DIY Network

Utility Room with Rotating Shelves More space – and better organization – transform a cramped utility room. From "Wasted Spaces" episode DWSP-209

(Continued from page 2)

With the demolition done and the new floor installed, Karl and Jill build a set of rotating shelves that will fit inside the wall cutout, supported by fixed shelves below.

advertisement

Building the Rotating Shelves

• The first step in building the rotating shelves is to build the stationary shelves that will support the unit. The base unit is a simple box with shelves that will rest on the floor; the top of this unit will extend back to cover the bottom of the wall cutout and support the rotating shelves. Sketch out a scale drawing of the unit, with measurements marked.

• Using the sketch and measurements as a guide, cut out plywood to form the sides, top and bottom of the shelving unit.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses and use caution when using a table saw, circular saw or any other power tool. Any helpers also should wear safety glasses; keep kids and pets clear of the area.
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B
  	Figure C

• Assemble the unit with wood glue and nails (figure A). Karl and Jill built the base unit to sit flush against the walls at each end; they didn’t install the top of the base until after the rotating shelves were in place; this made it easier to work inside the wall cutout.

  Safety Alert: Wear safety glasses and use extreme caution if using a nail gun for the assembly. These powerful tools can drive a nail through wood – or a hand or foot – instantly.

• Prime and paint the base cabinet as desired.

• The rotating shelf is essentially a cabinet that rotates on a common piece of hardware: a lazy susan (with steel ball bearings for extra strength). Measure the wall cutout and use these dimensions to sketch a plan, with measurements, for the cabinet. Karl’s design for the rotating shelves resembled two shallow bookcases placed back to back; this gave Jill two full sets of shelves and kept a visual barrier between the two rooms (figure B).

  Note: Remember to make the unit smaller than the opening so that it will rotate without catching its corners on the wall. Karl and Jill built the unit smaller than the wall opening, then added wood along the center of each side to fill the extra space when the shelves are at rest (figure C).

• Measure and cut the plywood for the rotating shelf according to the measurements on the sketch.

• Assemble the rotating shelf unit.

• To center the lazy susan on the rotating shelf unit, turn the unit upside down. Draw two diagonal lines on the bottom of the unit from corner to corner; they will intersect at the center of the unit. Center the lazy susan and secure it with screws.

• Turn the rotating shelf unit right-side up. Draw diagonal lines from corner to corner to find the center point and use a power drill with a paddle bit to drill a hole in the center of the top to accommodate the 1-3/4" copper pipe.

• Use screws to secure the base cabinet to the wall studs, making sure it is level. The top piece of the base cabinet will support the rotating shelf.

• Center the shelf in the cutout and make sure it has enough room to rotate on the lazy susan. Run the copper pipe up through the top of the rotating unit and into the hole in the 2x4 a the top of the cutout. This will serve as a swivel support when the shelving unit rotates.

• Check the entire piece to make sure that it’s plumb and rotates properly. Then secure it by driving a few screws down through the lazy susan and into the base cabinet.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4