This post will be a little more constructive than the last two, answering more detailed questions about the entire building process.
Tools you should pick up that are common in any home shop:
-T-square (helps to make straight lines when marking wood
A t-square will help you (with the trueness of the board) to line up your marks when measuring on wood. It looks like an L, and they come in multiple sizes. Ask at your hardware store- they know what they are, and if they don't, shouldn't be working there.
-Pencils
Since my family always uses pens, we are very short on pencils. Pencils allow you to erase light marks you make on wood. Never drag a pencil across the board roughly, but lightly.
-Rubber Eraser
Used to clean up light pencil marks.
-Toolbox
Handy to keep all sorts of tools, screws and bits in. Keeps clutter down.
-Handheld Power Drill
Essential tool for putting together these shelves. You will want a nice handheld one, and if you don't have one in your home, I dare say, you are an idiot.
-Drill Bit Set
You can get a basic drill bit set with your handheld drill for a nominal fee. Get various sizes, but don't go overboard on nonstandard sizes.
-Safety glasses
No exceptions.
Stuff that is awesome, but not required:
-Dremel
A handheld tool that makes precision cuts, grinds, sands, and much much more. An extremely versatile rotary tool.
-Drill Press
Drill presses are machines that drill holes precisely when you line them up. They are fairly complex in design but easy to use. They make dremel stands to convert to a press, or you can buy a small one at... your hardware store.
-Miter Saw
A miter saw cuts wood vertically (a normal cut), and is also able to do miter cuts, which are cuts at angles. Without training, I do not recommend using one, and always reading the instructions and taking safety precautions, including blade maintenance.
-Table Saw
A saw that can cut wood vertically and horizontally (nicknamed "ripping". This is a fairly dangerous procedure and someone not trained on a table saw should not use one. Always raise the blade height (I think it was 1/4 inch?) above the material, and always, always use a kickback stand. Small ones can be purchased for $100-$200 at... your local hardware store.
-Scroll Saw
A scroll saw has a blade that jigs up and down to make intricate cuts. I don't recommend one for this stuff, but they are nice to have and easy to maintain.
-Band Saw
For slicing bacon!
-Planer
If you have a planer... you have a lot of money. Planers cut thickness from the wood at several increments. Handheld planers are also available.
-Vice
If you are doing anything like planing or sanding, a vice is always helpful.
Why did you tailor your dimensions?
So that the stuff fits in my room, holds my stuff, and looks good. You will need to do some math in order to build what you want, and it involves fractions. In my case, I have roughly 40 inches between a heat vent (a register) and my desk. I want my shelf to go under the windowsill there in my room. The entire shelf can then be no longer than 40 inches.
With a measuring tape, I stuck the roll part on the ground and brought up the end. Since the tape itself is three inches past a particular point, count it as three inches. I found that if I raised the shelf to a maximum height of 23 inches, it would be flush with my windowsill (utoh... cats may wanna lay down to look outside...)
Because my hardware store has stock board sizes, I really have no control over the depth of the shelf. All of my games clear those tolerances. For the back side, you can have plywood cut, or go to a fabric store and have them cut you out fabric that is the total area of the shelf. Trim as necessary and nail/staple it to the back for a cheap man's solution. It looks nice and the design possibilities are endless.
How did you design the shelves themselves?
Everything but the frame? I measured the cartridges and cases I wanted to put in the shelf, and figured out how much I could fit in 40 inches. By using the height of each case or cartridge, I can figure out how many shelves I need. I can fit all of my carts and cases with room to expand having three pockets of space (2 shelves). You can:
1) Evenly spread out the shelves
2) Custom fit the height of a game to a shelf
3) Create holes every X inches to give you more variety.
I went with #2, but the popular choice is #3. The shelves themselves are the length of the entire frame minus the thickness of all the wood, twice (accounting for each side). They sit on pegs which are called dowel rods. They are simple and can take a heavy load. The strongest shape you can use would be a sphere and then a cylinder- so dowel rods are a great way to hold the shelves. If you need them to be secure, you can drill from the outside in, or somehow permanently join the dowels and the shelves. Superglue maybe? I would then recommend Guerilla Glue. Use it SPARINGLY, it expands!!
How did you put it together?
Wood screws. They are cheap at your local hardware store and work well. You should know the rough diameter of the screws, as I drill a smaller pilot hole to cut down on friction between the wood and the screw. If you have 1/4 screws, drill a 1/8" pilot hole straight through the wood. Then drill your wood screw in STRAIGHT. I got a pack of 10 screws, and used two at each place wood joined. So far, my first shelf still stands, and the frame was sturdy at the completion of the building process. If you have two pieces of wood that add to a total thickness of 1.5 inches, you will want to go no longer than 1 1'4" wood screws. Essentially, you want the screw to go in the length of one board's thickness plus half of another's. 1.125 is 1 1/8 inch. If they don't make those, choose to go 1 1/4 (1.25 inches). Be careful and straight when screwing these things- if you drill them crooked then they can poke through the wood.
Ok, say I don't want plywood or fabric covering the back. How can I keep my games from falling out the back?
You can use small, 1/8" strips of balsa wood or other materials found at hobby stores. Glue them straight, and the games will have something to bump up against.
Any other tips?
Lining up the peg holes is the most crucial element. To make sure they are as close as possible, put one piece of wood in front of the other, on the side. When you make your marks on one piece, simply transfer the lines over to the second piece. If you know the dowel rod is 1/4", draw lines 1/4" apart to help you guide the drill. You will be much more accurate that way.
If you are going to use paint, paint with a primer to prevent the paint from seeping into the wood, as wood is a composite material and will absorb moisture. You can either roll the paint on or spray paint it. I recommend rolling it on, especially in the winter months.
-More tips to come if I remember anything off the top of my head.
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