Inexpensive Book Shelf

This is my first instructable. Let me start out by saying that the design and finish to this shelf was thought out by myself for a few particular reasons.

1. I do not have an indoor shop or any type of work area, so this was all created on my deck.
2. I built this shelf using as few tools as I could, I only had access to a few things.
3. I wanted this shelf to be cost effective, which in the long run was.

Tools Used:

-Miter Saw
-Router
-Orbital Palm Sander
-Air Nailer with Compressor
-Misc. Wood Working Tools (Square, Tape Measure, Etc.)

Materials Used:

1"x4" Untreated Pine ( I bought 8 foot sections which cost around $3-$5 dollars)
1-1/4" Brad Nails
Sand Paper
Zip Guard Gloss Finish

Side note:

You can use what ever materials you prefer, if you account for time as money, 1x4 pine may not be your best option. It has tons of flaws and takes quite a while to make it look good. Also the dimensions I provide are just dimensions I came up with, you can build this shelf to what ever size you would like.

Remove these ads by Signing Up

Step 1: Prep Work

The first step was to sand and route all of the lumber I was going to use. This is by far the longest process of the whole shelf. I am a perfectionist, so I spent quite a while sanding all the imperfections out of the 1x4, because they come with quite a lot.