DIY Driftwood Shelf - Detailed Instructions

The shelf is made of driftwood and scrap wood. Here are the materials needed:

Screws in different lengths
Chop saw or hand saw
Circular saw or hand saw
Router
Angle grinder with speed control
Nylon brush for angle grinders
Clamping stop
Cordless screwdriver
Jigsaw
Slot milling cutter
Cabinet hanger
Beeswax
Sanding sponge

Driftwood shelf — The finished driftwood shelf is an eye-catcher in every apartment

To be able to work on the shelf more easily, we recommend either a large workbench or a clamping block.

Table of Contents

DIY Driftwood Shelf Steps

The driftwood shelf isn’t too difficult to build. Even if you are a beginner, you can build this piece of furniture without any problems.

Saw the boards to size and screw them together

Pallet construction — The rear wall of the shelf is quickly assembled

In the first step, we saw the boards for the back wall and the shelves. We have chosen a size of approx. 15 3/4 inches x 23 5/8 inches for the back wall and a depth of approx. 3.5 inches for the shelves. But of course, other sizes are also possible.

When you’ve sawed the boards to size, use a nylon brush and angle grinder to work them until they get an antique shabby look.

Use the jigsaw to adjust the ends so that the edges look a bit cleaner.

And finally, you screw the boards with two back strips. Use two screws per board and leave a gap of about two millimeters between the boards. This looks better too.

Use the router to cut grooves for the shelves

Since reclaimed wood or driftwood boards are never completely straight and of the same thickness, it is almost impossible to screw the shelves directly onto the back wall.

That’s why you need guide grooves for the floors in the back wall. First, mark the grooves. The grooves should be a little bigger than the board thickness of the shelves.

Then you can use a guide rail, a good router, and a slot cutter to mill grooves about one to two millimeters deep. When the grooves are ready, you can deburr them a little with the sanding sponges.

Related:

Best Router for Table Mounting

Screw the shelves to the rear wall of the driftwood shelf from behind

In the next step, you can screw the shelves onto the back wall. It is advisable to get two helping hands for this work step. This makes it much easier.

Because you have to pre-drill the boards before screwing them together. To do this, first drill a hole in the grooves per board from above through the back wall. Then you let your partner hold the shelf from above and you drill the holes vertically into the shelves from below. So you can be sure that all holes match.

Finally, connect the shelves to the rear wall with long screws. Your shelf is almost ready now.

Driftwood branches give the shelf the finishing touch

The basic shape of the driftwood shelf is ready. But the driftwood branches are still missing so that your work becomes a unique piece of furniture.

Unfortunately, you can’t just stick this on it. You also have to screw them on from behind. For this to work well, the branches need a straight support surface. We did this with a band saw (find best band saw for small shop) and belt sander. But you can also use a rasp and file – it just takes a little longer.

Again, before screwing, it is advisable to pre-drill the wood. This will prevent the branches from splitting.