How to Build a Rustic Coffee Shelf

I don’t get a lot of time. But when my daughters nap times sync up I can usually get some THINGS done. Today I wanted to build a rustic coffee shelf. But here’s the thing…if I used my power tools the girls would have woken up! So this was made ENTIRELY using hand tools. Oh and by the way…I’m TERRIBLE with hand tools…

Difficulty:
Beginner

Time Required:
Weekend

Cost:
Under $50

Tools Required:
Clamps
Kreg Jig & Accessories
Ryoba Hand Saw
Coping Saw
Power Drill & Drill Bits
Wood Glue
Elmers Wood Filler
Power Sander or Sanding Block
Sanding Paper
Speed Square
Foam Brush/Paint Brush

Purchase List:
Scrap Wood
1-1/4″ Pocket Screws
3 – Hooks
Homemade Steel Wool & Vinegar Stain
Minwax Polycrylic Semi Gloss Polyurethane

Material Cut List:
Shelf Back:
4 boards @ 14-1/4″
Shelves:
2 boards @ 14″
End Pieces:
2 boards w/arc

Safety:
Safety Glasses
Dust Mask
Better Dust Mask
Vapor Respirator

Download Plans:
Coming Soon

Related Articles & Posts
Tools for New DIYers

The coffee shelf is 14″ wide and 14-1/4″ high. It has (2) 14″ long shelves to hold coasters, coffee, sugar and mugs. The shelf also has (3) hooks mounted on the bottom for another set of mugs.

I grabbed a handful of scrap wood boards and will be joining them later on. But first things first! Grab a tape measure and mark out 14-1/4″. Carry your mark end to end with a combination square.

Using an $18 Ryoba hand saw and a clamp, I made all of the necessary cuts.

PRO TIP! It’s always better to cut just slightly outside of your line. This way you can chisel or use a hand sander to give you a nice straight, flat edge. If you go over the line it’s GAME OVER! You’ll never get that material back! Just sad memories of the wood that got away…

Not bad…THIS TIME! I found that if I stay away from the line a bit I can…

Chisel away the excess wood.

Here I’m measuring where the two shelves will be positioned and making a mark. Put a mark at 4″ down, 3/4″, 4″ from there and another 3/4″. (3/4″ because the wood is 3/4″ thick).

I made my own stain…like EIGHT months ago. It smells very, very bad.

Steel wool and vinegar stain goes on fairly clear, but…

After sitting for a while it transforms into something terribly rustic! Like your life on drugs!

I found these coasters at walmart for $8. Every coffee shelf needs coasters.

But someone needs to explain to me why there are horses on my coaster box! Horse lovers put horses on everything, I swear!

I found this SWEET susan g komen tape measure at lowes. It’s my new jam.

I’m using my sanding block with 80 grit paper to sand down the shelves.

I like to take the sanding block on a 45 degree angle and sand the edges down a bit. Makes it look less garage-built…maybe? I’m going for that refined made in China look.

Wood glue.

I did this for each piece.

I used a framers square to check to see if…things were square!

Wipe any excess glue using a wet paper towel/rag/tissue you’ve been crying on because you’re bad at using hand tools.

I always run out of clamps! If you don’t have clamps, be creative…

Use what you have!

Set your Kreg Jig to accommodate 3/4″ material and pre-drill (3) holes on the underside of both 14″ boards.

Before gluing, let’s measure where the two shelves will be positioned. Put a mark at 4″ down, 3/4″, 4″ from there and another 3/4″. (3/4″ because the wood is 3/4″ thick).
Apply glue to the backside of the (2) 14″ boards and attach them using 1-1/4″ pocket screws.

Here’s a close-up.

Because the material is 3/4″ thick, use 1-1/4″ pocket screws.

One down, one to go!

Using the marks from earlier I laid out the second shelf.

I didn’t have to, but I used wood filler to fill in the holes. I know, I’m an overachiever.

Found these sweet hooks at Lowes for less than $2 each…

I attached them 2″ from the top shelf and 2″ from each side and centered the middle one.

NICE HOOKS BRO!

After looking at the shelf, it needed a little something something…

But what?

I’m making a little decorative end-piece for the top shelf!

Using a coping saw and a clamp I did my best.

Not bad, needs major sanding though!

Use the fresh cut piece as a template for the next one…

Yes, I’m using my glue bottle to sand the inside of this semi circle…

Glue both sides of your beautiful side-piece accent thing

If you’ve got clamps, clamp! If not, hold the end pieces there for a while!

Be sure to use a level when you hang coffee shelves!

I always like to get at least one screw into a stud, then use a heavy duty wall anchor for the other side.

Cinnamon…

Sugar…

Nutmeg…

I use none of these in my coffee. Because I like COFFEE! But they look TRENDY. And we agreed earlier that trendy = good. SO…

There’s our rustic coffee shelf. I say “our” because we’re pretty much best friends now after all this time spent together.

This MAY look good in a kitchen environment, but I think it looks BETTER in my workshop.

I don’t even know what nutmeg is…

And that’s a wrap! If you’re digging what I’m planting, check out my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/c/DIYwithRick

Thanks for reading!