DIY Wooden DVD Shelving

First of all, let me start out by apologizing for this instructable for two reasons.

1. This is my first instructable.

2. I decided to write this after i made the shelf, so I don't have any pictures for each step. However, I think this is an easy enough project that it may not be such a big deal.

In the past, I have purchased a couple those cheaply made DVD shelving units from a local big box store and quickly ran out of space. Make no mistake, when i say cheaply, I am referring to the quality of the unit, and not the price! I decided to make something stronger and cheaper when comparing the amount of discs they can hold.

I went ahead and measured the height of my DVD an Blu-Ray cases and decided on spacing the shelves 8" apart. I then took a look at my DVD Box Sets and made the space of the top two shelves a bit larger to accommodate those. Also decided against putting any type backing to the shelving as it will be tight up against the wall and I planned on gluing all the joints for added strength.

Step 1: Pick Your Location and Visualize

First, decide where you want the unit and measure the wall to ensure a proper fit. With most new furniture, visualizing the new piece in its place in the room will help with planning.

My shelf was going to be located in the basement, so the height was going to be limited. I decided to go with a 6'x6' shelf as this worked out well with my ceiling height. I also recommend using this height even if ceiling height will not be a concern for your application as it lends the ability to reach the top of the shelf's without the need for a step stool for the average person.

Step 2: Head to the Lumber Yard

Now that you have picked the right spot in your place, its time to go head to the lumber yard. If your like me, I prefer to work with lumber that does not need a lot of prep. This lumber tends to be a bit more expensive, however, require less time and equipment to make it build ready. My local lumber yard has three types of lumber to choose from: Standard (cheapest), Quality and Select (expensive). I will briefly describe these types.

Standard - General purpose boards, great for light construction and projects where larger knots and other characteristics are not a concern.

Quality - All-purpose boards with four square edges primarily intended for projects where appearance is important yet small, tight knots are permissible.

Select - All-purpose boards with four square edges primarily intended for projects where appearance is important and is clear of knots.

I decided to go with Quality boards as they are relativity straight and I like the small knots to add character.

Materials List

11 - 1" x 6" x 6' Quality Board

1 - 1" x 2" x 6' Quality Board

1 1/4" Pocket Screws

Step 3: Cut Your Pieces

Using a miter saw, trim a little bit off each end of all 11 of the 1" x 6" x 6' boards to exactly 6' or 72" in length as they will be a bit longer than 72" to allow for finish cutting.

Next trim you 1x2 board into 6 - 8" pieces (blue), 1 - 8 1/4" piece (Green), and 1 - 9" piece (Yellow). These will be the center shelf supports.

Step 4: Assemble

I drilled 3 pocket screw holes into each end of the horizontal boards.

I started out with building the "outer box" by first screwing together and measuring diagonal corner to corner to check for square. Then removed the screws and applied wood glue to all four corners and screwed back together and checked for square again.

Starting from the top, i measures the distance of the first shelf and screwed it into place with glue on each end.

Step 5: Center Supports

Once all shelves were in place, I found the center of the shelf. Then found the center of each support piece and screwed them in place between each shelf. I did not glue the supports in, but instead staggered the pocket screws to prevent the support from turning or spinning once in place. The supports are added to the back of the shelves as it sits against the wall once stood into place.

Step 6: Stand It Up

Stand it up against the wall in your space. Securing it to the wall is going to depend on your wall. In my case i used hollow wall anchors with a small wood block screwed to the top and countersunk for the screw into the wall. You could also use small angle brackets. As the shelf is standing on the floor, this is just to prevent tipping.