Built in Shelving
  • Difficulty
    Medium

This project was inspired by one of our favorite bloggers, Centsational Girl. She posted this project last year in her blog and this year we are trying it for ourselves! You can use a bookshelf you already have or build one yourselves. We opted to build one ourselves to fit perfectly in this space.

You need
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Step 1

Dremel Saw-Max cutting the table
Dremel Saw-Max cutting ledge
Dremel Saw-Max cutting the table
Dremel Saw-Max cutting ledge

You need:

*(Skip this step if you have your own bookshelf) Determine the desired height and depth of your cubbie. Our closet is standard height (80" tall) and we wanted to make the cubbies floor to ceiling and 2' deep. For this you need to cut two sides of your cubbies then various shelves to mount inside. Measure and mark your cuts. Use the blueprint as a reference. Remember to make your cubbies shallow enough so that you can close your closet doors. Use a SawMax tool equipped with a SM500 Wood and Plastic Wheel to make your cuts. Ensure a precise cut by lining up your marked line inside of the notch at the front of the tool, then turning on your tool and cutting. The compact tool and front notch provide an excellent line of sight. TIP: If you feel like you need additional support, use a Saw-Max tool equipped with a SM600 Wood and Plastic Flush-Cutting wheel to make your cut. Here we clamped another piece of wood on the line we cut. This piece of wood served as a guide when we cut with our SM

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Step 2

Drilling holes in the table

You need:

*(Skip this step if you have your own bookshelf) Once you have all of your pieces cut it is time to connect the sides with the shelves. To start, lay both side panels flat and mark lines where you would like your shelves to set. Here we have 6 shelves. Across all 6 marked lines we marked space for 3 pegs. We positioned 2 pegs 1" from the front and back of the sides and one in the middle. Measure and mark the sides of your shelf inserts at the same distance. For maximum support you should have one support shelf set as high as possible to make a rectangle case. On the marks you made, drill holes wide enough to accommodate your wood pegs. Use your drill/driver and drill bit that is the same width as your wood pegs to ensure a snug fit.

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Step 3

Putting together table pieces

You need:

*(Skip this step if you have your own bookshelf) With one of your side panels laying flat, insert wood pegs into your drilled holes. Working one shelf at a time, insert your shelves on the pegs. When you have inserted all of your shelves on the pegs in one panel, insert pegs into the sides of your shelving and insert the other wall of your cubbie on top of the pegs. TIP: If you feel like you need additional support, use a Saw-Max tool equipped with a SM600 Wood and Plastic Flush-Cutting wheel to make your cut. Here we clamped another piece of wood on the line we cut. This piece of wood served as a guide when we cut with our SM600 Flush-Cutting wheel. TIP: Make sure that you position your bottom shelf at the same height as your decorative edge.

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Step 4

Dremel Oscillating tool in use

You need:

Now that your shelving is built, it is time to make it look like it is built into your closet. To do that, you will first need to mark the area your shelving will sit against. Once you have marked this width, carefully remove any trim you already have along the base of your closet. With a MultiMax tool set at a high speed, we slid the Wood and Metal FlushCutting Blade between the trim and the wall to remove the finishing nails securing the baseboard into place. Then we used a halfmoon blade to cut out the trim along our marks. Carefully make these cuts so you can use this piece of trim on step 5.

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Step 5

Screwing the table

You need:

Set your bookcase into the cutout of your closet. Here we secured our shelves in place using a drill driver and wood screws to connect it to the ceiling of our closet.

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Step 6

Hammering nails into the table

You need:

Fix your cut piece of trim to the bottom of your shelf. Hammer the trim into place with small finishing nails.


Warning

To reduce the risk of injury user must read instruction manuals for all tools used in this project. Wear eye and respiratory protection. Use clamps to support work piece whenever practical.