Room of Doom shelf project

[tom]

The first of 3 shelf projects completed:

http://videogamecollectors.com/gallery/album1-for-Tom

Next shelf project will be for video gaming cartridges.

[BocoDragon]

Looking good! You almost want to put chairs in front just so you can sit and gawk for awhile

[tholly]

nice collection...thanks for sharing the pics...

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Great!, good collection and good shelfs too, but i don´t really like too much that pale green...

Cheers!

[Flack]

Those look convenient and inexpensive! Can you share with us the dimensions, type and length of wood used, overall cost and basic instructions?

One of my interests is custom shelves. I've talked about this before, but I'd like to put together a repository of custom built shelves along with instructions and ideas for fellow gamers to consider when they run out of space!

[slip81]

Nice shelves, but ugg on the color, not a fan of that shade green.

Everything looks like it fits nice though, so that's all that matters.

[tom]

Hi!

Thanks for asking how the “shelves” were put together. I’ll do my best to explain, but, I’m not very good at this sort of thing so do please bear with me.

You need to purchase the following:
26 planks of wood 2” x 1” - 2 metres each (approx seven feet)
Screws
Wallplugs

Tools used as follows:
Drill
Screwdriver
Saw
Hammer… and elastoplasts…maybe
Tape measure


Right! Firstly, screw three planks of 2”x1” onto the wall. Horizontally. Be sure they are secure as they will hold the full weight of the shelving. (I used three screws for each plank).

Next, I made the sides - using two planks and seven pieces of wood cut to 20cm each (approx eight inches). Each piece needs four screws - two on each side.

I made three sides in total. Screw your three sides (or, however many you require) onto the horizontal planks already on the wall.

Lastly, is simply laying the remaining planks that become the actual shelf.

I used two planks to make up each shelf. I secured the front plank and left the plank behind as a loose plank to adjust - to bring forward - to lessen the gap depending on the size of the game box.

Voila!

One shelving unit created by your very own hand and with exact specifications (almost, the next shelf will be better even).

You can sandpaper the wood, paint or stain it or leave as is - which is what I did. (came treated from the DIY shop.....as in ugg-green)

The total cost came to 18 euros that is about 23 US dollars.

[Flack]

Thanks for the info Tom! Do you think those 1x2 pieces of wood would support something heavier, like CDs or DVDs?

I am thinking about making some like that but using 3 slats so that there is no "gap" in the bottom of the shelves since I have a lot of loose games.

[gum_drops]

Here is how I built my shelves step by step as best as I can remember, its been a few years now so I might of forgot something. There may be a more optimal way, this is just how I went about it.

You can buy similiar shelves (with that cheap composite wood) at bestbuy Fred meyers etc for probably the same price, but its fun to make the stuff sometimes. I dont remember the exact cost but if you use knotted wood it wont cost much, give Home Depot a call and they can price it.

Okay here we go . . . Kinda Long

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Another cost effective way to build shelves is using plain old 1x6 or 1x8 wood with a masonite backing.

You would also need access to a saw, wood glue, speed square/and or level, if you care about having things perfectly level and straight. Also a drill with bits for pre-drilling and screwing. Hammer and nail set.

I used an air nailer. The nails don't have heads so you wont even see that the boards are nailed when looking from the side unless you get up close and really look hard.

Without the nailer just use a hammer and nail set and some finish nails which have smaller heads. Once they are in, you can get some wood putty of matching color and fill in the small dents if you want.

You can even carve out a small chunk, use the hammer and nail set to put in the nail and glue the chunk back on. Although thats getting out there for just a personal game shelf.

Important: Figure out the dimensions of the shelves etc on paper before doing anything. Take into account the width of the wood and maybe add a little space so the games aren't completly jammed in.

1. Once you have your dimensions figured out, pick up some masonite. The masonite is thin but strong and flexible, good for backing. If you dont have a hand held jigsaw or similiar you will probably need to have the people at place you bought it cut ithe sheet down to size.

2.Build the sides top and bottom of the shelf. Using the tape mark where the shelves will go according to your dimensions. once marked use the speed square to make two lines per shelf so you know exactly where the board has to be. Do so on both sides of the shelf.

3. Once the frame is done, use the saw to cut the shelves trying to get them as close as possible to the right length.
The glue adds extra strength but can be a hassle if you dont have clamps or an extra pair of hands to help. If you dont use here, you will still want some for attaching the masonite.

4. Line up the first board between the lines and nail it in. 3-4 nails for a 1x6 is plenty, just space them nicely.

4b. If you do glue, it bonds fast so work quick. Have a wet rag near to wipe off excess with. If you have clamps they work well to hold the board in place while nailing, especially if using glue. Don't want the board moving around while you try to nail smearing glue around.

5.Once all the shelves are in, lay the masonite flat with the rough side facing up. Lay the finished shelf on top of it and line them up. Use a marker or capenter pencil to outline the entire shelf. Flip the masonite over, the glossy side should now be facing up, sketch the shelf again.

6. Apply glue to the side that will be againsh the masonite. Apply glue to the glossy side of the masonite between you lines you drew.

7. lay the shelf down and place the masonite on top of it. The back of the case (rough side of masonite) should be facing up. You drew lines so you know where all you boards are. Start pre-drilling and putting in screws or nails. Every 12 inches is probably plenty. If loading it down with rows and rows of CD's you might want a few more screws in the back.

8. Flip it over and whipe off any extra glue. Use sand paper, or better yet a sander if you have one and soften all those rough edges down. Finally you can put on a finish if you want. Just dont use a wax based one that leaves a residue, or your 32x boxes will be stained. x_x

9. Finally I attached mine to the studs in the wall using screws. Use fasteners to keep the screws from damaging the masonite. If you don't fasten to the wall you would need to build a larger base at the bottom to support the shelf.

the case is solid as a rock wit the wood glue and masonite backing, and theres no chance of it falling apart. Unless ther is an earthquake since I live in the ring of fire. My poor Sega Cd and Saturn games have a 5 foot fall to the floor, bye bye sealed saturn games. I should move them to the bottom and the genesis games to the top I guess. Not even a 9.5 EQ could damage a genesis game in case, impossible!