Today we’re going to be running power to an outdoor shed. I’ve done quite a few electrical videos, so if you need any other tips, check out my website! Table of ContentsStep 1: Locate the Breaker Box and Drill a Hole for an LBThis process could be use for anything in your yard that you want to get power to whether it be a pool, or an outdoor kitchen, or even a yard feature like a pond. Just consider if you have enough space in your breaker box and of course all your local codes. I’m comfortable tackling this project on my own, but if you’re not then there is never in any shame in hiring a professional. Lets go ahead and get started. The first thing I need to do is locate the breaker box so that I can figure out a path to get to the outside of the building I am wiring. Quick change of scenery here but this is the outside of the wall I was just referencing. I’m using a hole saw bit the size for an LB fitting to go through. ![]() Step 2: Placing the ConduitTo get to the inside, the piece isn’t even all the way through the wall. So, you can just cut a piece of conduit to get you all the way through. Know that they do make a different cement for electrical conduit instead of the regular PVC one that you’re used to. I’m going to be adding in an outlet so I’m going to be adding a straight piece of conduit and then put my outlet up high so that it’s easy to access. Then from the outlet I’m going to be going into another straight piece of conduit that will go down into the ground from the outlet, then go into a 90 degree fitting. According to code, the sharp edge on the conduit is still too sharp. To get around that, you need to put on a male fitting to protect the wiring. After gluing the joints together, I secured the outlet box to the building, then also placed a strap near the bottom. A great thing about conduit is the flex it has so I used my boot to push it into the building as I was securing it. The purpose of an LB is so that you can go around a tight corner in two steps rather than one, meaning you can take off the back, pull through your entire amount of Romex and then feed it back down. You can make this tight corner really easily. Step 3: Trenching to CodeOkay lets talk about material you’re going to need for going in the ground and the depth of your trench. It all correlates to one another. In my case I am using a PVC conduit but if I were to use metal conduit I can get away with (by code) only going 6 inches into the ground. I didn’t want to deal with bending or anything like that so I went with PVC conduit meaning that I have to go at least 12 inches into the ground. The minimum depth of my trench has to be 12 inches with the stipulation that a GFCI needs to be on the circuit somewhere. That is the reason I am adding an outlet. Not only is it handy to have outlets anywhere you’re going to be doing electrical work but it also means I can go the 12 inches whereas if i didn’t add a GFCI the minimum I would be required for my trench is 18 inches. Just be aware that there are stipulations on how deep you have to go with your trench depending on what you’re using. Step 4: Feeding the Power Line into the TrenchThis line coming out is my Romex that’s coming in from the breaker box but now I’ll be feeding in my direct power line which is rated to be buried directly in this trench. I’m trying to feed it in with my right hand and pull it through with my left and I’m using my boot to keep the pipe down. I fed through enough power line to go down the trench then whatever length to get me to where I would install my first outlet. Now that I have my wiring over here it’s the same song and dance. You need some sort of hole to now get you through to the inside for a LB to fit, again stubbing through to go all the way to the inside. From here, you have a straight piece of conduit and this will all be glued. Down here I’m going to have another 90 with that fitting in order to make sure that it meet code. Once you glue it up then you can feed it in. Step 5: Securing the Power Wire and Closing up the TrenchA little prebend goes a long way. Also note they make lubricant for chasing wires and it really does make it easier. Again, taking off the back of the LB to make chasing this wire up and in quick and easy. I attached another clamp to the bottom of the conduit then buttoned up the back and called this project done. Well, other than filling in the trench, which is the easy part. There. Like it never happened except it did. I hope that you enjoyed watching this project, I’ll leave you a link in the description to the many other electrical videos I’ve done incase any of those are useful for what you’re doing. Things I Used During the Power Projectvia Wilker Do's https://wilkerdos.com/how-to-run-power-to-a-shed-in-4-quick-easy-steps/
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This thing is so cool! It’s a great hide-away bar, but also perfect for storage around the house. Let me show you how I made it. Table of ContentsLet’s Build a Liquor Cabinet![]() I’ve created a set of liquor cabinet build plans to help you get through the process of building this liquor cabinet. Materials I Used to Build the Liquor Cabinet
Step 1: Preparing to Make the Moving Portion of the Liquor CabinetI made a set of liquor cabinet build plans with a cut list for the liquor cabinet build so I started by cutting the parts needed and milling them to their final dimensions. I labeled all my parts as I made them with a piece of tape so I could pull whichever part was needed as I was moving through the steps. I’m going to start the assembly by making the shelf portion that will raise and lower with the bottles on it. I grabbed the four solid wood parts needed for the body of this shelf and laid them out. Paying attention to which areas would be seen in the final product and being intentional about the direction it faces. For joinery on almost this entire build I’m using a simple doweling jig that Rockler makes. After lining up joining boards and drawing pencil marks across the seam, the jig can be clamped into place so that I can drill a hole to the depth needed. You based the depth of the hole off the length of dowels you’re using. There is a collar on the bit that allows you to adjust the depth easily. This jig works well for boards that are flush with an end but it doesn’t work for boards spaced off the end. For those I used a home made jig and a second collar to make sure I don’t go all the way through the material. You could always do these free hand if you don’t feel like whipping together a jig. ![]() Step 2: Assembling the Moving ShelfWith the holes drilled, now I can assemble it. Remember that you only have a few mins, around 3-5, to get things set in clamps. So I have everything ready; the dowels, a mallet, clamps, and all the parts. When using dowels I always place a small amount of glue in the hole then tap in the dowel. Make sure to not over hit it and distort it’s shape. Then I place glue in the mating part before setting it on the dowel. If you move things to the ground like me, make sure to lay something down for it to rest on to not mar the surface. Once things were seated all the way, I set a few clamps on it until the glue was dry. Checking for square before walking away from it. ![]() Step 3: Setting the Back of the Shelf in PlaceWhile it sets up, I start drilling in the pocket holes for the plywood panel that will be the back of the shelf. Again, I looked at both sides before drilling any so that I could choose which side would be the final seen face of the final product. I don’t worry about using pocket holes here because it will never been seen. After drilling them all around the perimeter, I set it in place and use screws to attach it. Then before calling this shelf finished, I add in one more piece of wood. This will later be what rests on the lift so I not only screwed it in place but also used glue. And that is the first big assembly of the build done. I set it aside and started working on the liquor cabinet body. ![]() Step 4: Assembling the Liquor Cabinet LegsI grabbed what will be the legs and cut in a small taper at the base to create a foot. I like to place an X on the two sides before making any cuts just to make sure my backwards brain doesn’t mix things up. Then I use the Rockler Tapering Jig which easily allows me to chop away the material not needed on two sides. Ok, that’s the only part that needs something special before building the side assembly, so I grabbed my other parts and started assembling. Glue Notes:I always do a dry fit before applying glue. When I do apply glue, I do just a dab. To save on time in the end I actually sand all my parts before assembling them so I do my best to prevent glue squeeze out. A bottle is great for accurately getting glue into the holes but I use a chip brush to get glue on the edges. I also like to have a rubber mallet around to switch over to when things need more force to seat all the way. If you only have a wooden one, use a scrap piece of wood on your board to prevent it from getting marred. Last thing to think about: you can drastically simplify this project by using pocket holes as the joinery method instead of dowels. After I made the first, I repeated by making a second side the same way, then also put together the assembly that the lift will later rest on. ![]() Step 5: Joining the Sides of the ShelfOnce dry, I continued building the liquor cabinet body of the cabinet by joining the sides. It is very easy to get things mixed up (it’s a lot of square parts), after I did a dry fit I set out all the parts in their given position and orientation. This way as soon as I started applying the glue I could just run through it. The first step is pretty easy, applying glue inside each dowel location then tapping in the dowels. The second step is also pretty easy, apply a little glue to the ends of each part and tap it into place. The third step is tricky. There are 14 dowels to get aligned all at the same time and this needs to happen quickly before the glue starts drying. Honestly, it went pretty dang smooth. It’s always a good feeling when things seem to be working. I turned it sideways, complimented it, but then set it in clamps for a few hours to dry. ![]() Step 6: Preparing the Panels for the Other Sections of the Liquor CabinetWhile the body is drying, you can stay busy by cutting all the plywood panels that will go in the different sections. I have all of these on the cut list in my liquor cabinet plans but I cut all of them oversized to start so that I could wait until the body was done and get an exact measurement on what each one needed to be. I again considered the final look I wanted on each panel so I could cut it just so. To secure these in place, I drilled a few pocket holes on the inside face. Something I do when going into hardwood like the legs here is predrill through the pocket hole to prevent splitting once I run in the screw. It adds time, but nobody wants to split a component at this point. ![]() Step 7: Installing the Center PanelAfter getting both side panels in, I repeated with the center panel. This one is slightly tricky because there is no lip for it to rest on. So I grabbed some scrap wood that was the correct height so that I could set the big panel in place while I secured it around the perimeter. I flipped the unit over in order to have better access to the underside to secure the next two panels in place. Clamping Tip: Clamp a scrap board to the underside of the rails so you do have a flush surface to rest the panel on while securing it.For the middle shelf, not only is it a slight puzzle to get in…first the shelf, then the clamp can go on, but then I also had to switch to a right angle attachment because of the tight squeeze….but hey! It all worked in the end. Alrighty, lets flip this liquor cabinet back over and see the progress. My gosh this thing is heavy. Hickory isn’t messing around! ![]() Step 8: Splitting the Top Cubby and Prepping Door HardwareUp top I put in a few boards that will later give me a surface to attach some door hardware, then I also split the top cubby into two by adding in a center divider. With that in, it’s time for me to work on adding in the rising/lower shelf portion of this build. I moved back to the shelf assembly I started this build off with and first added in some threaded inserts into the back panel. I did this by counterboring some holes the size of the inserts, then using an Allen to screw them in until flush. The placement of these inserts go with my exact lift, which is a unit made by Progressive Automations. It’s actually marketed as a tv lift so if you wanted to sub this liquor shelf for a TV, you can easily use the plans for a completely different function. The lift is easily secured down into the support members of the body, then I placed the final back panel in so that I could go to the inside and trace the hole locations with a pencil. After punching through with a drill bit, I could set it back in place then secure it to the lift with bolts. Then go around the boarder and screw in all the pocket holes, making sure the panel was flush. ![]() Step 9: Testing and Adjusting the Moving PiecesThis is the first moving part to test out to make sure things look like they are working and I was very impressed with how quiet it is. What I did was extend the lift all the way up right now, I’ll set the limit later. This way I could grab the shelf and set it on top, using that lip I created earlier, to rest it in place while I secured it with bolts through the threaded inserts I place in the shelf. Then I did the second moving test, which was muuuch more suspenseful. Haha, did I do everything correctly for this shelf to fit inside the body? Lets see. That front corner rubs slightly but that’s an easy fix. Let me show you the unit from the front as this is where it gets even more exciting. With the body and the shelf working well together, now I need to add on the top but in order for the back to raise and lower independently, I need to have two sections for a top. I start by being selective on wood and grain to come out with the look I will love for the top pieces, and cut it down to size at the table saw. This front section will be fixed in placed, however this back section will be floating and have a small space between the two. ![]() Step 10: Fixing the Front of the Liquor CabinetLets work on fixing the front of the liquor cabinet first. I put an even reveal on all three sides so I used a combination square to make sure it was uniformed, you can see I used a clamp to pin that corner once it was good while I work on adjusting the other side but then I could pin it in place from the underside with pocket holes I drilled in the stretchers before building the frame of the body. Once that was fixed, I worked on the floating one. This was an experiment, wasn’t sure if it would actually work. What I did was set a collar on a drill bit then counterbore into the body. Here the depth doesn’t really matter, but straightness does. Next, I thread in some screws. I picked screws that had a decent amount of threads but then an unthreaded portion near the top so that after I threaded in the body, I could lop the heads off. I used a grinder for this. My intention is to create four pins sticking out of the body. I transferred these pin locations to the underside of the floating top section and counterbored more holes. These are just slightly larger than the pins I just placed. The goal is to be able to set the top in place and it not struggle to go on. That’s success one, but success two will be if it goes down without interfering with the fixed front, lets push buttons. All the successes! Everything works and it feels great. This lift is not only quiet but it’s so stable and smooth on the launch and the landing in both directions. I do have a 5% discount code on the lift columns if you’re needing a lift for an upcoming project. I set the upper limit so that the bottom of the shelf will land flush to the top of the top. ![]() Step 11: Mounting the Liquor Cabinet DoorsI was so happy with how the project worked at this point but I had one more big section to tackle before I was in the clear and that my friends is mounting the doors. When planning this liquor cabinet project, I wanted a piece of wood that had a ton of contrast, character and visual BAM for these drawer fronts. As you can see, I found the board for me. I waited until this point to cut them so they would be exact to my openings and so I could make it have continuous grain from left to right. I started by using the Rockler jig again to put a few dowels in that center partition so that I could glue on the portion of solid wood that would cover up the edge. Next I could start attaching the hardware. The right cubby will be a drop down door so I placed two non mortise hinges on the bottom and a catch on the left. ![]() Step 12: Opening the Drawers with a PushFor the catch! I installed something I think is super cool. It’s two parts, here is the body, then here is ball that fits into it’s jaws. When pressed, the jaws close around it. When pressed again, the jaws release it…I took that and turned it horizontal and installed it on the underside of the drawer opening. The tricky part here is getting the depth correct so the door comes out flush to the reveal you’re aiming for. Which in my case is flush to the center partition. I’m dyslexic so any time I get math correct on the first go, I’m super proud and want everybody to see. I love this mechanism because it means I don’t need to clutter the front with a drawer pull, just a simple push of a finger will open or close the door. I could have done another drop door on the left however for fun, lets change it to two swing doors. These hinges are mounted on the sides instead of the bottom, then more math to get the hungry hippo openings mounted properly. Ah. I showed you when I won math, so I’ll show you when I lose. No problem, the hardware is very simple to adjust. Since the left was correct I used a combination square to get the right one set to the same depth. Now lets try that again. That’s more like it! ![]() Step 13: Finishing Touches! Coating the Liquor Cabinet with Wood FinishWhew, how incredibly satisfying guys! I’ve had this idea for about two years now but I can add things to my list way faster than I can build them, so to see this cabinet complete and working so fabulously, I was on cloud nine. Remember I have a set of plans with all my dimensions, a cut list and even a material shopping list if you’d like to build your own. Alright, the liquor cabinet build is complete at this point so lastly lets wrap this up with a coat of finish to make it pop and protect it. I am going with one of my favorites which is Gleam by Total Boat. I’m going to go with a three part mash up, where I first apply a coat of Gleams wood sealer. This layer fills the grain, seals wood fibers, and levels the surface to make for an ultra smooth finish. After I let that dry for two hours, I move on to step two which is Gleam 2.0. I actually want a satin finish as my final look but if you want either a satin or matte final you need to use a Gloss to build up a few layers first. So I laid down three coats of the gloss, waiting an hour in between coats. This stuff dries very fast and evenly so it’s easy to knock out multiple coats in a single day. Once I got to coat four, I switched over to the Satin. If you’re curious, if you use matte or satin to build up the layers then it can sometimes create a cloudiness. So always use gloss for the build up then use whatever sheen you want as your top layer. Liquor Cabinet Build Conclusion![]() When the finish was dry, I moved the liquor cabinet into the house and put everything back together. And wow! What a difference! The table I had here before, was actually one of the first things I ever built but my biggest complaint is I think having all the exposed bottles and mixers on top is just messy looking. I much prefer the prohibition style where it’s sneaky and hidden until you want it exposed. The Progressive lift comes with a remote on a wire that I velcro to the right side so it’s hidden. With a simple push of a button, the bottles can be raised up. As you can see the lift is so smooth and stable that there is no problem with things moving around and getting broken. I can even place nit nacks on top. In the cubbies I have storage for mixers, accessories, glasses, or even a nice decanter. I love the opening and closing hardware of these doors. Very fun. I really hope you enjoyed this liquor cabinet build. Don’t forget I have a set of plans, not only for this project but for many others, over on my website. I’ll see you on whatever I’m tackling next. Things I Used in This Liquor Cabinet Project:
via Wilker Do's https://wilkerdos.com/how-to-build-an-adjustable-liquor-cabinet-in-14-steps/ Table of ContentsLet’s Build a Laundry Drawer!![]() Materials I Used to Build the Laundry Drawer
Step 1: Cutting Pieces for the DrawerIt takes 7 parts to make the body. So not many. If you would like a set laundry drawer plans with dimensions then I have that available, it also comes with a CNC cut file if you have a CNC. I personally painted my cabinets so I just used whatever 3/4” sheet material I had scraps of which is MDF in this case. I start by laying the side pieces on their back and attaching what will be the bottom. When joining things together, it will be the same process on everything, I used DAPs weldwood wood glue then predrill and run in a screw ![]() Step 2: Preparing the Toe Kick Plate and Attaching Laundry Drawer SidesThis ledge here will be where the toe kick plate goes in, which is this board here. I’m using it as a spacer to make sure the bottom is attached square. After using it to align the board from the inside, I also used it as a spacer to guide me on where to pre drill and run in a screw. Double checking that it worked; it did, so I continue attaching. I used this trick again when I needed to run in the center hole. As long as the board is flush to the front, it will indicate where the 3/4 material starts for the pre drill hole. After attaching the first side, I attached the second side the same way. However since the toe kick now can’t fit inside to check for square, I just used a tape. I measured the top, then made sure the bottom matched before driving in my screws to attach it. ![]() Step 3: Attaching the Toe Kick PlateNext is to attach the toe kick, which should line up perfectly flush to both of the side pieces and the front and the back. Same with the back board that will make up the back of the platform once this cabinet is stood up right. Perfect, that is the bottom done so now lets flip this around, but still leave it on it’s back, and start working on the top boards. This board here will join the sides out on the back edge while also giving me a place to screw it into the wall later on when installing it in the space. When joining something flush like this, I like to move my work piece to the edge of my workbench if possible. This way my drill has room to go in straight instead of at an angle where I could blow out a screw. ![]() Step 4: Attaching the Last BoardThe last piece to attach here is a similar board as the last but this one joins the front edge of the sides. Since I can’t use my workbench to rest it against, what I like to do is use a clamp to act as a third hand. These squeeze clamps are great to hold them in the general area while I get one side at a time perfectly placed and attached. This board will give me something to screw up into a countertop later when it gets installed. ![]() Step 5: Adding the Back to the Laundry DrawerOk, with that attached, now let me spin this around, tilt it up, and just like that we have a cabinet. Oh, I forgot the back. Hold on, that’s a quick add. Lets just lay this thing back down, but this time laying it on it’s face. I made the back from 1/4” mdf as it doesn’t need to be super thick. 1/4” material will do a great job at holding it square and keeping it from racking. You’ll see that my back is in two pieces. That’s because I’m using scraps and don’t care about the back, which will be on the inside and never seen, has a seem. If it does bother you though, you can always make it from one solid piece Alrighty, and now that’s a completed body. So for now, lets just slide this on over to make room for me to bring in the parts to build out the inside drawer that will hold the hampers. ![]() Step 6: Securing the Fit and Attaching the SidesAll of these parts are also included on the plans and cutlist but I grab for what will be the bottom first. I personally always like to make sure it fits within the body before attaching things just because I have been known to grab the wrong part before but once I made sure it fit, I attached the two sides which look like wings. These have dados cut into them for the bottom to slip right into. This bottom will be locked in once the front and back are attached, but I went ahead and threw in a few screws. I went to the back and attached the specialty designed back. These slots and these predrilled through holes are needed for the under mount drawer slides that I’ll be using. If you use my exact dimensions then you can not only use the exact hampers that fit in this laundry drawer but also the exact drawer slides. However, know that if you want to change dimensions then you’ll probably have to get different drawer slides and change the design of this back part. Another option is to change the dimensions to what you want, but then use side mount drawer slides and not worry about the under mount ones. Lots of options. ![]() Step 7: Completing the Front AssemblyGoing to the front of this assembly, I attach the large front panel. This might seem big and boring right now but you’ll see why the scale is needed. For now, let me go ahead and put it inside the body to make sure it all looks good……annnnd it does. It’s as simple as that, now everything here on out are finishing details. ![]() Step 8: Making the Laundry Drawer Slide!I could attach the under mount drawer slides to the bottom side of the cabinet. Looks like this here. Then go to the inside of the cabinet and attach the rails with screws. To connect the two, I could carry the inside portion over to the body, set it on the rails, then push it in until the two components clicked together. It’s so satisfying. Then since I’m making mine look like two doors and a top drawer, I crawled inside and attached these pieces to the outside by screwing them in on the inside while Jacob held them to the correcting spacing. ![]() Conclusion: The Finished ProductIt’s kinda hard to get a good angle of this cabinet because the space is really tight but without the counter top in place you can see how it works. Two hampers fit perfectly on the drawer so that you can pull it out and toss in your clothes, then hide them away again by pushing it in. Soft closed of course. Even with the countertop on, I have plenty of room to take the hampers in and out or simply toss in clothes then reshut it. I love how it looks like three components. Where as the unit on the left really is a top drawer and two doors on the bottom. I have a four part series of videos where I cover how to properly paint MDF, how to build custom cabinets, how to upgrade store bought cabinets, and also how to build a countertop from scrap 2x4s! So basically if you want to see how I built out the entire room you’re looking at, then check the links in the description. If you can imagine it, you can build it and I hope I’m an inspiration or guide to help you get started. I’ll see you on my next project. ![]() Additional Things I Used to Build This Laundry Drawer
via Wilker Do's https://wilkerdos.com/how-to-build-a-laundry-drawer-in-10-easy-steps/ In this video I’m going to show you how I built this shelf. It might look simple, but it was actually full of little tricky things to figure out. But! It was worth it, as I had this very generic store bought shelf in my home before, and was finally able to replace it with something I’ve made instead. Table of ContentsLet’s Build a Modern Wall Shelf!![]() Materials I Used to Build this Modern Wall Shelf
Step 1: Cutting the Wood for the Modern Wall ShelfI had walnut and maple in my shop already so I made mine from that. I started by cutting to length all the parts to make up the center hexagon that’s made from walnut. I cut all these boards just slightly longer than really needed. So that in the next step, when I cut in all the angles, I could have some wiggle room to get them all perfect. I first cut in the miter cut on one end of each board needed. Then when cutting the second side, I set up a stop block so I could make sure they all turned out the same. You can test the accuracy by placing them back to back to each other. ![]() Step 2: Fit Test for the Hexagon Part of the ShelfNext I did a test fit just to make sure things were looking correct. They were, so next I prepped to start applying glue. When doing miters it’s a good trick to lay down a piece of tape on the inside face first because there will be glue squeeze out and the inside face is always a little time consuming to clean up but a piece of tape lining the miter, solves that. Another tape trick to help with gluing up miters is to lay out a length of tape long enough for all the pieces. My arms are just barley long enough, and I actually laid down two because of the depth of my pieces. This is so I can lay all my parts, perfectly end to end, on top of the tape. Then I apply the glue. I’m not going overboard on the glue, I’m just making sure the entire face of each miter is covered. Now I can start on one end, and roll things together. Using that tape to help each each miter in it’s place as I make the roll. The tape can also act as a clamp, giving me a way to hold the hexagon together as the glue has time to set up. However, since I have a 23 gauge nailer, I went ahead and shot a few pin nails into each joint so I wouldn’t have to wait for the glue to dry. If you don’t have a pin nailer, then give it an hour before removing the tape. ![]() Step 3: Cutting the Straight ShelvesThere’s actually two more walnut pieces to this unit but they are just straight shelves with no explanations needed so lets move on to the maple triangles that accompany the walnut hex. These can absolutely be cut the same way as the walnut mitered pieces at the miter saw however I wanted to show you a different method that is typically more accurate and that is with a sled at the table saw. If you have a table saw then I do recommend doing all the pieces this way. What I did was tilt the blade of my saw then use a sled to move my piece through the blade to cut one end on all the pieces. Then I set up a stop block to cut all the board’s second end, also cutting the board to length with this cut. Any time you’re making a geometric shape like these, the final product will look the best if all the pieces are as identical as possible which is where using a more accurate tool will pay off but know that it can still be made regardless on which tool you have. ![]() Step 4: Piecing the Triangle Shelves TogetherUnlike the hex, the triangle will actually have an exposed miter cut on all three sides so I did a dry fit to first align things…..there we are. This way I could make sure I was applying glue to the correct portion of the board. The roll up tape trick doesn’t work on a connection like this so instead I threw in a few pin nails on each side. However, if you don’t have a pin nailer remember that tape is a great clamp while glue sets up! Since my design has two triangles, I repeated the process to make a second. ![]() Step 5: Joining the Hex and TrianglesNow, the tricky part folks. Joining things together. In the end product, these triangles will slip right over the horizontal portion of the hexagon shelf. I would actually prefer to make these cuts at the table saw but the blade on it will only go to 3” and I needed 4”. So instead I used the miter saw. After making all my marks indicating where the cuts needed to be, I set the depth on my miter saw so it could go 4” deep. I cut the outline lines of my marks, actually going slightly inside them because you can always take away more but it’s hard to put back. My intention was to take away the remaining inside one cut at a time, but the first cut was enough to break it out of there. With that done, I just had to get the bottom flat which I did by lowering the saw to it’s full depth of 4” then slowly moving my board left and right until the blade hit the side walls of my cut. I kept my shelf piece handy so I could test fit things and make adjustments. It was too small to start, so I took a little bit more away until the shelf could easily slip into place. The thing I like about the miter saw for the triangles is I was able to cut both slots at the same time but on the shelf I took a different approach to show you an alternative method should you want to build these For the shelf I used the bandsaw. The thing with the bandsaw is the deck will tilt but only one way, and I’m going to show you that cut first even though I made it second in real life. This cut is easy, tilt the deck, line up the blade, make both outside cuts first, then chop away the inners until you have a nice rectangle hole. To get a flat bottom, I like to get close to the line with my straight cuts, but then, just like what I did at the miter saw, I move the piece slowly left and right going across the blade to level things out. ![]() Step 6: Making the Second Cut on theFor the second cut, which is opposite of the first, you can’t move the table down so instead I moved the part up by way of a jig. This jig is a scrap of wood that is cut to the proper angle, that is secured to the miter gauge of the bandsaw, then another scrap is attached to the top to give me a fence to hold my part flush up against. This will allow me to hold my part in place and move it into the blade at a 90 but it actually be cutting in at the angle needed to slip right on the other parts. ![]() Step 7: Finishing touches! Staining the Modern Wall ShelfLets see if it worked. On this part I was being very careful because those outside pieces will be fragile and break off if I forced it down too much. So I took my time to wiggle it on nice and square. That was the last complicated bit, now it was just down to finishing. For a hanging method, I attached some simple store bought brackets to the top walnut horizontal shelf. Since everything is attached, it’s the only thing that’s needed. Then I put on a coat of finish. Something I’ve taken to doing is applying some shielding lotion to my hand prior to finishing. This lotion is called Gloves in a Bottle and bonds with the top layer of your skin to prevent things like stains, paint, or any other finishes from penetrating that first layer. It’s such simple protection if you keep a pump bottle in your shop like I do. Oh and don’t worry, it doesn’t leave your hands greesy. After letting the coat of finish dry, the only thing left to do was remove the old boring shelf and install my new custom one. I know it’s a little unconventional but there are enough flat surfaces to hold the items I like to store over here, which include a speaker, glasses, clutches, and keys. I only placed hooks on one side to keep the light switch in the area, clear. ![]() Modern Wall Shelf ConclusionWe did it! You’ve built a modern wall shelf to help spice up your living space. I love how much stuff you can put on these. If you liked this project, check out my website where I have a ton of building plans to help you with another project. Things I Used to Build this Modern Wall Shelfvia Wilker Do's https://wilkerdos.com/modern-wall-shelf-in-7-surprisingly-easy-steps/ |
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April 2023
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