I Was Bored, So I Made Some Shelves
Sometimes, when you're between jobs, paralyzed by anxiety, and staring down the barrel of yet another election season, you just need a distraction. Something productive. Something that keeps your mind off existential dread and the growing certainty that your career prospects might have better luck running as an independent candidate. So, naturally, I decided to build some shelves in my garage. Why? Because our collection of Christmas decorations has been expanding at a steady, linear rate in the attic—like some kind of festive red-and-green fungus—and I figured it was only a matter of time before they claimed squatters’ rights on my car's parking spot. Better to act now before the inflatable Santas and twinkling lights stage a full-scale takeover.
I used the same plans I've used twice before because they're awesome and are easy to put them together.
I already have shelves on three of the four walls in my garage, so I set my sights on this little corner. With the breaker panel on the wall with the door, I didn't want to risk drilling into any power lines, so I chose the longer wall in the hopes I could store seven or eight bins up high out of the way.
The last thing I wanted was for the shelves to inconvenience anyone walking near that wall, especially since that's where Dom parks. I set a minimum height of 78 inches, which gives me about 6 inches of clearance. I then measured the bins, added up the shelving and the supports, and came up with 42 inches coming down from the ceiling. I settled on 44 inches just to have some extra leeway.
Finding the studs is always my least favorite part of building these shelves, but luckily I took tons of pictures when the house was built, so I know exactly what's behind the drywall.
My poor table saw has sat on a shelf unused for years. This is one of the coolest tools I've ever purchased, and I love having an excuse to bring it out.
Making the support arms requires cutting a line at 8 degrees. I initially measured this out freehand, then cut with a circular saw. It was only after I'd done half the work that I remembered my table saw can cut at degrees. Things went a lot faster after that.
Cutting lots of arms, using clamps and t-squares... just like a real woodworker. I started out listening to the 1984 audiobook, but I switched over to music because the book was making me think too much, and the point of this was to not think.
After the support sidewalls, I cut out the 1x1 inner support beams, which needed an angle cut on one end as well.
The longer struts were easy enough, except that I've never really developed a good system for keeping errant pieces of wood from falling off the saw / table after I cut them.
At some point, it occurred to me that both of my saws were almost 10 years old. They should probably have their blades replaced, so I ordered some from Amazon, along with drill bits and some corner clamps because I'm an impulse shopper.
The blue tape was to mark the initial measurements of where the support arms and decking would go. Once this guy was done, I used him as a template to create the rest.
Lots of glue. Lots of screws. Four little baby versions just in case I wanted to extend the shelves all the way to the front of the garage.
The studs on this wall are at such strange spacing that I couldn't do the standard 32-inch gaps. Still, after marking all the studs, drilling pilot holes, and using 6-inch lag bolts, the struts went up without issue.
You can see the strange spacing here. I'm okay with it since it should give the shelves more strength. Not pictured: me hanging from the shelves to prove their sturdiness.
1x4 boards make up the decking. I had to cut the top shelf to make a break at one of the struts, which wasted a lot of wood from each 8-foot plank. Bummer, but I couldn't leave any of the boards hanging.
Look at this beautiful top shelf. I used a nail gun to secure the boards, which is all they need to stay in place. All in all, it was an easy project that distracted me from the real world for a while.
As I continue navigating this season of being between jobs, I’ll be looking for other ways to fill my time productively. High on the list are building some raised garden beds to bring a little greenery to the backyard, installing a pulley system in the attic to make storage a breeze, and, if there’s still time and inspiration, finally finishing House of Nepenthe. It’s all about finding balance, staying creative, and making the most of the opportunities this unexpected pause has afforded me. Stay tuned—there’s always something new on the horizon!
