At Musgroves, we like to show people how to repurpose recycled goods. However, it can sometimes be difficult to make it a reality when you’re not sure where to even start.
As Christina Rossetti puts it, Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. In this blog post, we go through the steps on how to build a leaning bookshelf out of a solid timber panelled door.
1 Lie the door down onto some blocks around the outside, so the door is lifted a few inches off the ground.
2 Use a track saw with a plunge feature, or a circular or jigsaw to cut out the panels of the door.
3 To reach those tricky corners, use a pull saw to pull the panels completely away from the door.
4 To install the shelves, clamp the bottom one first.
5 Then place all the other panels in place, mark them for cutting, and use a table saw to make the cuts.
6 Tack the shelves into place so they don’t move for the next steps.
7 Lean the door up against a wall or some other object, just use a level to get it perfectly vertical.
8 Use a level to get the shelves positioned flat, and secure with metal brackets (adjust using pliers to lock the shelves in at level).
9 You can then use some decorative chain on the back of the door for extra shelf strength and support.
10 For final touches, use some wood stain to touch up any exposed wood.
The End! Congratulations, now show off some of your favourite books, photos and mementos.
This is just one of many possible ways to go with this style of bookshelf, but one of our favourites as it guarantees stability. For the full DIY video, Dema’s Woodshop does an episode where he talks through these steps on his YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOKEn6wrFIg.