts. Hardware store was out of 1 1/4" washers so I used 1 1/2". Simple, cheap, sturdy, & useful. I like it! Thanks for sharing the plans.

[teamyoyo]

Just built a bookshelf with your method. 1800mm high and 1200mm wide. It was easy. 2 and a half hours and $170 worth of materials. Glued strips of wood to the back of the shelves to stop books going through. It's incredibly sturdy but I live in Christchurch so we'll see how it survives through a few earthquakes.

[aeray]

Thanks for the photos, and the prospects of field testing. The town I live in was destroyed by earthquakes in the 1930s, but we haven't had anything significant since then.

[teamyoyo]

So far its survived a couple of 5's, several 4+'s and dozens of 3+'s and it's still as solid as the day I put it together. Hasn't budged an inch. Hugely satisfied with the design.

[-Unimatrix_Zero-]

Built your shelving system because, as you said, it is expandable to be larger. My eventually came to be 68" tall by 12 feet in width with 6 shelves. Thanks for the plans, it worked well.

[margaretmeek]

I just made a small version of these shelves. They look great. Thanks for a successful first building project.

[aeray]

Thanks. Post a photo if you get a chance.

[scaylos]

My build of this with leander37's specs (6ftx6ft, 1x10 shelves, 5/16 rod). Had some trouble with books trying to commit suicide from the open end which I fixed by zig-zaging some cotton clothesline between the uprights. Made for an easy, and rather aesthetically pleasing bookend.

Thanks to both Aeray for posting this and to leander for the further inspiration. Box Mountain was dealt a mortal blow with this one.

[aeray]

Thanks for the photo. Glad you liked it.

[axiesdad]

Excellent job on the shelves and the 'ible! I recently designed and built a set of storage shelves for my son's garage and am totally guilty of the over-building you talk about. I also made these bookshelves. They are only slightly more complicated than yours and I like modular construction. Now if I could only figure out how to build an 'ible.

[aeray]

If you can figure out how to post a reply, with photos, you should have no problem posting an Instructable. I'm not particularly computer-literate...

[handytradie]

I used the same design to build a Stubby Cooler Display Shelf........
Dead Easy!!
Book Shelf is next :-P

[allstar784]

You could also use pegboard as the backing if using in a garage and be able to create great utility areas with hooks. Just a thought.

[BreakFix]

Hija. Love the simplicity of this. I'd like to make a modified, short bench version - any idea how much weight this could withstand? Guessing I'd have to increase the all-thread diameter. Thanks!

[aeray]

Like to sit on? How big?

[paqrat]

Great instructable. Any advice for someone (unskilled and inexperienced )wanting to make the shelves 8 feet tall?

[aeray]

Consider anchoring them to the wall with a short piece of wire, chain, or cable. Kids, earthquakes, and drunk friends happen.

[paqrat]

Thank you. No kids, earthquakes or drunk friends here but I do have one adventurous cat so an anchor sounds like a very good idea.

[MDarcy]

What modifications would you recommend if the shelves were closer than 11", say 6-7". Most of my books are mass market paperbacks so more shelves would be nice.