Prices in furniture stores are constantly growing, and you need to spend significant amounts on furnishing rooms. However, if you wish, you can independently make furniture of any complexity. Thanks to this, you can save a lot. The main thing in this matter is to correctly draw up a drawing, cut parts and securely connect them to each other.
As for ordinary shelves, even a novice craftsman can assemble such a product. Most often, plywood is used for this. It is inexpensive and easy to process material. The handmade plywood shelf looks simple, stylish and concise.
During the manufacturing process, you may encounter some problems. For example, a 10 mm plywood sheet is difficult to cut due to its structure. To make even parts without chips, you need to know about some of the intricacies of the work. We will consider the features of making plywood shelves later in the article. This information will be useful to every owner.
Required Materials
Firstturn, you need to prepare the plywood itself. When buying material, you should pay attention to the thickness of the plywood. The thicker it is, the better. This indicator depends on the number of layers of veneer. It is not recommended to purchase plywood from three layers, as it is not reliable. It is better to give preference to products from 5-6 layers. Of course, such material will cost more, but in this case it is better not to save.
To make beautiful plywood shelves, you should prepare paper for the drawing and a clerical knife for cutting the paper drawing, a pencil and a tape measure. It is imperative to have a simple jigsaw for cutting plywood, or a special milling machine.
In addition, you must have:
- coil or drill;
- nails or screws;
- paint and varnish;
- brush, roller or spray gun;
- decoratives, if needed.
Preparatory work
Handmade plywood shelf is a great decoration for any room. First you need to understand for what purposes the shelf will be used, and what size it should have. The master determines what width, height and depth the product will have, as well as how it will be (wall or floor). It is important that the product fits into the overall design of the room and does not create a contrast in the interior.
The design, shape and size of the part determines what room it will be in and what task it will perform. For example, a small shelf of several elements can be used to store various small things, jewelry, figurines, kitchenspices or products.
A large product of many elements is suitable for storing books, tools, clothes, toys. The modular design is often installed in the children's room, living room, hallway. Be sure to decide for what purpose the shelf will be used - for shoes, books, products, equipment.
Drafting
It is not difficult to make a drawing for the manufacture of a part on your own, even a beginner can do it. If we are talking about a simple shelf, it is enough to determine the width and length of the elements, which are then connected with nails or screws.
Let's say you need to make a small shelf in the hallway. Such a product will consist of only 2-3 horizontal and 2 vertical elements. You can make a drawing of such a product in just a few minutes by completing a simple sketch.
In the article you can find photos of ready-made drawings. The indicated dimensions must be transferred to paper or cardboard, and then cut out with a clerical knife, original blanks for a plywood shelf. The drawings, like stencils, will then be laid on the material, you just need to cut out the elements of the future product along the lines.
Sawing tools
Cutting plywood at home can be done with the following tools:
- conventional hand saw;
- electric;
- disk;
- electric jigsaw.
It is believed that for work it is better to use an ordinary hand saw. First, you don't need to spend money onexpensive electric tool. And secondly, when working with a hand saw, the master fully controls the process, so the likelihood of chipping is minimal. The only disadvantage of a hand saw is the physical effort that must be applied to cut plywood.
Electrical Equipment
It is convenient to cut with a mobile and practical electric jigsaw. He quickly and accurately cuts, it is easy to work with him, and you do not need to lay down special efforts. However, you need to carefully monitor the cutting process, press the jigsaw to the plywood, avoiding jerky movements.
As for the electric and circular saws, they are best used for thick plywood. The tool cuts very quickly, but you need to work with such devices as carefully as possible. There is a high probability of damage to the material, the formation of chips. Yes, and the cost of such tools is much higher. Therefore, the best option for a home shelf is a mechanical jigsaw.
Some important tips
When working with a plywood sheet and cutting it, you need to remember a few rules that will allow you to safely make even bookshelves on the wall. Experts recommend taking into account the following recommendations:
- Before you start cutting, you need to check the drawing, in order to avoid an annoying mistake.
- If the master works with an electric tool, it is necessary to periodically monitor the power cord.
- Pre-equipment must beadjusted, and the saw itself must be suitable for cutting a particular type of plywood.
- When working, be sure to use protective gloves and goggles. Bringing hands close to the blade is prohibited.
- It is better not to use an electric tool if the person does not know how to use it.
- It is worth remembering that a dull saw blade is less safe than a sharp one.
Steps of work
Do-it-yourself plywood shelf is made in several stages:
- At the first stage, the parameters and purpose of the shelf are determined.
- Next, a drawing of the future product is made on paper. Details are cut out and attached to plywood with adhesive tape. The plywood shelf template is used for cutting, following its lines. If you wish, you can not cut out paper blanks, but simply transfer the drawing directly to plywood.
- When the shelf elements are ready, they need to be processed with sandpaper, if necessary, and then painted and varnished.
- When the shelf pieces are ready, they are connected with nails using a hammer or screws using an electric drill.
When sawing plywood, the edges of the products have an unattractive appearance. This problem needs to be solved somehow. This can be done using a special edge, which is used in the manufacture of cabinet furniture. On the one hand, it has a sticky layer. You just need to cut off a small piece of the edge, attach it to the edge of the workpiece and press it.
Thancan plywood be processed?
Many people wonder how to process plywood so that the finished product looks attractive and stylish. Most often, paint is used to process the material. With its help, you can give the product any shade. It is better to choose abrasion-resistant matte paint. In this case, the shelf can be washed, and it will retain its attractive appearance for a long time.
In addition, protective varnish with or without dyes can be used for processing. Additionally, it may be necessary to use a special wood putty. It is necessary to level the surface of the plywood.
How is it processed?
First, the edges of the plywood need to be cleaned with sandpaper. You can just glue the edge on them. The edges will look attractive and neat. It is allowed to completely level the product by applying a layer of putty on it. In this case, the original wood pattern will be hidden, but the shelf will become perfectly smooth.
Painting can be done with a brush, roller or spray gun. It is recommended to use a spray gun. Only he quickly and as evenly as possible will apply the paint. In addition, the device helps to save the dye. If it is not possible to use a spray gun, you can purchase a special roller. Using a brush to achieve an even distribution of paint is extremely problematic.
The do-it-yourself plywood shelf is processed according to the following instructions:
- Edges of plywood are sandedpaper, if necessary, the blanks are puttied.
- Paint is evenly applied to products. To achieve a more saturated shade, you can apply 2-3 layers of paint. In this case, each previous layer of coloring matter must dry.
- Using a brush, a protective varnish is applied to the blanks, 1-2 layers.
- After the varnish has hardened, an edge is attached to the edges of the blanks, if necessary.
Do not forget that those edges on which the edge will be fixed should not be treated with varnish.
Original shelf ideas
Now there are often unusual plywood shelves. It is difficult to find such an original product in furniture stores, most of them are handmade. Plywood can be used to make a large modular structure, which is most often installed in the living room, bookshelves on the wall, shoe racks and more.
Unusual looks in any room shelf in the form of honeycombs. To do this, several small honeycombs are made from boards of the same size. The resulting modules can be interconnected into a simple or complex structure, of any height and width.
Interesting and simple ideas
One of the simplest shelves is made using plywood and rope. To do this, produce small pieces. If necessary, they are treated with paint and varnish. Then large holes are made along the edges of the blanks for the rope. Shelf elements are connected with it. The result is an original suspended structure.
The modular bookcase also looks unusual in the interior. ForThis produces blanks of different lengths, but the same width. Only a few elements are connected to each other. The blanks are mounted on the wall, forming an interesting design. It can be a square or a polygon, a complex labyrinth, and so on.
You can make a small shelf with your own hands in just a few hours. This is a fun activity that the whole family can get involved in. First, you can make the simplest product from plywood. Gradually, honing your skills, you will be able to produce interesting and unusual modular designs not only for yourself, but also for sale.
