Repurposed Shutter Shelf

Shutter Shelf

I'm Julie from follow your heart woodworking and I am so pleased to be able to Guest Post at Gail's great blog My Repurposed Life. Gail is the queen of repurposing and she was the very first follower I had when I began blogging. I consider her to be a friend, even though we haven't (yet) met in person, so I am honored to be able to guest post here at her blog.

Because I am a cabinetmaker I make all sorts of things from wood. Often I use pine or pallet wood and sometimes I repurpose found items. This project is a shutter which is turned into a backing for three small shelves.

The Details

I began with a shutter that I bought at a local re-use store. I'm using a 12" x 30" fixed shutter. By fixed I mean there is no mechanism to open and close the slats.

This is how it looked before and then after I put a quick sloppy coat of white paint over the whole thing. I purposely allowed some of the stained wood to show through in parts. But first, I filled the old hinge and handle holes with spackle.

I decided on three shelves which I made out of ¾" thick pine, because that was what I had in stock. So, I cut them to 11 ½" long and 4"wide. Of course you could do anything you wish to fit your own shutter size.

How to Add Shelves

Each shelf will be held up with ¼" thick pine brackets. So I dadoed (cut a groove in) each shelf underneath where the bracket would go. I use a router with a ¼" wide straight bit, which will make the dado the exact thickness of my brackets.

First, I put the grooves in the shelf so that they would match up with the middle of each side of the shutter.

I planned the size of the brackets by making a template shape out of paper. This was done to see how the bracket would fit.

Fitting the Brackets

The bracket would look something like this with a jog in the length of the back making it shorter than the full length of the bracket. This allows you to cut a slot in the shutter for the bracket to fit in.

You don't have to be perfectly accurate in your shutter slot this way. The bracket goes into the shelf as well as the shutter, so when measuring, take this into account.

This length between the arrows is the length of each slot

Using this template, I cut six brackets from ¼" thick pine. Then I marked where my slots would go in the shutter to hold the brackets and cut them with my router. Again using the ¼" bit. (This photo shows the shutter upside down)

The back of each bracket then fits in the slot on the shutter and the top of each bracket fits in the groove in the bottom of the shelf. They are glued in place. There is no need for nails or screws since they are fitted into each other.

Shutter Shelf Brackets Installed

How to Paint Shutter Shelf

After the glue dried I put a stain on the shelves to make them match the old colour of the shutter and then put some vaseline here and there. This doesn't allow the top coat of white paint to stick where the vaseline is. I put a coat of white paint over top, as I did with the shutter.

On the back I screwed in two triangle shaped hangers and on the front at the bottom I put two hooks.

I hope this gives some readers ideas to make their own shutter shelf. I welcome any questions about the making of this or any woodworking project.

More Projects From Follow Your Heart Woodworking

Please visit my blog follow your heart woodworking where you can see a cupboard with a shutter for a door, how to design and make a buffet hutch, how to make a barn board cupboard and many more projects.

Thanks again, Gail, for the chance to guest post on your great blog!

Thank you Julie for sharing this project with my friends! I have made a couple of these, and I think it’s time to make some more…I have the perfect chippy shutters (bifold door halves) in my stash! Of course mine won’t be with a dado. You’re so good at REAL woodworking!
gail

see other shutter and or bi-fold door ideas here

Gail Wilson

Website

Hi, there! I’m Gail, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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Linda

July 07, 2016 at 1:36 am

Well, Holy Moly!!! I don't know which project I want to do first!!! I just happen to have a collection of "Parts" i.e. old windows, shutters, cabinets, old frames, and so on and so on.....didn't know what I was going to do when I got the items....but boy am I pumped now!! You are genius!!! Thanks for the tutorial info and the supplies info !! now I am challenged to add my own "personal" touch!! LOVE IT ALL!!! Keep it coming!!

- gail@myrepurposedlife.com
  
  July 07, 2016 at 9:07 am
  
  I'm happy you love Julie's shutter project! I hope you stop by often to see new projects.
  
  gail
Betty

July 19, 2014 at 11:36 am

do you sell these?

- gail@myrepurposedlife.com
  
  July 19, 2014 at 4:39 pm
  
  My friend Julie made this and she is no longer making them to sell.
  
  gail
Pam

May 02, 2014 at 3:02 pm

LOL....I was on PINTEREST and I saw this shutter shelve, as I clicked on it I was thinking that looks like Gail's work!....look where clicking on the link took me! Love it...

Laurel Stephens

September 15, 2012 at 1:11 am

Julie's project is so great, I shared it on Friday Finds!

Corn in my Coffee-Pot

September 10, 2012 at 4:02 am

That turned out cute! I love this little shelf.
I have three shutters...I've been waiting to do something with--this gives me inspiration!

...enjoyed seeing it, Pat

Laurel Stephens

September 07, 2012 at 2:52 pm

This is a fantastic tutorial! I have a bunch of old shutters and think I can tackle building one of these shelves because Gail inspired me to buy my own Dremel Trio awhile back. It has a router, and this will be my first router project! Yippee! Thank you, Julie, for a superbly written and illustrated tutorial. Your shutter shelves are awesome!

Donna OShaughnessy

September 07, 2012 at 1:14 pm

So very cute. Think I'll copy for some shelves in my little country store here on our farm. THANKS!

Korrie@RedHenHome

September 07, 2012 at 1:01 pm

LOVE this! I have an old shutter waiting in my garage....hmmmm...

Julie @ followyourheartwoodworking

September 07, 2012 at 12:51 pm

Thanks again, Gail, for inviting me to guest post.
You don't need the dadoes for the shelf bracket, you could just screw it in from the back and top. I just prefer dadoes as they really lock the pieces together.

Susan @ homeroad.net

September 07, 2012 at 10:00 am

I love the shutter shelf Gail! Nice job from Follow Your Heart.... I could use one of these shelves!
Susan