Modular Shelf System – FineWoodworking

The unique model of this shelving unit stood within the dwelling of my childhood buddy, Max. It was designed and constructed by his father, Konrad Rieger, an architect, who acquired his coaching on the Berlin College of the Arts within the Sixties. Rieger’s Bauhaus background shines via within the clear performance of the shelf design. For my very own model, I staggered the cabinets and diversified their lengths and widths, added underbevels to lighten their visible weight, and tweaked just a few different particulars. Similar to Rieger’s originals, nevertheless, these cabinets assist rows of heavy artwork books with out sagging.

Simply scaled to suit your house, this modular system is absolutely adjustable, because of a sturdy peg system. It additionally knocks down and transports simply if it’s essential relocate it. And in contrast to many different woodworking initiatives, the entire thing will be made and put in in a weekend or two.

The undertaking comprises useful classes as effectively. You’ll get a number of follow routing mortises with a template and forming clean bevels with a hand airplane.

Be at liberty to adapt the design

The engineering is what’s most vital about this sturdy, steady system. The cabinets get through-mortises in order that they slide down over the assist posts, and thick pegs maintain the cabinets at numerous heights. The posts carry the load to the ground, and the entire meeting is saved upright by fastening two of the full-length cabinets to the wall with easy metal angle brackets, that are positioned out of view.

I sized the cabinets to go well with my house, diversified their widths to suit the books I personal, and staggered them till I discovered a glance I preferred. The broader cabinets have sufficient headroom to suit large-format books, and the smallest have 9 in. of clearance for pocket paperbacks. I positioned further peg holes above and beneath every shelf place, so I can modify the array if wanted.

However the parts are simply altered. Bought extra paperbacks than I do? Add one other slender shelf. Want an excellent deeper shelf for audio elements or large coffee-table books? Discover the widest lumber you’ll be able to. Have taller gadgets to retailer or show? Simply change the places of the shelf-peg holes.

In case you determine to make an excellent longer shelf unit, don’t neglect so as to add extra assist posts. To reduce sagging, house the posts not more than 3 ft. aside, and have the ends of the cabinets undertaking 18 in. or much less. By the best way, I used ash for the cabinets and posts, which fits their modernist look. However any hardwood will likely be nice.

Make the cabinets first

After milling the cabinets to dimension, I stacked them one on prime of the opposite of their closing orientation, including just a few spacer blocks to maintain all of them degree. That permit me mark their again edges with centerlines for the places of the posts. Later, I carried these traces throughout the highest of every shelf.

Make the mortise template

Begin by laying out a sq. mortise within the middle of a sq. piece of plywood, extending the traces to the perimeters. To kind an correct opening within the template, I clamped the plywood to the highest of my desk noticed, utilizing the rip fence to align it, and introduced the sawblade up via the workpiece. To make the plywood simpler to clamp down for these plunge cuts, make it bigger than wanted. After the mortise cuts are made, you’ll be able to trim it to a extra acceptable dimension.

You’ll want to chop previous your format traces to kind every wall of the mortise, however that gained’t have an effect on the routing later. Simply make sure to reduce on the proper aspect of the traces.

When elevating the blade for the final reduce, cease a bit of brief so the sq. within the center isn’t reduce fully free. Go away simply sufficient of a connection so it gained’t rattle round dangerously. Let the blade come to a whole cease, after which reduce away the final bit with a handsaw.

With the mortise opening completed, reduce the plywood down and screw a cleat onto one edge to reference in opposition to the again edges of the cabinets.

Utilizing the template—Now clamp the template to a shelf, centering it on one of many mortise centerlines and urgent the cleat in opposition to the shelf’s again edge. Earlier than utilizing the router, drill out some waste. This reduces the routing and gives a starter gap for the bearing-guided router bit. I bored these giant holes with an auger bit and brace, however an influence drill and Forstner bit would additionally work. Both means, clamp the workpiece to a sacrificial board to maintain the exit gap clear.

The assist posts have a 1/4-in. roundover on their corners, so to rout mortises with the identical actual form, merely use a 1/2-in.-dia. sample bit. Use a flush-cutting bit with the bearing positioned above the cutters.

Airplane the large bevels—The 7/8-in.-thick cabinets would look fairly clunky with sq. edges. To lighten their look, I routed 1/4-in. roundovers on the highest edges—echoing the roundovers on the assist posts—and reduce shallow bevels alongside their decrease edges.

You possibly can rout the lengthy bevels with a raised-panel bit, however I choose to work by hand after I can. So I laid them out in pencil and formed them with my jack airplane.

Bevel the ends of the boards first. That means, any chipout ensuing from these cross-grain cuts will likely be eliminated once you bevel the lengthy edges.

Make the assist posts

Mill the submit inventory to suit the mortises, after which take off an additional 1/16 in. with the planer. That means, they’ll slide via the sq. openings with out jamming (after their corners are rounded).

If you end up putting in the cabinets, some will have to be slid down over the tops of the posts. So crosscut the posts roughly just a few inches wanting your ceiling peak.

In case your flooring is considerably out of degree, add adjustable toes to the bottoms of the posts. In any other case they’ll stand instantly on the ground.

Earlier than rounding the submit corners to suit the shelf mortises, lay out the peg holes. Place these as proven above, or base them by yourself shelf array. I went with teams of three, spaced 2 in. on middle. Spacing the trios of holes about 8-1/2 in. aside will let the cabinets accommodate normal ebook sizes.

To drill the three/4-in.-dia. holes, I used an auger and hand brace as soon as once more. However you probably have adequate outboard house subsequent to your drill press, that machine would additionally work nice. Simply make sure to place a sacrificial board beneath the posts to forestall blowout on the again aspect.

After boring the peg holes, I routed a 1/4-in. roundover on the posts’ edges and ends. That is best to do on the router desk.

Advantageous-tune the shelf pegs

The shelf pegs must be a tiny bit undersize so they’re straightforward to insert. Don’t fear in regards to the wiggle room; as soon as the cabinets are loaded, the entire system is self-stabilizing.

I began with 3/4-in. hardwood dowels and reduce them to size on the bandsaw. To trim them for a pleasant match of their holes, I planed little sides on them. I did this by clamping my jack airplane the other way up in my vise and passing the dowels over them.

I just like the minor irregularities of the planed sides—a bit of handmade contact for the inquisitive observer. I chamfered the ends of the pegs as effectively to finish the look.

End and set up the cabinets

To complete the cabinets, posts, and pegs, I went with only a few coats of dewaxed shellac to maintain the ash as natural-looking as attainable. However you should use any end that fits you.

After the final coat of shellac, I utilized a coat of paste wax utilizing #0000 metal wool after which buffed with a clear cotton fabric.

You’ll want an additional set of arms to put in the shelf system. Begin by stacking the 4 decrease cabinets on the ground in opposition to the wall, after which slide the posts into the stacked mortises.

Now slide the topmost of these cabinets up into place, and insert pegs to carry it there. This is likely one of the cabinets that will get connected to the wall with small metallic brackets screwed into the wall studs. Place the brackets on the underside of the shelf, not too near the ends, in order that they aren’t seen from normal viewing angles. Then slide the three decrease cabinets up into place and insert their pegs.

To put in the higher cabinets, elevate them to ceiling peak and slide them down onto the posts. Choose a shelf that’s above your eyeline, and fasten a set of brackets to the highest aspect, screwing them into the wall studs as earlier than.

Your cabinets at the moment are prepared to make use of. My recommendation is to fill them up with some nice books.

Charlie Peterson is a woodworker and trainer in San Diego.