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    Home » Repurposed Furniture » Desk » Narrow Wall Shelf | DIY Corbels

    Narrow Wall Shelf | DIY Corbels

    Published by Gail | Published January 3, 2017 | Updated April 9, 2019
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    I have a really great project today. Can you believe I got three projects out of one vintage desk? Today’s project is a narrow wall shelf made from part of a desk top.

    Repurposed Desk Top into Narrow Wall Shelf

    deskHere is the original desk I picked up at Vendors’ Village.

    my-repurposed-life-repurposed-desk-into-chestThis is the first project I made out of the desk using the two drawer sections side by side to make a highboy chest or dressing table.

    Cut Desk Top on Table Saw

    rip desk top on table sawI got two projects out of the desk top by ripping it on my table saw.

     

    singer sewing machine tableUsing the desk top “as is” was way too deep for this singer sewing machine table top that I sold at Glendale 2016. But ripping off the curvy part made a perfect “not so deep” top. It's  perfect for a hallway, entryway or as a sofa table.

    So, now I’m going to tell you how I made this narrow wall shelf by making my own brackets!

    Can I make my own shelf brackets?

    narrow wall shelf how to make your own brackets MyRepurposedLife.com

    *this post contains affiliate links for your convenience*

    jigsaw-pergola-endsI still have quite a few of the leftover pieces (laying on the driveway) from when Rodney cut the pergola for my fabulous diy picket fence. I’ve already used 2 of the scrap pieces as brackets on this easy gray window shelf. But for this project, I wanted to take it up a notch. Smile

     

    Router Shelf Boards

    route diy shelf bracketScrap 1x4’s were routed on the router table to give them some character.

    dry fit diy shelf bracketsIn this picture, I was trying to figure out how I wanted the back boards to fit the scrap bracket before I worked too hard on sanding them

    Attach DIY shelf brackets to one another for sanding

    diy shelf brackets I used my Ryobi Airstrike to fasten the two pieces together so I could sand them “as one”.

    Position DIY bracket on narrow shelf

    more dry fittingYou can see they are sanded and trimmed up in this picture as I figure out where the brackets would actually fit on the narrow wall shelf that use to be a desk top.

    Using a brad nailer to CLAMP wood

    attach bracket back boards to shelfI used the brad nailer for a temporary hold to attach the top of the bracket board to the shelf, and the back bracket board to the top one.

    Don't forget the Gorilla Wood Glue

    making diy shelf bracketsNot shown, but I used my favorite Gorilla Wood Glue on all of these pieces for extra security.

     Secure narrow shelf with wood screw

    attach shelf to diy bracketA wood screw was used to attach the narrow wall shelf from the top into the top of the diy shelf bracket.

    Drive Screw through back of bracket

    secure back board to shelf bracketOne last screw through the back board into the bracket. You can see where I did the brad nails to give that temporary hold until I got it all together. I love using my Ryobi Airstrike this way. Of course if I had an extra pair of hands, this wouldn’t be necessary. Winking smile

    test drive on the fenceI took it for a test drive on the fence. (just resting on nails at this point)

    Prep for paint

    paint with finish maxWhile I was doing a second coat on another project with my Homeright Finish Max, I did a couple of light coats of Polished Pearl DIY chalky paint primer.

    heirloom traditions black waxTime for some black wax from Heirloom Traditions.  I like to use a chunk of a carwash sponge for quick and easy application.

    Narrow Wall Shelf with DIY Shelf Brackets

    narrow wall shelf how to make your own brackets MyRepurposedLife.comI love how “chippy” it looks, the black wax really ages it perfectly!

    using scrap wood drop offs to make diy shelf brackets MyRepurposedLife.com

    If you like the idea of making your own corbels, won’t you PIN IT? Thanks!

    If you prefer to buy corbels, check out my Farmhouse Shelves

    gail

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    1. chris

      January 04, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      this turned out so nice the curvy top looks gorgeous, and the corbels are awesome xx

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 04, 2017 at 8:02 pm

        I was really happy with this project Chris. I still have more of those drop offs left (from the arbor)

        I recently made a couple of shelves for a reader and those corbels (from amazon) were really nice, but I'm too cheap to buy them for my projects.

        gail

    2. girlfromwva

      January 03, 2017 at 9:56 am

      I love the finish of this narrow wall shelf! The polished pearl with the black wax goes together perfectly.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 04, 2017 at 8:06 pm

        Thanks so much! I hope it finds it's forever home very soon.

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, 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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