Tall Storage Shelves

four 3/4" black melamine bookshelf sides - 1’ 5-1/4" x 7’ 5-3/4"
ten 3/4" black melamine shelves - 1’10-3/4" x 1’ 4-7/8"
four 3/4" pine boards for vertical facing - 7’ 6" x 2"
ten 3/4" pine boards for horizontal facing - 1’ 8" x 2"
two 3/8" black melamine shelf back - 7’ 2-1/8" x 1’10-3/4"
two prefabricated cabinet doors - 10" x 10-1/4"
two cabinet knobs
four cabinet door hinges
one 1/4" black melamine – 3’11-1/2" x 1’ 5-1/4"
one 3/4" pine board for connector shelf facing - 3’11" X 2"
black paint
measuring tape
router
3/4" and a 3/8" router bit
pencil
scrap wood to make a story pole
carpenter's glue
brad nailer
3/4" nails
drill
3/4" screws
paintbrush
rafter square
safety glasses

2. Lay the pole next to the melamine and mark where you want to place your dado cuts. The dado cuts will be 3/4" wide. Place the first 3/4" measurement at the top of the story pole. Use your rafter square when transferring measurements onto the story pole to make sure they are straight.

3. The next measurement will be 1’ 6-1/2" below your first dado measurement. Make sure that you mark the full 3/4" measurement for the dado cut, not just draw a line to symbolize where it should be made.

4. The next measurement will be 1’ 9" below the last, then 1’ 8-1/2" and then 1’ 10-3/4". You should have 1-3/4" left at the bottom.

5. The last measurement you want to make is where to place your straight edge clamp for the router to guide along. On your router, measure how far your bit sits in from the flat side. In our case it is 2 1/4 inches. Add these marks down your story pole so you will know where to appropriately set your flat edge to make your dado cut.

6. Line your story pole up with melamine sides and lightly mark your measurements.

8. Place the straight edge clamp to make the dado cuts where your shelves will be (figure A). Continue until you have made all the dado cuts.

9. Repeat this process with the second melamine side.

10. Now that you have your sides, it is time to make the five shelf pieces. Cut the 3/4" melamine pieces to 1’ 10-3/4" x 1’ 4-7/8" size.

12. Continue adding glue to the sides and slide in each shelf, clamping each section when it is in place.

13. Once all the shelves are in place and clamped together, it is time to add the back. Glue the backside of the shelf unit. Carefully slide the back into place beneath the clamps that are still holding the unit together (figure C). With the brad nailer, attach the backing to the shelf unit, nailing all the way around.

15. Paint the facing of the towers black along with the 10" x 10-1/4" prefabricated cabinet doors.

16. When dry, attach the door over the bottom shelf, using two cabinet hinges. Then attach cabinet knobs.

17. Follow the exact steps above to make your second shelving unit. When attaching the cabinet door, attach the hinges on the opposite side so that they mirror each other.

19. Cut a pine board for the facing at 3’ 11" x 2". Paint it black and attach when dry by gluing the front side of the center connector and nail the facing on. The facing will be short 1/4 inch on both sides, compensating for edges of the bookshelf facing.