walnut shelves — DIY Blog

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Full video build is below, followed by detailed instructions with tools and measurements! You can subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here!

We have a gallery wall in our apartment, and my fiance wanted a set of floating shelves to put her books on. Simple and cheap project, many ways to do it, and a great final result for the average DIYer

MATERIALS
1 x 1" x 8" x 8' Whitewood
TiteBond II Wood Glue
Minwax Golden Oak
1” Brad Nails
Frog Tape
Angle Bracket Hardware (your choice!)

I built these shelves two ways, with different tools, to make it easier for the average DIYer.

Method 1
Miter Saw + Table Saw

For the project, I'm just using a 1x8 piece (8 feet long), so I measured out 11.5 inch pieces and cut them to length on my miter saw, resulting in a set of four pieces (Pic 3). I then set my table saw blade to 45° and ran each piece through the saw to give each edge a clean mitered corner.

The reason I didn't do this all on my miter saw is that it does not cut 100% straight, which is then amplified as I do miter/beveled cut.

Method 2
Circular Saw + Straight edge

If you only have a circular saw, you can carefully mark / measure out your lines, set your saw blade to 45°, and cut then rotate and repeat the cut to give you the exact same piece. Take your time, be careful with your measurements, and it will be great!

I used the "masking tape" method to glue these up. However, given that it was about 107° out that day, the tape wouldn't stick to my material, and although it kind of worked, it didn't really. So, after lining up the pieces on the tape and applying glue, I folded them up, and then used brad nails to hold them in place. If I could go back, I'd just clamp all four sides and the joints would be clean, strong, and not require any nails.

As such, I did use brad nails as it expedited my process as I had limited clamps at the time of the build.

Once it dries, you're left with a sweet looking box, like this

Next up, I sanded down the edges of the boards using an orbital sander at 80 grit followed by hand sanding at 120 - no splinters!

Last up, I stained my shelves using Minwax's Summer Oak stain - no pre-conditioner or anything. This stain in particular soaks in well, and I'm always satisfied with the result.

I'll be using the below hardware to hang my shelves. The hardware on the left is for mounting to drywall (anchor and screw), and the right is for attaching to the wall and the shelf.

Then, I did the following to hang my shelves:

Place my shelf where I thought it would look good
Mark and measure out the spaces where your holes will go, using a level to make sure things...are level
Pre drill holes based on your screw size
Lightly hammer in your anchors
Drill in and attach your angle brackets
Mark the location of where your shelves will attach to the brackets
Pre drill holes for the screws
Hang up and hand screw in the screws

And then they were hung! And I put them to use!

Thanks for reading! I hope you're inspired to go build your own. Remember, you don't need much to make it happen!

TOOLS
RYOBI 10 in. Sliding Compound Miter Saw
RYOBI Miter Saw Stand
RYOBI Table Saw
RYOBI Circular Saw
RYOBI Power Drill
RYOBI Cordless Orbital Sander (80 Grit)
12” Rafter Square
RYOBI Drill Bit Set
Level (24’)
Hammer
Hand Sanding Sponges (120 Grit)

FILM / EDIT EQUIPMENT:
Canon Rebel EOS T2i:
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens
Rode Microphone
Voice Recording
Adobe Premiere (Editorial)

LIGHTING
Studio Lighting Equipment

I would be so grateful if you could please subscribe to my new Youtube Channel for future projects. I put out videos every two weeks.

Cheers!

Zach

Thanks for checking out the full article!

Full video build is below, followed by detailed instructions with tools and measurements! You can subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here!

Now this is the second time around that I have built these shelves. The first time was for myself; this time, I was building them as a Christmas gift for my family. I've already blogged about them (see first post ever for me), but I'll go ahead and do it again as I went about building them differently.

MATERIALS
1 x 1" x 6" x 8' Whitewood
6 x Galvanized Pipe Nipple (8”L) (3/4" thick)
6 x 8" Galvanized Pipe Caps (3/4" thick)
6 x 8" Galvanized Pipe Flanges (3/4" thick)
Minwax Special Walnut
Textured Spray Paint
Matte Black Spray Paint
12 x Toggle Bolts (50lb/screw strength)
Green Interior Paint (4 parts water, 1 part paint)

I started off by measuring out the length of my pieces. I had an 8 foot piece of wood, so I planned to make 3 x 32" shelves.

Using my rafter square to measure a straight line, I free cut my pieces to length using my circular saw. This can also be done using more advanced tools (a Miter Saw, for example) or more simple hand tools (like a standard hand saw).

Next up, we sanded down the edges of the boards using an orbital sander and 60 grit paper to take down the edges significantly. You can also use a hammer to round off the edges, as well as a hand sanding block with finer grit (90-120) to smooth things out after the 60 grit.

Next, I used my hammer and a screw to bang up the edges and faces - this gives them a wear and tear look. You can do this as much or as little as you want - totally up to the look you want to achieve!

Next, we mixed up some left over interior paint with water to make a thing solution to paint on the boards. The reason we painted first before staining is that the paint will show through really well after it dries - give it a try! I then stained all sides of the board with one coat of Minwax's Special Walnut. This overall is a fantastic color to use on any DIY rustic project.

While the boards dried, I assembled and spray painted my three piece galvanized pipe wall mounts. Make sure you get all surfaces, even underneath the cap!

Once everything was dry, it was time to hang. Now, since these were a gift, I don't have images of me hanging them, but the key to hanging them is to make sure they are mounted properly. Since the width of the pipes (based on the length you cut your boards) won't fit in standard studs, I recommend using these toggle strap screws to anchor to your dry wall. There are hundreds of videos out there on how to use these.

Here are what my final hung shelves look like. The version I built this time around will look nearly identical when hung up.

This project is super easy to do and can be done with very few tools. If you want to hand these shelves, you'll need a power drill as well.

TOOLS
RYOBI Circular Saw
RYOBI Power Drill
RYOBI Cordless Orbital Sander (60 Grit)
12” Rafter Square
Level (24’)
Hammer
Hand Sanding Sponges (120 Grit)

FILM / EDIT EQUIPMENT:
Canon Rebel EOS T2i:
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens
Rode Microphone
Voice Recording
Adobe Premiere (Editorial)

Below is a picture of the final shelves that I build this time around - I think they honestly look even better than the first set I build last year. Kind of jealous I have to give them away...

Thanks for reading! I would be so grateful if you could please subscribe to my new Youtube Channel for future projects. I put out videos every two weeks.

Cheers!

Zach