How to Make a School Locker Shelf

Many schools use locker shelves to allow students to have more organized storage space. The size of the shelves will vary depending on the size of the locker space. The shelves are easy to make but are time consuming when making enough for the entire student population. Typically students are required to pay for the shelves and the proceeds go to the shop class project budget. Read on to learn more about how to make a school locker shelf.

Things You'll Need

• 4 x 8 sheets of 1/4-inch plywood. (number depends on locker size and number of students)
• Table saw
• Table mounted radial arm saw
• Safety glasses
• Measurement of locker size

Instructions

1. Use the table saw to cut the plywood in long strips that are as wide as the lockers. You will need an assistant to hold up the end of the plywood while you feed it through the table saw blade.

2. Use the radial arm saw to cut the long strips to the height required for the lockers you are putting them in. You will need to cut two side pieces for the desired height and one piece for the desired width. The number of shelf sets is determined by the number of lockers to be shelved.

3. Mark the table saw to the width of the locker shelf and mark the radial arm saw to the height and width of each piece. This will allow you to fabricate each set faster than measuring each board.

4. Fabricate all three pieces of a locker shelf set and set aside. It is important to keep sets together so that they will fit together when installed in the locker. Continue cutting sets of three pieces until the total amount needed is reached.

5. For quality control purposes, check the size of one set per long strip for proper size. Tie each locker shelf set together with twine. Stack each set on a wheeled cart for ease of movement to the distribution location.

Tips & Warnings

• Safety glasses should be worn throughout the procedure.

• Table saw should be turned off after each cutting.

• Do not leave the table saw running and unattended.

• Be extremely careful when cutting with the table saw. It can cause serious injury when not operated correctly.

• Keep fingers away from the radial arm saw blade when feeding a wood piece through it.

• All persons involved in the cutting process should be supervised by the shop class instructor.