I created a learning center for my kids in a corner of our home. It consists of a table, three chairs and a bookshelf, which every piece has storage and organization built right in. I previously made the table and one chair, but with two out of three kids in school I figured it was time to build two more chairs and a bookshelf to organize the educational books and bbother stuff needed for the area. Today I'll focus on the bookshelf build. If you want to learn more about the table and chairs you can Click Here. Continue reading for the bookshelf build.

Step 1: Breakdown the Plywood

The first thing I had to do was to break down the full sheet of plywood. I opted to take the full sheet outside and use a circular saw and a straight to break it down into more manageable pieces. After cutting all the parts out I end up with the following:

3/4" material

2 sides - 48"H x 10"D

1 top - 26.5"W x 10"D

4 shelves - 25"W x 10"D

Step 2: Notch Out for Molding

I wanted to install this directly to the wall, so this bookshelf didn't have a back. In order for the bookshelf to sit against the wall I needed to do one of two things. I could either cut away a 3/4" section in the base board for the shelf to fit into or I could notch out the bottom, back portion of the side panels so that the assembled bookshelf will sit against the wall and not interfere with base board. I went with the latter. To accomplish this, I measured three inches up from the bottom and one inch in from the rear, marked the waste area and cut it out on the bandsaw.

Step 3: Drill Pocket Holes

I decided to use pocket holes on this project because plywood and pocket holes go hand in hand. Seriously, I chose to use pocket holes for a couple of reasons. The first is due to the speed in which I could drill the holes and assemble the entire bookshelf. Another reason was because I wanted to screw the bookshelf directly to the wall and also hide all the screws. A couple of screws on each end of the shelf and three or four in the sides should be plenty to hold it in place securely.

Step 4: Assemble and Install

Once the bookshelf is assembled, be sure to sand down all the corners and edges to get rid of the sharpness and any splinters. I chose to finish mine with a couple coats of water based polycrylic (satin). If you haven't used polycrylic before, it goes on milky looking and dries clear and it's not toxic like other finishes. It also dries fast and provides a good protective coat. It has been my favorite and go-to finish for a few years now. Here's a link for you to check it out... http://amzn.to/2vxJk8z *Amazon Affiliate link

The organization comes in with the small shelves and bins. Since this area is for our kids we wanted to provide as much organization as possible. The bins provide storage for different things such as markers, glue, scissors, tape, and other crafting supplies. They are easily accessible and hold a fair amount. The link to the bins are included in the project plans for this bookshelf, which is a free download.

Step 5: Blog Article

Below you will find a link to my blog article on this project. There I will list links to the plans for the table and chairs that I mentioned earlier and also in the pictures. I'll also list a link to the free plans for this particular bookshelf project.

Go here to read the blog article and get the FREE Bookshelf plans: http://www.stoneandsons.net/diy-desk-organization/

For going to read the blog article you'll find a 25% off coupon code listed that you're more than welcome to use on the plans.

Thanks!

-Shawn

http://www.stoneandsons.net