Cutting Board Shelves

Project Overview

The first Christmas gift I gave as a husband — these shelves were created to hold the massive amount of decorative cutting boards we received as wedding/shower gifts.

Bill of Materials

Materials (for 3 shelves)

• 1/4 x 1-5/8 Pine Lattice — $36 (18ft at $2/ft)
• Espresso wood stain — $8
• Wood screws — $10/pack
• Drywall mounting hardware — $5
• Finish nails (already on hand)

Tools

• Drill
• Drill bits
• Miter saw
• Jigsaw (for correcting uneven cuts)
• Paint brushes
• 220 grit sandpaper

Build / Process

Lindsay and I mocked the project up in Solidworks, with a quick model of the room to give our shelves some context.

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We decided 3 shelves were necessary, took measurements from the 3D models, and went to Home Depot. I don't have a miter saw in the small apartment we live in now, so all our pieces were cut at Home Depot by employees in the lumber section. They didn't come out quite identical — I don't think the worker who cut ours was super experienced, but he did his best — so I was forced to try to correct some longer cuts with the only tool I had: a jigsaw. Maybe there's some technique I'm missing out on, but cutting straight lines with a jigsaw is damn difficult.

We were able to get the shelves together with wood screws and finish nails I had laying around. Lindsay stained the shelves with an espresso color stain. They came out beautifully after 3 coats, and they are now housing our surplus of stylish cutting boards.

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