Step 8: Notch The Corners of All Shelves
It's quicker to grab one of the test pieces from Step 3 to mark the notches in the shelf corners. Measuring and marking can be done of course, but we're making locker shelving not fine furniture, so we can work with a bit less formality in the interest of finishing sooner.
Place the test piece on the shelf so that the test piece's long edge (1 5/8") runs along the shelf's long edge (17" edge). Tracing will be slightly easier if you use a test piece that didn't get a dado or have the dado face outwards. That prevents your pencil from dropping into the dado while tracing the width and thickness needed for the corner notches.
Mark all four corners on both sides of each shelf. Marking both sides will make it easier to cut the notches on the band saw…we'll have to make half the cuts with one side facing up and the other half with the other side of each shelf facing up.
Position the band saw's rip fence so you can cut the short (3/4") side of each notch first. We have to back the shelves out of the cut and that's much easier (and safer) on the shorter cuts.
Make one short (3/4") cut, rotate the shelf 180 degrees, and cut the opposite corner. Flip the shelf face down and cut the short side of the other two corners.
Repeat for all of your shelves then reposition the rip fence to make the long (1 5/8") cuts. Make one cut, rotate the shelf 180 degrees, and cut the opposite corner. The waste piece should be completely loose at the end of the cut (so you're not backing the workpiece out of the long cut).
Flip the shelf face down and cut the long side of the other two corners. Repeat for all of your shelves.
Place the test piece on the shelf so that the test piece's long edge (1 5/8") runs along the shelf's long edge (17" edge). Tracing will be slightly easier if you use a test piece that didn't get a dado or have the dado face outwards. That prevents your pencil from dropping into the dado while tracing the width and thickness needed for the corner notches.
Mark all four corners on both sides of each shelf. Marking both sides will make it easier to cut the notches on the band saw…we'll have to make half the cuts with one side facing up and the other half with the other side of each shelf facing up.
Position the band saw's rip fence so you can cut the short (3/4") side of each notch first. We have to back the shelves out of the cut and that's much easier (and safer) on the shorter cuts.
Make one short (3/4") cut, rotate the shelf 180 degrees, and cut the opposite corner. Flip the shelf face down and cut the short side of the other two corners.
Repeat for all of your shelves then reposition the rip fence to make the long (1 5/8") cuts. Make one cut, rotate the shelf 180 degrees, and cut the opposite corner. The waste piece should be completely loose at the end of the cut (so you're not backing the workpiece out of the long cut).
Flip the shelf face down and cut the long side of the other two corners. Repeat for all of your shelves.
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