How to Build Heavy Duty Wood Shelves
When building your own shelving unit, you may be concerned on whether or not it can hold heavier items adequately. To ease this concern, you may wish to make shelves that are considered heavy duty. In order to make these shelves you will need the appropriate materials and tools.
What You Will Need
- Two 8-foot long two-by-twelve boards
- Eight 3-foot long two-by-twelve boards
- 11-inch plywood, 8-feet-long by 27-inches-wide
- Level
- Drill
- Screw bits
- Carpenter’s square
- Wood screws
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Use two of the 3-foot long two-by-twelve boards and the two 8-foot long two-by-twelve boards to make a frame. The longer pieces of wood will make up the sides of the shelf while the shorter boards will make up the top and bottom of the shelf. When building the shelf, the top should be even with the sides while the bottom piece should be placed 1-inch off from the bottom of the sides.
- Use the level and carpenter’s square to square the frame. Screw the frame together.
- Use the tape measure and pencil to make a mark 1-foot up from the bottom of the shelf on the interior of the shelf unit. This mark will be where the bottom of the next shelf should be located.
- Insert one of the 3-foot boards at the location of the mark. Level the shelf.
- Screw the shelf into the frame.
- Repeat steps four through seven for the rest of the shelves.
- Lay the plywood sheet over the back of the frame. Square the plywood sheet with the carpenter’s square.
- Screw the plywood sheet into the frame.