Workshop Wall Shelf
Finished size 36" W × 30" H × 10" D. One 4×8 sheet of 3/4" plywood.
A wall-hung shelf for the shop: 36" wide, 30" tall and 10" deep, with three shelves. A low lip on each shelf stops cans and jars from rolling off.
It hangs on a French cleat, a strip ripped at 45° into two halves. One half is screwed to the wall and the other to the shelf, so the unit lifts on and off. A spacer at the bottom keeps it plumb. The leftover plywood is enough for the tool tote.
Parts
| # | Part | Size (in) | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Side | 30 × 10 | 2 |
| 2 | Shelf | 34 1/2 × 10 | 3 |
| 3 | Front lip | 34 1/2 × 1 1/2 | 3 |
| 4 | Cleat strip | 36 × 5 | 1 |
| 5 | Bottom spacer | 36 × 3 | 1 |
All parts are 3/4" thick. Sizes are length (along the grain) × width.
Cutting diagram
Laid out on a 96" × 48" sheet with a 1/8" saw kerf, every part keeping its grain direction.
Part (number = parts list)Offcut
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Assembly
- Cut the parts following the diagram and number them.
- Rip the cleat strip lengthwise down the middle with the blade tilted to 45°. You get two cleats, each about 2 3/8" wide, with a bevel on one edge.
- Fit the bottom shelf between the sides, flush with the bottom ends, and the top shelf flush with the top ends. Glue and screw through the sides with 1 5/8" screws. Place the middle shelf with its underside 14 5/8" from the bottom end, which leaves two 13 7/8" openings.
- Glue a front lip on top of each shelf, flush with the front edge.
- Fix one cleat across the back at the top, flush with the top, with the bevel pointing down and toward the wall. It covers the back edges of both sides and of the top shelf. Spread glue on those edges, pre-drill, and drive 2" screws through the cleat: at least two into each side, and one every 6" into the top shelf (about six), starting 1" in from each side. Fix the bottom spacer across the bottom the same way.
- Screw the other cleat to the wall, bevel up and pointing toward the wall, level, into at least two studs with 3" screws.
- Lift the shelf and drop its cleat over the wall cleat.
Before you start
- The wall cleat is what holds the load. Screw it into studs, not only into drywall, and use at least two screws per stud.
- The spacer must be the same thickness as one cleat half nested with the other: 3/4". If you use different stock for the cleats, change the spacer to match, or the shelf will lean.
- Screws driven into the edge of plywood hold less than screws into its face, because they sit between the layers. The glue does much of the work on the cleat, so do not skip it, and pre-drill so the layers do not split.
- Rip bevels with a splitter or riving knife and a push stick. Never rip freehand.
- The shelves span 34 1/2". That is fine for paint and hardware; for very heavy items, add a vertical divider in the middle.