How to Build a Model Airplane Shelf

Shelves are a great way to add storage space to a room, as they allow you to store possessions without taking up any floor space. If you are designing for a child's room, an aesthetically pleasing option is to build a model plane shelf. An ideal design for a shelf is a classic biplane, so named for the plane's design. This plane features a pair of wings connected to the body of the plane and can serve as both a practical shelf and a toy for your child..

Things You'll Need

• Wood plank, 6 inches wide, 1 inch thick
• Pencil
• Jigsaw
• Wood block, 8 inches by 3 inches by 3 inches
• Drill
• 2 wood dowels, 3 inches long, 1/2-inch diameter
• Sandpaper
• 2 wood disks, 2 inch diameter, 1/4-inch thick
• 2 wood disks, 1 inch diameter, 1/4-inch thick
• 8 wood dowels, 12 inches long, 1/2-inch diameter
• Wood glue
• Stud finder
• Mounting bracket and screws
• Screwdriver

Instructions

Preparing the Wood

1. Draw a propeller on the wood plank with pencil and cut it out with the jigsaw. The propeller should have a circle at its center one inch in diameter and two propeller blades extending from the circle in opposite directions that are three inches long each.

2. Draw a pair of wheel supports on the plank and cut them out with the jigsaw. The supports should be three inches tall, three inches wide at the top of the support, and 1/2-inch wide at the bottom of the support. The final product will look like a right triangle with its tip cut off.

3. Drill a one-inch deep hole into the center of one end of the wood block and holes through the center of the one-inch diameter disks, the circle in the center of the propeller and the bottoms of the wheel supports with a 1/2-inch bit.

4. Cut two shelves from the plank. Each shelf should be six inches wide and three feet long.

5. Drill eight holes into each shelf in two rows of four holes. One row should be 1/2 inch from the front of the shelf and the other 1/2 inch from the back of the shelf, with a hole 1/2 inch from each side of the shelf and a hole one foot from each side of the shelf in each row.

Assembling the Shelves

1. Assemble the propeller on one wood dowel by gluing a one-inch diameter disc to the dowel so that it is 1 3/4 inches from the end of the dowel, then sliding the propeller on after the first disc has dried and gluing the second disc flush with the end of the dowel. The propeller should now be held in place between the two discs with just enough space to spin. Ensure the propeller can spin around the dowel before gluing the second disc and sand the inside of the hole of the propeller if needed.

2. Glue the propeller to the wood block by inserting the other end of the dowel into the hole in the block to complete the body of the plane.

3. Screw the body of the plane to the top of the shelf, which will be the bottom shelf. The back of the body should be flush with the back of the shelf with the nose of the plane extending in front of the shelf as it is longer than the shelf.

4. Glue the wheel supports to the underside of the bottom shelf. The supports should be near the front of the shelf, with one support on either side of the center of the shelf, one inch from the center line. Be sure that the holes of the supports align or you will not be able to put your axle through the supports.

5. Glue one end of the remaining 3-inch dowel to the center of one 2-inch diameter disk and let dry. Slide the remaining end of the dowel through both wheel supports, then glue the remaining disk to the other end of dowel. You should now have a bottom shelf with wheels extending from the bottom and the body of the plane atop it.

6. Glue a dowel into each of the eight holes in the bottom shelf, so that the bottom of the dowels are flush with the bottom of the shelf and the dowels extend up above the shelf.

7. Attach the top shelf to the bottom shelf by gluing the eight dowels into the eight holes in the top shelf so the top of the dowels are flush with the top of the shelf. You should now have a complete biplane shelf.

8. Use the stud finder to locate a pair of studs on the wall you will be hanging your shelf that are less than three feet apart.

9. Attach a pair of mounting brackets on each stud, one for each level, then secure the shelves to the brackets with the mounting screws.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to paint the shelf, you can do so after preparing and before assembly. Remember the ends of your dowels will be flush with the top of your top shelf or the bottom of your bottom shelf. If their colors are different, they should be painted the same color as the shelves, not the dowels.

References

• Airplane Shelf