Joannie, from Hambels Get Real shares how she recently made shadow box shelves to add some much needed organization to her sons room.
Cook Time 8 hourshours
Servings 1Shadow Box Shelf
Author Joannie Hambel
Cost 8-20
Equipment
1 Miter saw or chop saw
1 Table saw optional see tip in post
1 Drill/Impact Driver
1 Phillips #2 drill bit
1 Phillips #1 drill bit
1 Spirit level
1 Sander
1 Finishing supplies
1 Stud finder
1 Measuring tape
1 Pen or pencil to mark stud locations
Ingredients
1boardLength of wood, plywood or mdf. Long enough for two sides and a top and a bottom; My longest shelf was made from an 8' long board.The depth you'd like your shadow boxes to be, I used 1 x 8 (3/4" x 7 1/2")
1bottleWood glue
1rollPainters tape
1ream1 1/4" finish nails
1containerwood filler
2discsSand paper120 and 220 grit
8ouncesPaint or stain to finish your shadow boxes
1packagePicGenie12350 lb+ 2-3 hangers per shelf. Easy to find at Home Depot or Amazon.
2pieces1/8" spacer tabs. I used felt furniture rounds. Cabinet door dampeners would also work2 per shelf
Instructions
Determine What Size Shelf You Need
My 32" long shelf was cut from an 8' long board that was 7 1/2" wide. Your needs may be different, but the process is the same.
Cut your top and bottom boards the same length. You want them to be the exact length of the shelf you need.
Cut your left and right side boards. These will be the height you need minus 3/4" - this will take in to account the amount of length added when the boards are joined together.
Create Your Lap Joints
Set your router up in your router table. Place a 3/8" router bit into your router to cut 3/8" high and 3/8" deep. See tips above for extra help. Run the ends of your shadow box boards face up on the router table. Run them a few passes to make sure you have removed all the material you need to to make a proper joint. Lightly sand off any tear out on the edge of the routed profile.
Pre-finish Your Shadow Box Shelf
Prime and paint the tops and bottoms of all of your boards. Make sure you also finish the edges on the top and bottom boards of your shadow box. If you are staining, then stain and seal your boards.
Join Your Boards together
Spread glue along the flat edges of your lap joint.
Join the boards together so that the top and bottom board edges are exposed but the side edges are hidden by the top and bottom boards.
Use painter's tape to pull the joints together. I used three pieces of tape per joint.
Once you have all of your joints pulled together with tape, nail finish nails 3 per side through the tape into the lap joint being careful not to go through into the shadow box.
Let the glue cure.
Finish Shadow Boxes
While the glue dries, fill the nail holes with wood filler.
When the wood filler and glue are dry. Remove the tape and sand the filled holes smooth.
Touch up paint or stain.
Attach the PicGenie Hangers and felt pads
Using a stud finder, find the studs in your wall where the shadow box will hang.
Measure and mark on the back of your shadow box where the stud will fall.
Place your PicGenie hanger centered on the mark and screw into place using a Phillips #1 drill bit and the screws provided in the kit.
Place a felt pad on each of the bottom corners of the shadow box shelf.
Use two or three per shelf. For anything over 30" I would use three shelf hangers. Consider 4 hangers for anything 48-60".
Hang Shadow Boxes on the Wall
Using a level, place your shadow box on the wall where you would like it to hang. Once it is level, press the box against the wall so that the tabs on the PicGenie push into the wall.
Remove the shadow box and set aside.
Using the screws or nails (nails for studs, screws for drywall) install into the pilot holes created by the PicGenie tabs. The wall screws require a Phillips #2 drill bit.
Remove the tabs from the PicGenie hanger using the silver nail in the kit.