How to Build Wood Shelves
- 1). Cut two boards to the desired size for shelf supports. They can be any height, depending on how many shelves you want each to hold. They should be rectangular, and at least 1 1/2 inches thick. The thicker they are, the stronger your shelves will be.
- 2). Use a table saw with a dado head cutter to make dado cuts in the supports at regularly spaced intervals. You can make them about 16 inches apart for book shelves, or closer for smaller items. Make sure the supports line up on both shelves.
- 3). Glue the shelves in. Put a bead of glue along the ends of each shelf, and insert the shelf into the dado cut. Wrap the entire shelving unit with bungee cords to hold the shelves in place while the glue dries.
- 4). Consider adding cleats. You can reinforce the strength of your shelves by nailing small boards directly underneath each shelf. If you used shallow dado head cuts, have broad shelves, or want to store things, this might be a good idea.
- 5). Attach supports to the back. You can brace your shelves by nailing a large rectangular board to the entire back. Alternately, you can use smaller strips of wood as braces spaced about every 1 foot.