By Lish Dorset
When I was in elementary school reading The Indian in the Cupboard, I was fascinated with the bookโs cover art. I stared โ probably when I should have been reading in class โ for hours at the cupboard the figurines lived in and wondered which of my toys Iโd put in there. (My Strawberry Shortcake figurine collection made the most sense.) I started thinking of the bookโs cover art again a few weeks ago, when I realized our living room mantle was being overtaken by dozens of Lego minifigures. They needed their own cupboard, thatโs for sure. I looked at display shelves sold at hobby stores, but they didnโt have the right amount of compartments I wanted for the minifigures, like the shelf on the bookโs cover. I described the idea to my boyfriend, master craft-table builder, and we quickly found ourselves rounding up the minifigs and getting them ready for their new home. Hereโs how you can make one, too.
Finished Shelf: 20โณx30โณ. You can make yours any size, but our size holds 100 pieces. One row will be smaller than the others, to show off smaller minifigs, accessories, or favorite bricks.
Materials
Sheet of luan
2 strips of 1โณx2โณ pinewood
Strip of 1โณx1โณ pinewood you may need to rip this yourself
Wood glue
Spray paint
Tools
Circular saw
Table saw with dado blade and standard blade
Chop saw or hand saw
Clamps
Rubber mallet
Safety glasses
Tape measure
Pencil
Step 1: With the circular saw, start out by cutting 2 pieces of luan to 15โณx30โณ and 16โณx20โณ, respectively.
Step 2: Set your table saw fence to 1 1/2โณ from the blade. Cut nine 20โณ luan strips and eight 30โณ luan strips. You could do all of this with a circular saw โ it would just take longer and be less precise. Set aside.
Step 3: Next, take your 1โณx2โณ pinewood strips and cut two 20โณ pine pieces and two 30โณ pine pieces using the chop saw (or hand saw). (Youโll have some scrap wood leftover, so save that for your next project.)
Step 4: Cut one 30โณ piece of 1โณx1โณ pinewood.
Step 5: After that round of cutting, set your dado blade on the table saw to 11/16โณx3/4โณ. Notch each end of the luan and pine strips. Make an additional notch in the center of all of the 20โณ luan and pine strips. You are now done using the dado blade. Change to a standard table saw blade.
Step 6: Itโs now time to make notches in all of the pieces so that they can be joined together to form the actual shelf. Clamp all of your 20โณ luan and pine strips together. Set your table saw fence to 2โณ from the blade. Run your wood along the fence to make the cut. Test your notch with a piece of scrap luan to make sure it slides in. If not, you might need to nibble the notches a bit wider with an additional pass on the table saw. Rotate the piece and repeat the same step on this end. Once this is complete, set your blade to 4โณ and make a cut on each end. Repeat this again, moving to 6โณ and then 8โณ. After 8โณ, the cutting is complete for these strips.
Step 7: Clamp all of your 30โณ luan and pine strips together. Weโre repeating the same process as the step above, but this time in 3โณ intervals.
Step 8: When all of the wood has been cut, take your two 30โณ pine pieces and set on a flat work surface with the cuts you made facing up. These are the sides of the shelf. Add a small dot of wood glue in each joint on the pine notches, and insert one of the 20โณ luan pieces facing down.
Step 9: Move across the strips, repeating this process.
Use a rubber mallet if you have a tight fit. Let dry.
Step 9: Once the first set of joints is done drying, flip the entire piece over. Take your two 20โณ pine pieces and put wood glue on the end notches you made with the dado blade. Attach to the top and bottom of the grid.
Step 10: With your 30โณ luan pieces, repeat the same process of gluing the joints, as in step 9. Glue and insert the 30โณ piece of 1โณx1โณ pinewood into the center notches of the 20โณ luan strips.
Step 11: Clamp the entire piece and let it dry based on the wood glueโs suggested drying time.
Step 12: After the piece is done drying, youโre now ready to paint the shelf. Prime first and let it dry completely. Add 1-2 coats of spray paint and let it dry before hanging (or adding the minifigs!).
Step 13: Youโre done! Hang the shelf just like you would any picture โ add your own hooks, if you like.
About the Author:
Lish Dorset loves to craft and inspire others around her craft (including her cat Ronnie), too. Sheโs a staff writer for CRAFT and a lover of Maker Faire. A lifelong Michigan resident, Lish is a part of Handmade Detroit, a DIY gang thatโs been hosting the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, Michiganโs first indie craft fair, since 2006. While she loves all crafting mediums, she spends most of her time sewing, quilting, and finding ways to involve a glass of wine in her projects.
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