Community Brag Posts

I really liked the PB mega desk, but I didn't want to spend $1600 on it.  After seeing someone's post here (a couple years ago...) asking for plans on that desk, I decided to do it myself.  I took these two plans and made 4 base units.  They are 18" square at the top and 34" tall.  I used 2 IKEA table tops connected underneath for the top, to make a total height of 36" - counter stool height.  I constructed them a little differently than the plans, but no matter how you make them, the idea is the same.  The plan is to take them apart and make 2 desks once everyone is too old and cool to do homework/artwork together.

I have been wanting garage cabinets for a long time but couldn't afford them. When I saw these shelves I knew it would be easy to add side panels and create doors for the sections. The size is 8'x8' with the 4'x3' under the ceiling rack. I put a 2"x4" in the middle to divide each section, measured and cut doors from 5mm lauran plywood. I also cut the stiles and rails from the same material to give it interest but mainly to make it thicker to avoid warping as much as possible. I added 2"x4" to create a facing for the doors to rest on. Also used overlay hinges to simplify the hanging as much as possible. I was able to follow the design plan and the only thing I did was add a shelf at the bottom. The cleats were definitely not necessary, it's very sturdy. 

Making the doors

The first thing is to learn how to measure for cabinet doors. There are plenty of sites and YouTube videos showing how to correctly measure. If you are doing the same type of doors like I have, with no middle divider, then be sure to pay attention how to correctly measure for those instead of a single door.

The easiest way to make the doors will be getting 1/2 in sanded plywood and use a table saw to cut each door to size. Skip the shaker style trim and put the hardware on and be done. Make sure the hinges will be able to hold the weight of the door.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a table saw but I did have a router and a jig saw, and found a great video on YouTube on how to use a router to cut straight edges without a table saw. I measured out one door and used that outline to cut two identical doors. It turned out that each section was slightly a different width so I had to do two at a time. However, if you have a circular saw you can rig it to make a table saw and make a guide to rip the doors. It all depends on what tools you have available to you.  

I have a compact plunge saw and was able to cut the 3 inch strips for the shaker style with it. Honestly, that was the most tedious part and most time consuming by far. That also had to do with the fact that because the plywood is only 5mm thick I cut strips for both the front and the back to make it over 1/2 inch thick to help minimize warping and give the hinges something to grab.  

I used the miter saw to cut the stiles and rails to size and a 23 gauge nailer with 1/2 nails and glue to get them on the door. I glued and nailed the front and the back of each side at the same time because the nails are a bit longer than two pieces of plywood. I then turned it over and nailed the other side. The great thing about using a 23 gauge is that I didn't have to fill any holes because they are so small you can hardly see them at all. 

The last thing is to use your sander to ensure all of the pieces are even. I used a 60 grit and then followed it with a 220 where needed. 

If you want to avoid cutting the strips but still want to have the shaker style, Home Depot sells 1/4 thick Polystyrene flat moulding that will add vertially no weight to the door but the cost can easily add up if you have a lot of doors.

Lastly, if you are wondering why I got such thin plywood that ended up creating more work. The reason is because I wanted to save money on hardware and I didn't trust the inexpensive hinges I got off eBay would hold a heavy door for many years.

This was our first build from wood to finished product! I had done some refinishing furniture project, but never a project from raw wood like this. It was easy to do, the hardest was installing the smart lights and making sure they worked!

When we first bought our house, one of the things that appealed to me was the walk in closet off the upstairs foyer. A walk in closet in a house from the 20′s? That’s unheard of! I know I could have designed this in a way that fit more, but I switch out my shoes seasonally, and I personally wanted slanted shelves. Come on, they’re so much prettier! Shopping List 1 – sheet of 1/2″ plywood (4 x 8′ sheet) 2- Primed 1×2′s @ 8′ 1 – 1/2″ Square Wood Dowel (like this) 2- Chair Rail @ 8′ (like this) Kilz Paint Primer Behr Semi Gloss White Paint Indoor Caulk Wood Putty 2″ Screws 2″ Nails Cuts Plywood- 5 pieces at 23″ wide and 12″ deep. Cut either of the 23″ end at a 45 degree angle. Plywood- 1 piece at 23″ wide and 12″ deep 1×2′s- 10 pieces at 12″ with ends cut at 45 degree angle. Then measure 1″ down from the top of the front piece, and cut it straight across. 1×2′s- 2 pieces at 12″ 1×2′s- 1 piece at 21.5″ Wooden Square Dowel- 3pcs at 23″ Chair Rail- 6 pieces at 23″ How To Build 1. I first figured out how far apart I wanted my shelves to be. I don’t have particularly tall shoes, so I had the first shelf 17″ off the ground in the front, and then they were set approximately 12″ apart after that. I located the studs, and screwed in the 1×2′s on the walls directly into the studs. 2. I then added the wooden dowels to the tops of 3 of the shelves. I didn’t even nail these down, just used wood glue and caulk. I set the wooden dowel 2.5″ from the back of the shelf. 3. After that I dry fit the actual shelf on top of the 1×2′s. This was probably the hardest part because of course this house doesn’t have even walls. Why would anyone ever need even walls? What a silly concept. I ended up having to sand a lot of the edges to make them fit. Caulking will help fill in those gaps! I then nailed in the shelves to the 1×2′s from above. 4. I slowly worked my way up the wall. When I got to the top shelf, I knew that I wanted a flat shelf to store boxes of shoes. I also added an extra 1×2″ to the back wall just in case I really decided to stack those shoes high. I followed the same process as I did for other 1×2′s, and screwed this into the stud. Closet 1x2 All Shelves 5. Then I used the chair rail and aligned it at the bottom of the 1×2″ and nailed it to the front of the shelf. It sticks up higher than the front of the shelf, which is great for catching shoes that tend to slip down. 6. After this I, I ended up using wood putty and caulk to fill any gaps. They work miracles on wood. 7. Finally I just painted everything and viola! Budget 1 – sheet of 1/2″ plywood (4 x 8′ sheet) – $28.97 2- Primed 1×2′s @ 8′- $5.98 1 – 1/2″ Square Wood Dowel - $1.75 Chair Rail - $16.00 Kilz Paint Primer- already owned Behr Semi Gloss White Paint- already owned Indoor Caulk- already owned Wood Putty- already owned Screws- already owned Nails- already owned TOTAL: $52.70