Scavenger Chic

Build an Easy Bathroom Shelf

• By Joan
• October 22, 2015
• 11 Comments

Welcome back all you diyers.  Today I have a super easy project that is put together just like a toolbox with the exception that the opening is in front instead of on top.

This project came about because I’m still using up a pile of spindles that my brother gave me.  It may look like I only used one spindle, but I actually used two. You’ll see that in just a minute, but at this rate I will never ever run out of spindles, which may be a good thing. Four of my other spindles were used to create a bench, you can find it here.

For the shelf, cut 3 equal pieces of a 1×8, 25″ in length.

This is a great time to use up any scrap wood you have laying around. If you don’t have scrap wood, you will need one piece of 1×8, 10 feet long.

From the same 1×8, cut two more pieces 17″ in length.  These will be your ends.

On the two boards that were cut to 17″, mark the center and where the bottom of the shelf will hit.  From the center of the board, measure out 1 inch on both sides and make a mark.  From that mark draw a straight line to the mark you made where the bottom of the shelf will sit.  If that didn’t make sense, look at the picture above.

Slightly round off the top corners and cut with a jigsaw.

This box isn’t nailed together just yet, but all the cuts have been made on the shelf.

For the spindle rod, I ended up using 2 spindles so that I could center the decorative part of the spindle on the shelf.  The spindle also tapers down on one side; by using two, both ends will look exactly the same.

Cut the spindles in half at the decorative part.  On one side I left the ridge, and on the other side it was cut off.  Drilled a hole and inserted a dowel in both sides for extra strength. 

Don’t throw away that extra piece of spindle, use the shaped part as a head for a junk angel.

I used wood glue to glue the dowel and the spindles,  then both ends were clamped together.

Once the glue on the spindles was dry, cut the dowel to the measurement of the outside of the shelf which should be about 26 1/2 inches.  You’ll probably have to trim a bit off of both ends to ensure that the decorative part of the dowel remains in the center.

On the end pieces of the box, use the end of the dowel to mark how big a hole has to be drilled to insert your dowel. Make sure it’s centered then drill away.

Finally, start to assemble the box.  All of the pieces should be attached with finish nails and wood glue.  Make sure you insert the dowel before attaching the last end piece.

Fill all your nail holes with wood putty.

Before painting, all the edges  and the putty filled holes were given a good sanding.

Entire shelf was given a coat of black chalk paint.

The inside of the shelf was fitted with pieces of some old beadboard trim. That too, was sanded and nailed into place.

Shelf was sanded down again to reveal some edges, then finished with a coat of dark wax.  The white beadboard got a coat of clear wax to seal in some of that old paint.

This is a great project for someone just beginning to do woodworking (or me). Straight cuts all around and super easy to paint to match your own decor.

Have a great weekend! Check back again on Monday when I’ll have another great project for you.

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