As I was drawing the plans for the X-Tower for The Design Confidential , I was also making plans to build it with some of the scraps I already had. My mom asked me to build one for her so I did for Mother’s Day! The only catch was that she had to paint it – thanks, Dad!

Anyway, like I said, most of the lumber I used were scraps. The only pieces I had to buy were a 1×6 and pine molding! Woo-hoo! The 2x2s were actually cut from a 2×4, and the shelves were constructed with leftover birch plywood and pieces ripped from a 2×6. For me, this was a very low-cost project!

Today, I’ll share how I put this shelf together. (See the actual project plans for the lumber, materials, cut list, and instructions!) The plans can be found here.

I started by cutting all of my pieces…

Then I drilled all of the pocket holes required for assembly and thoroughly sanded the pieces. I like to sand with 80 grit first, then 120, and finally 220. This method gives me the most fantastic surface for my finish!

Then, I attached the shelf edges to the shelf boards in order to attach them to the sides of the shelf…

I marked the shelf placement on the side pieces. Sometimes this helps and sometimes this doesn’t… (Ha ha!)

I used my speed-square to keep the shelves at a right angle to the sides while I attached them…

Here is the assembled shelf before I added the top and the molding.

Once I added the top and the molding, I primed the entire piece. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of that! Usually after I prime, I like to sand again with 220. My dad painted the shelf for my mom while she was away visiting my sister…

Beautiful! I LOVE this color!!

Until next time,

Happy Creating!