Crafty Imaginings & Silly Things: DIY Storage Cubbies with Adjustable Shelves

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I was getting to play with new tools while building something with my Mother this past week…well, this is what we were building:

My Mother is the librarian at my son’s small Christian school. The school did a bunch of remodeling this Summer…including a little front office makeover. In the process, they realized that they needed a new set of cubbies. Of course, my Mother volunteered US to build the custom size needed!

The pattern came from none other than Ana White…you can find it here: http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/cubby-bookshelf-large (Be sure to watch her video…there are important steps in the video that are not clear on the written instructions.) Ours is a little different because we needed our unit to have 18 cubbies…enough for all of the school staff to have a “mailbox”.

We bought the lumber, moulding, and screws. I brought my circular saw and we set to work in my parents’ garage. Warning: These are not the most flattering pictures…but it was over 100 degrees on a hot South Texas day and many were taken by my 10 year old son.

We finally got to play with my Kreg Jig Jr! I have been itching to try it out and it did not disappoint. Look at these awesome joints:

The basic unit is complete…so far so good.

We added the frame and then played with my Mother’s new Kreg tool…a Shelf Pin Jig! This was cool and easy to use. It allows you to easily make adjustable shelving. Your holes will always be lined-up…saves the measuring and marking and guesswork!!