How to make a floating shelf _ I Like To Make Stuff

Creating a Simple Floating Shelf: A Step-by-Step Guide

I'm Bobbitt, and I love making stuff. Today, I'm going to show you how to make a really simple floating shelf that's perfect for any room in your house. I started out by cutting one of my many pallet runners down to about 24 inches. I know it sounds like a lot, but trust me, it's not as hard as it looks.

To begin, I used a punch to knock the nails in flat. This is an important step because it helps create a smooth surface for your shelf. Next, I measured in four inches from each end and made a mark which puts them 16 inches from each other. Ideally, these marks should line up with studs in your wall. You'll want to make sure that you're measuring accurately so that your shelf is level and secure.

Now it's time to measure out the piece that you're going to use for the front of your shelf. Make sure to measure carefully because this will determine the size of your shelf. I like to start with a rough estimate, but you can always adjust as needed. Once you have your measurements, cut the wood according to your design. Remember, the width of the side pieces needs to be the same as the thickness of the top and bottom pieces.

Everything's going to sit behind the front panel, so make sure that it's smooth and even. I ran everything over the belt sander just to knock off anything loose or rough. This helps create a nice, smooth surface without sacrificing any of the rustic look you're going for. If you want a more refined finish, you can always use sandpaper or a power tool.

Attach some Brad's nails to help lock everything together and make it easier to line up the edges. One of the best things about making a floating shelf is that you don't have to be exact when lining up the edges. This gives you the freedom to experiment with different designs and layouts.

I used the same natural stain that I used for my headboard recently because I love how it brings out the contrast in the wood without changing its color. The stain also adds a nice touch of warmth to the shelf, making it perfect for any room in your house. Finally, I hit the shelf with a couple of coats of spray lacquer just to give it a satin finish.

This isn't necessary if you're not planning on using the shelf frequently or if you live in an area where the shelf won't be subject to heavy wear and tear. The spray lacquer does add a nice touch of shine, though, which can make your shelf stand out even more.

Now that we have our shelf built, it's time to attach it to the wall. Start by placing the ledger on the wall and leveling it carefully. Next, make a mark for where the holes are going to be drilled. It's essential to pre-drill these holes so that you don't damage your wall when drilling through them.

In my case, I had to deepen the holes in the wood a little bit because the anchors weren't long enough to go through the 2x4 and drywall. There are many different methods for securing shelves to the wall, but this is just one of the most common ways to do it.

To secure your shelf to the ledger, you'll want to pre-drill some holes on top of the Shelf to secure it to the ledger. Make sure that these holes are in far enough so that no matter where the shelf sets on the ledger, it can connect to the wood. Finally, set the shelf in place and run the screws down into the pre-drilled holes.

If you didn't want a rustic shelf like this one, you could finish it in any way that you wanted. This is really just a box, and with some creativity, you can make anything from a simple bookshelf to an intricate piece of furniture.

The most important thing to remember when building a floating shelf is that the ledger on the wall needs to be secure. The weight of whatever you put on the shelf will rest on this ledger, so it's crucial to make sure that it's sturdy and won't collapse under the weight. With these steps, you'll have a beautiful and functional floating shelf in no time.

Big thanks to my good friend Chuck who shot this episode. He normally works on The Drunken Woodworker channel, but I'm glad he could take some time off to help me with this project. If you've never seen his channel before, be sure to check it out. David over there does some really great woodworking projects and every week he does a wrap-up show that shows the best woodworking videos and talks about podcasts and just kind of the events that are going on in the woodworking community.

And don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram if you want to get in touch with me or check out all my other projects and free plans. I'm always happy to meet new people who share my passion for making stuff, and I love getting feedback from readers. If you'd like to support this show, please check out Patreon, which has a video that explains how it works and how the support helps me.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey I'm Bobbitt I like to make stuff today I'm going to show you how to make a really simple floating shelf I started out by cutting one of my many many extra pallet runners down to about 24 inches and then just used a punch to knock the nails in flat I measured in four inches from each end and made a mark which puts them 16 inches from each other which would ideally line up with studs we're going to measure out the piece that you're going to use for the front to the length you want and then make sure to measure a couple of pieces to go on the sides out of the same material the width of the side pieces needs to be the same as the thickness of the top and bottom pieces everything's gonna sit behind the front panel I wanted to make sure this thing was pretty smooth but not lose the kind of rough rustic look on it so I ran everything over the belt sander just to knock off anything loose anything rough but not too completely plain it down into like nice lumber start with the top or the bottom doesn't really matter and attach the size of some Brad's then you want to put on the front this helps lock it all together and it's a lot easier to line it this way one of the really fun things about doing rustic type stuff like this is that you don't have to be exact when lining edges up I used the same natural stain that I used for the headboard I did recently I really love it because it brings out the contrast in the wood but doesn't change the color then I hit it with a couple of coats of spray lacquer just a satin finish this isn't going to be handled so it really doesn't even need it but it just kind of brings out a little bit more contrast put the ledger on the wall and level it and then make a mark for where the holes are gonna be drill those holes out and if you're gonna use anchors put them in now in my case I had to deepen the holes in the wood a little bit because these anchors weren't going to be long enough to go through the 2x4 and through the drywall there's lots of different methods for securing these to the wall this is just what I happen to use now you want to pre-drill some holes on top of the Shelf to secure it to the ledger you want to make sure that they're in far enough so that no matter where the shelf sets on the ledger it can connect to the wood set it in place run the screws down in and you're good now if you didn't want a rustic shelf you could finish it in any way that you wanted to you could use any type of wood that you wanted to it's really just a box pretty easy the big thing to remember is that the ledger that's on the wall needs to be really really secure because that's gonna carry any kind of weight that you put on the Shelf the shelf itself doesn't really carry much weight big thanks to my good friend Chuck who shot this episode chuck is in town visiting he normally works on the drunken woodworker if you've never seen the drunken woodworkers channel be sure to check it out David over there does some really great woodworking projects and every week he does a wrap-up show that show shows the best woodworking videos and talks about podcasts and just kind of the events that are going on in the woodworking community and it's a really funny show David's a funny guy and does a really great job so be sure to check that out thanks so much for watching I really appreciate it and I hope you guys enjoyed this one if you want to get in touch with me let me know on Facebook be sure to check me out over there and on Instagram be sure to go to I like to make stuff calm and check out all the other projects and free plans that I have available and if you'd like to support this show please check out patreon there's video there that explains how it works and how the support helps me and I really appreciate it hope you guys have a good week I'll see you next timehey I'm Bobbitt I like to make stuff today I'm going to show you how to make a really simple floating shelf I started out by cutting one of my many many extra pallet runners down to about 24 inches and then just used a punch to knock the nails in flat I measured in four inches from each end and made a mark which puts them 16 inches from each other which would ideally line up with studs we're going to measure out the piece that you're going to use for the front to the length you want and then make sure to measure a couple of pieces to go on the sides out of the same material the width of the side pieces needs to be the same as the thickness of the top and bottom pieces everything's gonna sit behind the front panel I wanted to make sure this thing was pretty smooth but not lose the kind of rough rustic look on it so I ran everything over the belt sander just to knock off anything loose anything rough but not too completely plain it down into like nice lumber start with the top or the bottom doesn't really matter and attach the size of some Brad's then you want to put on the front this helps lock it all together and it's a lot easier to line it this way one of the really fun things about doing rustic type stuff like this is that you don't have to be exact when lining edges up I used the same natural stain that I used for the headboard I did recently I really love it because it brings out the contrast in the wood but doesn't change the color then I hit it with a couple of coats of spray lacquer just a satin finish this isn't going to be handled so it really doesn't even need it but it just kind of brings out a little bit more contrast put the ledger on the wall and level it and then make a mark for where the holes are gonna be drill those holes out and if you're gonna use anchors put them in now in my case I had to deepen the holes in the wood a little bit because these anchors weren't going to be long enough to go through the 2x4 and through the drywall there's lots of different methods for securing these to the wall this is just what I happen to use now you want to pre-drill some holes on top of the Shelf to secure it to the ledger you want to make sure that they're in far enough so that no matter where the shelf sets on the ledger it can connect to the wood set it in place run the screws down in and you're good now if you didn't want a rustic shelf you could finish it in any way that you wanted to you could use any type of wood that you wanted to it's really just a box pretty easy the big thing to remember is that the ledger that's on the wall needs to be really really secure because that's gonna carry any kind of weight that you put on the Shelf the shelf itself doesn't really carry much weight big thanks to my good friend Chuck who shot this episode chuck is in town visiting he normally works on the drunken woodworker if you've never seen the drunken woodworkers channel be sure to check it out David over there does some really great woodworking projects and every week he does a wrap-up show that show shows the best woodworking videos and talks about podcasts and just kind of the events that are going on in the woodworking community and it's a really funny show David's a funny guy and does a really great job so be sure to check that out thanks so much for watching I really appreciate it and I hope you guys enjoyed this one if you want to get in touch with me let me know on Facebook be sure to check me out over there and on Instagram be sure to go to I like to make stuff calm and check out all the other projects and free plans that I have available and if you'd like to support this show please check out patreon there's video there that explains how it works and how the support helps me and I really appreciate it hope you guys have a good week I'll see you next time\n"