Hexagon Display Shelf
My daughter wanted some shelves in her room, but not ordinary shelves. So we decided to make some simple light duty hexagon shaped ones.
I’ve found that designing my projects in CAD saves me time during the build, so even for this simple project, I modeled it up in Fusion 360.
We wanted to make a number of shelves so I made a simple jig using my drawing. The jig is optional but helped me line the parts up when clamping. To make the jig, I printed the drawing to full scale and then applied it to a piece of plywood with spray adhesive.
I also added some wax paper to make it easier to shed the glue, but found it didn’t hold up very well and wasn’t worth the effort. Finally, some small blocks were tacked to the board inside of the inner profile of the shelf.
An angle gauge helped me set the miter saw to 60 degrees for the bevel and I clamped a stop block to make sure the cuts were a consistent length. I used 1x4 materials for this shelf. But you could adapt the plans for any width material.
I wanted the hangers hidden from view so I used my router table to route a groove in the edge of the top piece where the hanger would be. I used scrap pieces of wood to ensure it was aligned properly before making the final cut. The 5/8” bit I used didn’t leave much clearance on either side. So it needed to be carefully aligned. You could also use a smaller diameter bit, just make sure there is enough clearance for your hanger and screw head.
The shelf was glued together and placed in the jig. If you print the drawing to scale for this jig be sure to check your printer settings to make sure it isn’t being fit to the paper or the printed size will be wrong. Also make sure there is plenty of clearance between the shelf and jig blocks so they don’t prevent the shelf from clamping up tight
I used a band clamp to pull it together. Some nails helped hold it while the glue dried. This was my first time using a band clamp and it worked really well for this project. The nail holes were filled with wood filler. If it lined up well during glue up, you won’t need to do much sanding. But 220 or similar grit helps smooth it out for your finish.
Some small brads were put on the back to keep it off the table during the finishing process. I used a small roller and brush to apply interior latex paint. We picked a vividly bright blue color for her shelves.
Large picture hangers were attached with screws to make sure it was firmly attached to the shelf. A large screw was installed in the wall with a wall anchor or directly to a stud. Make sure to use a combination that will hold the shelf and whatever you put on it.
It was a simple project but the result provides the bonus of getting creative and putting them in a pattern for displays.
