Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The shelf passes the sag check.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
About $105 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Back panel Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 36″ | 18″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Side panel Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 36″ | 17 5/16″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Shelf square (makes two triangle shelves) Cut corner to corner into two shelves. Edge-band the long edge. | 3 | 17 5/16″ | 17 5/16″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 18″, 17 5/16″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Stud finder
- Level
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Cut the shelves to shape
Cut 3 squares 17 5/16″ on a side, with the factory corners kept square. Draw a line corner to corner across each and cut along it: every square makes two triangle shelves.
Clamp a straightedge to guide the circular saw so the long edge comes out straight; it is the edge everyone sees.
- Tip Support both sides of the cut so the offcut can't drop and splinter the last inch.
- Tip Stack the shelves after cutting and look at them edge-on: any that differ get trimmed to match.
✓ The two short edges of every triangle measure 17 5/16″ and meet at a square corner (check with a speed square).
4Edge-band the front edges
Iron edge banding onto every edge that faces the room: the front edges of the panels and the front edges of every shelf. Trim and sand flush.
Set a household iron to "cotton" with the steam off and move it about 10 seconds per foot, then rub the banding down with a scrap block while it is hot.
✓ Run a fingernail along each banded edge: nothing lifts.
5Mark the shelf lines
On the inside face of the back panel (A) and the side panel (B), draw a square line across for the underside of every shelf, measured up from the bottom: 3″, 11 1/16″, 19 1/8″, 27 1/4″, 35 5/16″.
Mark a small X just above each line, on the side the shelf goes, so you never set a shelf on the wrong side of its line.
✓ Lay the two panels side by side, bottoms lined up: every line matches its partner.
6Join the two panels
Stand the side panel (B) on edge and set the back panel (A) against its back edge, outside faces flush, making a square corner. The back panel overlaps the side panel's edge.
Glue the edge, then drive 1 5/8″ screws through the back panel into the side panel's edge, 3/8″ in from the corner and every 8″. Predrill with a countersink bit.
- Tip Clamp a square scrap block inside the corner while you drive screws; it holds the panels at 90°.
✓ The two panels make a square corner top and bottom (check inside with a speed square or a factory sheet corner).
7Fit the shelves
Start with the top shelf. Run glue along the two back edges of a shelf, set it with its underside on its lines, and drive three 1 5/8″ screws through each panel into the shelf edge, predrilled.
Work down to the bottom shelf. Wipe squeeze-out with a damp rag as you go.
- Tip Lay the unit on its back on the floor to fit the shelves: gravity holds each one while you screw it.
✓ Every shelf sits on its line and is level both ways.
8Set it in the corner
Push it into the corner. Room corners are seldom exactly square: if one panel stands off a wall at the front, slip a shim behind it so it can't rock.
Walls almost always have a stud right at an inside corner, so the anti-tip strap usually has wood within a few inches of the corner.
✓ The unit doesn't rock, and a level on the top shelf reads level.
9Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.10Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.