Invisible Book Shelf

by dorxincandeland

3.0M3.9K638

Intro: Invisible Book Shelf

Cast levitation level 7 on your books!

STEP 1: What You'll Need

Book
Good sized "L" Bracket
Carpet Knife
Pen
Small wood screws (of the flat headed variety)
Large wood screws
Tape Measure or Ruler
Glue
A Stack of Books for Weight

A friend at work gave me a stack of Stephen King books that were collecting dust in his garage. My previous two shelves from the introduction were free books that my public library was trying to get rid of.
Use a book you don't mind never reading again.

STEP 2: Measure Twice, Cut Once.

Measure the half way point, make a mark, set down your bracket, draw an outline, measure again, cut out a hole deep enough that the bracket will set flush. You are doing this to the back or bottom of the book, the part that will be visible in the finished product.

STEP 3: Don't Put Away the Carpet Knife Yet!

Use your knife to make a notch for the "L" bracket so the book can sit flush against the wall.

STEP 4: Screw Stephen King!

...or at least place your small wood screws to secure the "L" bracket in place, and one on either side toward the edges of the book to secure the pages of Stephen Kings book together. Hanging the bracket over the edge of a desk, chair, or counter is helpful. The pages will try to rise up the screw as you insert it, so make sure you're putting some pressure on them to keep them in line. If this part is not done correctly the end result will show the pages as wavy and will tip off the viewer that something is amiss. The picture shows me using a cordless drill, but I found that doing it by hand was much more effective.

STEP 5: Glue, and Apply Pressure

The glue will hold the bottom cover of the book in place, and the screws hold the pages together. Put the stack of books on top of the whole deal and wait overnight.

STEP 6: No. Seriously, Wait Overnight.

Did you think I was kidding?

STEP 7: Attach It to the Wall.

...sorry to switch books, but I wanted to finish the Instructable while the glue was drying.

use a large wood screw to attach the whole mess to the wall. Find a stud first.

STEP 8: Load It Up!

put some books on it to cover your handiwork. make sure you put enough books to cover the bracket, don't leave it like this picture.

STEP 9: Forget That It's There...

...and wait for the crazy looks on peoples faces when they notice it and can't figure it out.

625 Comments

polymathism 16 years ago

easy to follow, and after the first one its clockwork. i made a zipper like format. good space saver too!

JulieHenriksen 9 years ago

Looks pretty nice! Great inspiration.

Now looking in my bookshelf for what books to sacrifice..

marydecorator 10 years ago

I can't believe how many books one can squeeze in there without it looking cluttered. Good job!

sparkertoo 10 years ago

This is definitely the most attractive arrangement of shelves, and I've got just the space to copy it! 8)

andydrumer12 14 years ago

 Here's a pic of the one I made. I liked the way the books look standing up, kinda defeats the purpose but oh well..

sparkertoo 10 years ago

I like the books sitting upright just as well as I like them stacked. Unless you're implementing this idea because you really need more storage space for books, it's a nice way to display a favorite item or two - even to use for no other purpose than to create "artwork" for an empty wall. Probably does need a book or two no matter what its purpose, to maintain the "theme" inspired by the "book" shelf. ;-)
I have to comment again on Polymathism's staggered zipper design, too; it's also a very attractive example of mixing it up a bit, by adding a single rather dramatic piece on the uppermost shelf. I love where both of you went with the idea almost as much as I love the instructable!

frenzy 13 years ago


Congrats!
This posting has won today's "I Made It" Challenge. For that you win a 3 month pro membership!

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J@50n 14 years ago

 no, i like the way you have the books set upwards! 

epoh 14 years ago

Hi everyone,
I'd like to thank for this great instructable!

I was planning to do my bookshelf for about 6 months. When I finally got to round to it, it took me about an hour or two.

I used an old calendar notebook with metal binding on the side so I can hang my earing collection :)

Thanks again!

ahurlimann 13 years ago

You've just inspired me. Wow, I love how you used the spiral notebook to make it more "fun"ctional!

stewent 14 years ago

Here is the one I built. I did it with two brackets and it turned out great. Awesome instructable!


SirJoey 15 years ago

Way kool! Thanx for sharing this one! Here's mine:

artista 16 years ago

Wonderful idea!!! And very good explained.

Ninth 15 years ago

Are all those books stacked on the one "shelf" or do you have a lot of books connected to the wall and just filled the gaps? If so, how many are connected to the wall?

shooby 15 years ago

This is how it should be done, with lots of books, attached lower to the ground. Like this, it's subtle, looking almost as though the books are stacked on the ground, until one inspects further. Good job Artista. With a stack of 6 books in the middle of the wall, it's too 'Disneyland'. People might scratch their heads at it, but in the end of the day you have a stack of 6 books that you don't care about sticking out of your wall.
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