When wall space is at a premium and your storage needs are at an all time high, consider vertical shelving. This book tower also looks great and certainly adds a unique touch to the home. Follow this tutorial to learn how to make one for less than $20 worth of materials.
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio A 2x4 board is used to build the backbone of the bookcase. Along its length, plan and measure so that a ledge is added every 12"-16". Use a piece of chipboard as a consistent spacer, and a speed square to pencil mark where each shelf will fit. The hacksaw will be used to create dice cuts (or trench cuts) in the 2x4 spine. When you create a given cut, you remove the material in small slices, one sliver at a time, and when done correctly, each trench will be the perfect space in which to fit a shelf edge. It is important that the location of each edge is precisely marked to accommodate a 1/2" piece of MDF for the shelf to fit. If you want your shelf to be shorter than 8' (the length of the board), cut the board shorter then measure accordingly At the bottom of the spine incorporate a measurement for the 2x4 to meet and turn with a piece of 1/2" MDF for the shelf foot (shown in Step 3 photos).
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio Before cutting the notches in the spine of the bookcase, adjust the depth of the blade on your saw so it doesn't cut through the wood. Cutting halfway through the 2x4 (about 3/4”) is ideal for the column to remain structural, but the trench cut is deep enough to secure each shelf board. Test the depth of the blade against a piece of scrap wood. Practice your dice cuts at this time as well to see how easy it is to create a trench by trimming 1/8" (the width of the saw blade), sliding the board down, and backing out another 1/8", and repeating until You have created a 1/2" gap in the wood.
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio Keep the scrap board from Step 2 in position on your saw. Place your full length spine in front of her. As you use the saw to cut to the adjusted blade height, the blade will cut through the spine first, then slide back into the scrap board. Do not stop the blade or raise the saw until the blade is pushed back through the scrap wood to ensure your trenches in the spine are consistent. Use the hacksaw to slowly cut each 1/2-inch trench in the spine of the shelving as described above. It will take 4-5 cuts to create each trench between the measured pencil marks. As you get closer to the pencil marks, test a cut piece of MDF in the gap to make sure it's snug. You don't want the MDF to come loose in the trench or the shelf will sag.
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio Use the circular saw to cut the MDF into five 9" x 5" pieces for the individual shelves, and one 15" x 18" piece for the base. Keep in mind that since the base is larger, you'll be putting that piece together last. Make sure all shelves fit into the shelf spine by snapping them into place.
I painted the MDF shelves and used a semi-gloss polyurethane to cover the wooden spine. The options here are endless, so do what suits your style!
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio Place each MDF shelf in position along the spine; remember they should fit snugly into the trenches you cut, and rotate the shelf so the column is on top. Use a rubber mallet to knock the spine down on the shelves if they need a little help. Pre-drill two holes down through the 2x4 and into each shelf. Follow up by driving 2" wood screws into each hole to secure the shelf board to the spine.
If you drill at an angle, you risk drilling through the MDF. Be sure to drill directly into the boards.
From:Emily Fazio From:Emily Fazio The base of the tower will be attached to the column with four screws for added stability. Predrill all four holes:two from the back of the spine, much like the shelves were fastened, and two from below, up, and toward the spine. Align the screws so there are no collisions.
The shelf should stand up on its own fairly easily, given that the base is as wide as it is. If your plinth is exceptionally deep, you may want to consider cutting the base off, but you may find that the book tower tips back at a very slight angle on its own. In this case, as shown in the photo above, the shelf is tilted back slightly but not so much as to tilt the base. Always keeping safety in mind when children are around, consider adding a wall anchor such as a toggle bolt to secure the book tower to the drywall. When upright, the top 6"-8" of the tower will rest quite a bit against the wall, even if it's competing with the baseboard, so 8" from the top of the spine is the ideal spot to drill drill a hole and put a wall anchor in. Toggle bolts usually come with a very long screw that will extend through the 2x4 spine, and through the wall to prevent the deck from tilting in any direction if pushed or unbalanced.
From:Emily Fazio This is perfect for our children's room right now. It has a bench on one shelf, but many books that gravitate to other shelves. Larger books work well on the bottom, and everything else works well on narrower, shallower shelves. Titles are hidden inward for this reveal, but this bookcase makes it easy to organize stacks of books decoratively, even in the smallest of spaces.
