How to Make a Bookshelf

Looking to tackle a basic DIY project that combines storage solutions with a love of reading?  In this installment of DIY Smarts, we’re going to show you how to make a diy kids bookshelf with some simple materials and know-how.

Here’s a rundown of the tools and materials you’ll need for the project:

• Saw horses
• Good quality 1×12 pine boards
• A fine grit sanding block
• Paintbrush
• Chalk paint
• Spindles or chair legs x 24 of 2 different sizes
• 8 bun feet for the bottom
• 8 finials for the top
• Threaded rods
• T-nuts
• Hanger bolts
• Drill
• Drillbit
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Clamps
• Tape measure
• Pencil

Below are the steps to follow in order to assemble the bookshelf:

• If not purchased to size, cut your pine boards to the length of your bookshelf
• Sand all sizes of the pine boards with the sanding block
• Apply two coats of the chalk paint with your paint brush
• Lay out your spindles and identify which size will be used for the larger spaced shelves and which for the shorter spaced shelves – 8 will be used to hold up each shelf
• Drill holes into the end of the spindles
• Hammer the T-nuts into the holes
• Screw the bolt into the T-nuts, using pliers if needed
• Clamp the boards together and measure where the spindles will be placed, marking with a pencil
• Drill the holes for the spindles through both pieces of wood clamped together
• Starting with the bottom shelf first, screw the bun feet onto the threaded rods and spindles on the upper side of the shelf
• Repeat the process with each subsequent shelf and top off the bookshelf with the finials

Voila!  You’ve just built yourself a bookshelf that’s lightweight, handsome and functional.  Way to go!