Things You'll Need:
- Two sturdy bookcases, less than 5 feet high
- Piano hinge
- 2 Smaller hinges
- Barrel bolts
- Hacksaw
- Handsaw or jigsaw
- Rectangular piece of wood slightly shorter than your shelf length
- Trim molding
- Paint, wallpaper or stain as desired
- Drill
- Screws
- Finish nails
- Small L brackets
- Casters
- Latch
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Step 1
Paint or stain the inside and outside of your bookcases, the rectangular piece of wood that will be your drop-down shelf, and your trim molding. Add wallpaper accents, additional trim or pegboard to your bookcases if desired. Use 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch plywood to make new backings for your bookcases if they do not have sturdy ones.
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Step 2
Cut a piano hinge to the height of your bookcases. Screw the hinge into place along one edge of the bookcases. The two bookcases will close with the open sides together.
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Step 3
Narrow the center bookcase shelf by approximately 1 inch. Use a small handsaw or jigsaw to cut 1 inch off the backside of the shelf. Position this shelf at a comfortable work surface height, then secure into place with L brackets. Attach the drop-down extension to this trimmed shelf using the two hinges, then screw barrel bolts into place on the underside to secure your drop-down shelf in the up position.
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Step 4
Trim the remaining shelves to your preferred depth if desired. Consider narrower shelves above the sewing machine itself or replace these shelves with alternative storage options, like a thread rack. Secure the remaining shelves into position using L-brackets.
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Step 5
Add strips of trim molding if desired across each shelf to keep your sewing items in place.
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Step 6
Secure four casters into place on the bottom of each bookshelf. Drill holes and screw a latch into place along the front edge of your bookcases.
