Floating Shelves
Made-to-fit shelving for a couple of spots around the house
Some Background
Sometimes I can’t wait to start a project where I get to try something new, especially if it’s something that you just know that you are going to use a lot in the future.
In this case it was a technique called Template Routing. As the name implies, you fashion template to your workpiece, usually with double-sided tape or hot-glue, and then use the edge of the template to register against a bearing in a template routing bit on your router. This makes a great edge, exactly matching the template.
So your template had better be good. I have since discovered that sometimes doing the template properly can be half the work on a project.
These floating shelves (sometimes called a blind shelf) have a 4 inch radius cut with such a template. The radius was done on these so that people would not get stabbed in the hip when walking by.
The Workout Room Shelf
These shelves are make from red oak, which is a very dense hardwood, meaning they are heavy. A special floating shelf support is used to make sure the shelf is properly supported.
The Hallway Shelf
Both these shelves have 45° bevel on the underside. It’s a pretty big bevel so a pretty big bit was used to hog it out. Multiple passes of course.
Sketchup
The shelves are 8 inches deep by 32 inches wide by 1.5 inches thick. And pretty much everything I make requires a Sketchup drawing. So here it is.
Materials
- Red Oak from Robert Bury
- General Finishes black stain and polyurethane