I’ve been worried to fill a vacant corner in my family room with a industrial shelving unit which matches the other open shelving there. So together with my father, we took a weekend afternoon to make one. A little decorative, but largely functional, this wheeled unit brings additional storage to complement the industrial-farmhouse design of our house.
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My eye is very attracted to metal metal, with its glossy silver finish, and warm wood tones. One day I would love to fill all the shelves with white dishes, because it seems I can never get enough of white. However, for now I enjoy the choice of displaying food we use regularly in glass jars.
Time: 5 hours plus drying time
Skill level: Moderate
Cost: $150 plus wood (our wood was salvaged and loose)
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Materials we used:
5 wood shelves(16) 1/2-inch galvanized pipes cut to the desired length and threaded on both ends. We purchased 10-foot pipes in Home Depot; a staffer cut them in to 18-inch bits and threaded them for free. (8) 1/2-inch galvanized floor flanges(12) 1/2-inch galvanized couplings(4) 3-inch industrial casters(32) #12 3/4-inch wood screws (to attach floor flanges)(16) #14 3/4-inch sheet metal screws (to attach wheels)Wood sealerModification: Our apparatus is 80 3/4 inches large (almost 7 ft). You might easily correct the pipe lengths or number of shelves to make a shorter unit.
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Tools:
Electric sanderCordless drillElectric drill (you can also use this instead of a cordless drill)1/8-inch drill bit (for drilling pilot holes)7/8-inch drill bitHammerCenter punchWrenchTape step
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Pick and Get the Wood Shelves
1. Pick your wood. We utilized 1-inch-thick salvaged wood which was 42 inches long and 18 1/2 inches broad for our shelves. The wood we used is actually thin strips of wood glued together, which gives it a wonderful striated look.
Suggestion: you can purchase wood in the neighborhood hardware store if retrieved wood is difficult to come by.
2. Sand and seal the wood to ensure a smooth end. I secured our shelves Monocoat, because we had some leftover from another project. However, several coats of a water-based polyurethane will work nicely too. You can purchase it at the local hardware store and follow the directions on the can.
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3. After the shelves are dry, mark the position of the floor flanges on the base shelf (photo). You may use four floor flanges on the top of the base shelf (one in each corner) and four flooring flanges on the underside of the highest shelf. We utilized a painter’s stirrer to quantify our placement. You can use a tape measure and mark with a pencil if you would like. You want the edges of the flanges to be approximately 1 inch from the borders of the wood.
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4. Mark the placement of the flanges with a pencil.
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5. Today it’s time to drill the pilot holes from the shelves. Stack the shelves along with one another (bottom shelf with flange positioning markers on the top) and clamp them together. This is so the holes you’re going to drill will line up — it’s very important!
Mark the purchase and orientation of each shelf. Maintaining them in order will assure the holes will line up.
6. Use the 1/8-inch drill bit and electrical drill to drill pilot holes through the middle of the flange placement marks. Make sure you drill through the first shelf and in the second.
Remove the first shelf, reclamp the shelves and continue drilling through the third and second cupboards. Continue this process until all the shelves have pilot holes drilled through them. This procedure allows you to use a regular-length drill bit and line the holes up.
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7. Using your pilot holes as guides, catch the 7/8-inch drill bit and drill holes through the second, fourth and third shelves just. These are the only shelves which require big holes, through which the pipes move. We utilized the same stack-clamp procedure as before.
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Build the Shelving Unit
1. Center each floor flange above the pilot holes drilled at the base shelf (four holes total). Use a center punch and hammer to make a small indentation where the screws should be put. Use a cordless drill (or electrical drill) and also the #12 3/4-inch wood screws to attach flanges to the wood shelf.
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2. Once the flooring flanges on the base plate have been screwed in place, screw four 1/2-inch galvanized pipes into the floor flanges.
3. Twist a 1/2-inch galvanized coupler to the peak of each pipe (photo). Set the following shelf on top of the couplers. Take four more plumbing and place them through the holes at the shelf, and twist them in the couplers below. Use a wrench to tighten the couplers. Once you’ve used all 16 pipes, then screw the remaining floor flanges to the tops of their plumbing.
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4. You are now prepared for the top shelf. Set it on top of the floor flanges, centering the pilot holes with the middle of the flanges. Use a cordless drill (or electrical drill) and also the #12 3/4-inch wood screws to attach flanges to the wood shelf.
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Attach the Wheels
Turn the device on its side or back. Mark the desired placement of the wheels on the base shelf. Use the #14 3/4-inch sheet metal screws to attach wheels.
Note: If you know you won’t need to move your shelving unit, then you can leave the wheels off and bottom shelf, and twist the floor flanges right into the floor.
For added stability, use L-brackets under a few shelves; attach them to the wall studs.
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Stand your apparatus vertical and enjoy the end result of your attempts!
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Here is the finished product in my kitchen.
Your turn: Please show us your industrial-cool DIY project below.