Things You'll Need:
- 1-by-4 inch wood for shelves
- Screws
- Router
- Cordless drill
- Clamps
- 3/4-inch Plywood
- 5-by-4 inch wood
- 1-by-6 inch wood
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Step 1
Buy 1-by-6 inch wood from your local building supply store. Use your circular saw to cut them down to posts that are 4 inches wide. Measure each post to the height you want, then cut it to size with your circular saw.
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Step 2
Create a template out of quarter-inch plywood. Cut the plywood so it's the same width as the posts. Determine the center of the plywood, mark every 5 inches with a pencil, then bore a hole at each mark using a cordless drill.
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Step 3
Clamp the template to the outside of the post, and make sure the edges are square. Bore holes in the post through those bored in the template.
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Step 4
Use a router with a 3/4-inch diameter bit to make grooves that are a quarter inch deep on the inside of the post. The grooves should be 1 and 3/16-inches wide. It may take you two passes with the router to achieve this.
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Step 5
Attach a post to your workbench or sawhorses. Adjust the router's edge so that it's 3/8-inch from the edge of the post and cut both edges of the post. Do this with every post, then reset the router's guide so you can enlarge the posts' grooves.
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Step 6
Cut 5-by-4 inch wood so that it measures 1 1/2-inches with your circular saw, then measure the exact length you want and cut it to size. These pieces will be the shelf rails.
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Step 7
Measure 1 1/4 inches from the top of each shelf rail, and mark the center. Drill a 5/8-inch deep hole, then install cross dowels into the holes.
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Step 8
Use 1-by-4 inch wood for creating the shelves. Pre-drill, then install the shelving and screw them into place. Should you wish to make the shelves slatted instead of solid pieces, use a spacer that's a 1/2-inch between each slat.
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Step 9
Put the shelf rail into the post's grove, line up the holes in both, and screw them in place.
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Step 10
Build a small unit that consists of shorter shelves. Make sure this unit matches the adjacent wall's depth. Clamp then screw the two units together, and build your shelves on the other wall in the same manner as above.
