DVD Shelving for $20 (ish)

by mennell

84K13914

Intro: DVD Shelving for $20 (ish)

I have quite a bit of DVDs and came to the conclusion that I needed some organization. So one night when I couldn't sleep I drew up a plan for an easy DVD shelving unit. It's 48" tall by 36" wide and holds approximately 360 regular cases. Of course, these measurements can be changed to suit your specific needs. I've decided to string multiple units together on the back wall of my loft.

STEP 1: Materials Needed

Materials needed:

1x6 material in 6 foot lengths (5)
2x4 stud material at 36"
1 1/4" screws (28)
Wood Glue

I utilized the KREG pocket hole jig

Tools:

Saw
Square
Drill/Powered Screwdriver

STEP 2: Mark and Cut the Boards

Mark and cut 2 of the 1x6's at 48". Mark and cut the other 3 boards at 36"

STEP 3: Drill Out the Pocket Holes

I used a KREG pocket hole jig to put two holes at each end of the shelf pieces . This made assembly easier.

STEP 4: Glue and Screw the Boards

I used the "glue and screw" method for attaching the shelves to the side. The first shelf was put in at 90-degrees at the topside corner. I took a scrap piece of wood (from the 2' cut off one of the sides) and made an 8" spacer. Using the square and spacer block, I glued and screwed the shelves in at the bottom every 8". After all 6 shelves were attached, I put repeated the steps attaching the other side, gluing and screwing in the coarse screws.

STEP 5: Almost Finished

Finishing up, I attached a 36" 2x4 at the bottom with screws to act as a "toekick" and keep it off the floor a little. Glue and 4 screws worked.

STEP 6: Finishing Up

The units are finished. Allow the glue to dry and a light sanding is all that is needed. You can stain or paint the unit to match your room. (if painting, run a little bit of painter's caulk at the seams to seal them prior to primer and paint)

I am building multiple units to cover the back wall. The size allows me to move them around later if need be. I did take an angle bracket and secure the unit to the back wall to prevent the shelf from falling forward.

Modifications:

1/4" backing board so the DVD cases don't fall out. I am setting mine against the back wall so I don't need it.

12 Comments

benh306 5 years ago

Im making this and i was wondering how stable it is? I was thinking of adding an oversized base for stability. Do you think it's needed

mennell 5 years ago

A base might be a good idea. I mounted my shelves to a wall with an angle bracket and had no issue.

BrianM600 5 years ago

Thanks for the plan. I used sanded and painted boards so it was a little more exensive, but worth it to me. I also made mine 5ft tall and added a couple of 2x3 feet that stick out the front to help keep them from tipping. I made two of them, one for bluray size cases (7 shelves) and one dvd size (6 shelves). Oh and the Kreg is cool. My 10 yr old did all of the drilling and screwing for the second rack. I only measured, cut and guided. super simple.

kmennell 5 years ago

That's awesome. Glad I could help.

kirkwoodwest 10 years ago

Great instructable. All other DIY shelves are much more complicated.

rosewood513 11 years ago

Nice job,that is a lot of DVD's, don't you just love the Kreg? I have one and right now I am making a kitchen island.

dimtick 12 years ago

hey, nice simple shelves for what they are.
one suggestion. your base is to narrow for the height. very prone to tipping.
suggest using a 2x6 for the base. i see you noted attaching it to the wall. you should make sure to secure to a stud. if your securing to just the drywall then your going to want to use multiple angles to distribute the load. I also think it would be a good idea top secrew the shelving units into each other.
if you want to dress it up, run continuous 1x2's accross the shelves, then run 1x1 on the vertical edges and a good coat of white paint. the white will really pop against the blue wall and be really sharp.

if all your putting on those shelves is dvd's then there's no need for a 1/4 back panel but if you load it with that pile of books that i see in the photo then you'll want to add the back panel and screw it to the shelves. dvd's are a nothing load, but books are heavy.

mennell 12 years ago

noted. I started building these because my woodworking ability was/is still in its beginning stages and I wasn't comfortable with things. As my skills have improved, I can see a lot of areas for improvement. I made this instructable 2 1/2 years ago and my skills have improved. The shelves still are there - I only use them for DVDs/BLU-ray discs.

dimtick 12 years ago

Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't notice the date when I responded. I don't normally respond to old posts but this time I was using my iPod and thought it was new.
Glad those have worked out for ya. Shelves are one of the easiest projects and easiest to screw up if you don't understand how heavy what's going to be put on the shelves. Woodworking shows make these way more complicated than they need to be with dado's , rabbits, etc. Totally not needed. There are simple hand tool details that are just as strong and look just as nice.

One question
How did you clamp the shelves to the vertical when you drove in the pocket screws? I've had the problem if the boards aren't clamped really well that the pocket screws may not go in tight leaving a loose joint. I use plywood for shelves because my home center 1x boards are warped and crap. Maybe you don't have the loose joint problem with 1x's because the wood is strong enough for the screw to pull it tight?

BedroomEmperor 14 years ago

Great job, and a good 'ible..! I have a few questions, though: Did you square the unit up before attaching the opposing side screws? Is that even a valid consideration when using the Kreg pocket hole method? Are there any risks of the unit suffering racking, due to to the construction? The unit looks great, and I may try this out for our collection, but I'm curious to know if this was a consideration for you. Of course, the point is moot if you are attaching the units to the wall, huh..?

mennell 14 years ago

the advantage of using the kreg screws is that the unit was relatively square. I still double checked everything with the square while assembly. I got a little cocky with the second unit and learned from my mistakes. Once I got to the third + shelf, checked each shelf. Thank You. -k