Introduction: Hanging Shelf Out of Re-used Wood

This is a mounted shelf, good for those with empty wall spaces and a lot of stuff to store. We got all of our materials from our local hardware store, and all the tools from our design classroom. We got our lumber from an old pallet, so this is a very inexpensive shelf to make. We recommend doing this with a friend :)

MATERIALS

  • 4 large screws eyes (We used 55.5mm)
  • 8 brass cups hooks (We used ⅞ inch)
  • 2 ceiling hooks, solid brass (45 lbs capacity)
  • 3ft of rope (tan twine) ½ inch thick
  • 25+ Nails, 2 inch long
  • 3 pieces of lumber 21x1x6
  • 2 pieces of lumber 24x1x6
  • 1 piece of lumber 8x1x6
  • 2 piece of lumber 24x1x6 (for mounting onto plastic, synthetic walls with no studs, not necessary for all)
  • Cherry tint (optional)
  • Electric tape

TOOLS

  • Shears (manual) to cut rope
  • Hammer (manual)
  • Brush (manual)
  • Crowbar (manual)
  • Sander (power) w/ 120, 100, 50, 20 grain sand paper
  • Miter- Saw (power)
  • Drill (power) w/ bit same width as hooks and cups
  • Tape measurer/ruler
  • Pencil
  • Sharpie
  • Earmufflers
  • Goggles
  • Level

Step 1: Create Drawing of Shelf and Dimmesions

This step is for if you are a visual learner, or want to make your own product. We highly recommend drawing the layout on 3d drawing paper. Doing math during this step is also important, and be sure to take into account the width of the wood.

You will need

  • Graph paper or 3d paper
  • pencil
  • ruler/ tape measure

Step 2: Break Down Pallet

This step is for if you are not buying wood. Pallets are generally free, but are free for a reason. Many pallets are discarded because they broke during use, so there may be pieces that are damaged.

You will need

  • Tape measure
  • Crowbar
  • Hammer
  • Earmuffs
  • Goggles
  1. Check pallet for termites, if it has major damage, don't use it, and find a new one!
  2. See if the the good pieces have the same width, length and height you are looking for. Adjust dimensions accordingly.
  3. Pry the good pieces off with crowbar and hammer. We pried up 5 boards, because our dimensions fit on that many. The amount you will need to pry up will vary on how big the pallet is. This is one of the most dangerous steps, as the wood can come loose and go flying, so wear the goggles. This can get loud, so wear the earmuffs.
  4. Take out all nails from the pieces you have pried up. This took us about 1 hour to do because it was so tedious.
  5. Discard of the nails and bad pieces of wood.

Step 3: Measure, Mark, and Cut Wood to Length

This is one of the most important sets of instructions in this tutorial. Measuring and cutting exactly is crucial. We marked and cut on the line we marked, but some people prefer to cut above a marked line.

You will need

  • Sharpie (pencil if it shows up on wood)
  • Measuring tape
  • Miter power saw
  • Clamps
  • Earmufflers
  • Goggles
  1. Measure wood and mark where it needs to be cut.
  2. Clamp saw to table
  3. Place wood on saw horizontally, make sure you wont cut on top of nails. If this is the case, re-measure. Nails can and will damage the saw, and can go flying.
  4. Position the wood so the blade is perpendicular to the wood and marking of where to cut.
  5. Cut! you can have a friend hold the wood steady, or you can use a clamp to hold the wood down. Make sure the saw is at 90 degrees to the wood, not at an angle.
  6. Use a steady hand to press the saw down onto the wood while it is on. Go quickly. If the cut takes more than 4 seconds, the blade is dull
  7. When done with all wood, turn the saw off.

Step 4: Sand Wood

This is mainly for improving the aesthetics of the wood, as well as the feel of it. Tint will also absorb better into sanded wood.

You will need

  • Electric sander
  • Sandpaper (120, 100, 50, 20 grain)
  • Goggles
  • Ear Mufflers (not particularly loud)

Steps

  1. Place wood on table or ground
  2. Apply desired grain
  3. Turn on sander and use a steady hand
  4. Be sure keep the sander parallel to the wood, without lifting it to an angle. Be sure to sand off the pen or pencil used, or use alcohol to get sharpie off.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 with finer and finer grains of sand until final look is achieved. Some people like a rustic, rough look.
  6. When done, turn off and store sander
  7. Vacuum or sweep up dust.

Step 5: Assemble

This is another one of the most important steps, as it must be done carefully, otherwise the wood may break

You will need

  • 25, 2 inch nails
  • Hammer
  • Partner to hold wood steady
  • The lumber

Steps

  1. lay out wood into desired diagram, following your drawings or the ones we made. This does not have to be in perfect formation, just to see a basic layout of how it will be shaped.
  2. Chose a corner to start at. We chose bottom right. Do the perimeter first, as it is easy to adjust the middle.
  3. have partner hold wood steady at a 90 degree angle to the other piece.
  4. Make sure the side you want to be shown is facing outside.
  5. Make sure the widths are lined up. If not, adjust. If one is significantly wider than the other, take it back to the saw, and mark to where it needs to be cut.
  6. Place nail in the middle of the lower side of piece A you are attaching to piece B, making sure the nail will enter peice B in an even manner.
  7. Drive nail in, holding the hammer at the base, not at the neck. If the nail gets crooked, take it out and use a new one. It's ok to restart if the woods sides don't line up in the end ( we had to).
  8. Drive 4 nails in per joint
  9. Repeat steps 1-8 on each side.
  10. For the middle piece and divider, lay out in the shell of the shelf (perimeter). Place the divider in first, and add the middle shelf in last.
  11. Measure to the midpoint of the interior of the shelf (not applicable for asymmetrical designs). This is where the divider will go.
  12. Hammer in divider using tactics seen in steps 3-8
  13. Place middle shelf in, resting it under the divider. Make sure they are touching
  14. Hammer the middle shelf into the sides using tactics seen in steps 3-8
  15. hammer the middle shelf to the divider, from underneath, using tactics seen in steps 3-8.
  16. Make sure everything has 4 nails in each junction and joint, if not, use tactics seen in steps 3-8

FOR MOUNTING ONTO PLASTIC WALLS (WHAT WE HAD TO DO)

  1. lay the mounting lumber out, the two 24x1x6 peices
  2. Layer them on top of eachother, parallell
  3. hammer 3 nails on each far side using tactics seen in previous steps, making sure wood is lines up
  4. set aside for later, used in mounting (for us)

Step 6: Tint

This is purely for aesthetics, as tint serves no moisturizing, restorative or protecting qualities. You cans skip this step if you like the color of your pallett

you will need

  • Your assembled shelf (looks great!)
  • Tint
  • Brush
  • Rag

Steps

  1. Choose a side to begin painting (we started on the very top)
  2. Dip brush into tint and dab or wipe on the side of the can to remove excess
  3. Apply brush to wood, using long strokes, refiling often on tint
  4. Use a rag if you over tinted an area. Tint absorbs quickly, so use the rag quickly.
  5. repeat steps 1-4 until entire shelf is painted
  6. let shelf sit and dry for 5 hours for full a 100% dry shelf

Step 7: Add Screws, Mounting Devices and Rope

This is another important step. If done incorrectly, shelf will fall. Be sure to place on a sturdy surface before drilling, and have your friend hold it steady.

You will need

  • Tinted Shelf
  • 4 large screws eyes (We used 55.5mm)
  • 8 brass cups hooks (We used ⅞ inch)
  • 2 ceiling hooks, solid brass (45 lbs capacity)
  • 3ft of rope (tan twine) ½ inch thick
  • Drill with bit same width as screws used
  • Rope
  • Shears
  • Electric tape

SHELF MOUNTING HEAVY DUTY SCREWS

  1. On the top of your shelf, mark out where the screw eyes should go. We did 1 on each corner
  2. Drill hole using same width as the screw eye hooks stem. Go a bit less than the length of the thread length, so the screw can have a place to anchor into. refer to the anatomy of the screw image if you are confused.
  3. When done drilling hold, reverse the drill and draw back slowly.
  4. Manually screw eye hooks in. Make sure they are screwed in til the length of thread is no longer visible.
  5. Make sure the eyes are lined up, so you can see through through them

SHELF MINOR SCREWS

  1. On the side, fort or bottom (where ever you want, we chose side and front) mark out where the brass cup hooks should go
  2. Drill hole using same width as the brass cup hooks stem. Go a bit less than the length of the thread length, so the screw can have a place to anchor into. refer to the anatomy of the screw image if you are confused.
  3. When done drilling hold, reverse the drill and draw back slowly.
  4. Manually screw the brass hook cups into where you just drilled. Make sure they are screwed in til the length of thread is no longer visible.
  5. Make sure they can support weight and aren't too wobbly.

ROPE

  1. Cut the length of rope you need to hang your shelf. Better to cut more than less! we cut about 3 ft. Cut 2 pieces
  2. Seal the ends with electric tape so it won't fray.
  3. Tie the rope in your desired fashion (next slide). You can really get creative with the mounting options, as long as it is stable, it is ok!

PLASTIC MOUNTING SHELF HOOKS (OPTIONAL)

If you do not need a plastic mounting shelf, just drill the mounting hole into your wall or ceiling, and hang it from there.

  1. Take the mounting piece you made back 2 steps ago.
  2. Mark the width of your shelf (if you're following our design, 23 in)
  3. Drill hole using same width as the brass ceiling hooks. Go a bit less than the length of the thread length, so the screw can have a place to anchor into. refer to the anatomy of the screw image if you are confused.
  4. When done drilling hold, reverse the drill and draw back slowly.
  5. Manually screw the brass ceiling hooks into where you just drilled. Make sure they are screwed in til the length of thread is no longer visible. Make sure they can support weight and aren't too wobbly.
  6. Attach to wall by using long screws and drilling them though the wood and plastic wall.

Step 8: Mount and Decorate

Here we show multiple ways to mount our shelf and tie the rope

you'll need

  • Shelf with 2 pieces of cut rope
  • level
  • mounting hooks in wall or the mounting pannel

OPTION ONE: FROM CEILING BAR OR POST (1st pic)

  1. Have partner hold shelf level, use a level if needed
  2. Pull 1 piece through one column the top eye hooks. Do the same to the other side of shelf with the other piece of rope.

  3. Bring rope up to the bar, bring the back end over the bar and into the front. Tie the two together using a bowline knot

  4. Do the same to the other side, making sure it is still level. Adjust if not

OPTION TWO: MOUNTING HOOKS

  1. The hooks should be on the wall in some way. If not, go back a step and complete
  2. Do the knot seen in the pervious option, or use the knot seen in picture two
  3. for the 2nd type of knot, place the rope between the eye hooks, and pull the ends though to the outside, so it looks like a triangle.
  4. Tie a basic knot at the eye hook onto itself, but looping the rope around twice rather than once.

OPTION 3: GET CREATIVE WITH KNOTS
Lookup stable knots and complete them

Step 9: SUMMARY

You can get very creative towards the end. We recommend using our dimensions.