This whole project came about because we have no room in our house, and shoes always seem to have nowhere to go. So the idea is to design a narrow, space saving, piece that can hold a bunch of shoes, and that looks good at the same time.

Step 1: Planning

This is a basic project, using pine and some thin plywood. I began with measuring out how much space I wanted in between each pair of shoes and what angle to use.

Step 2: The Router

To hold the shelves in... grooves made on the router.

So I first made a little jig to follow and then routed grooves on an angle, then a short horizontal line, and then a long groove in the back for the backing piece.

Step 3: Shelves

For the shelves I used some 1/4 inch plywood that I cut up on the table saw and using a cross cut sled. I cut up the main shelves as well as some smaller backing pieces to fit.

Step 4: Dry Fit & Gluing

Once all the pieces were cut up, I first did a dry fit which revealed the back piece was a touch too wide, so after trimming that I was ready to assemble. I glued all the bigger shelves as well as the short back shelves and the larger backing and set everything up with some clamps for drying.

Step 5: Top & Bottom

Next, gluing and nailing in the top and bottom piece to secure.

Step 6: Detail

I always like when you add an architectural detail which is what I'm calling this top piece,which is simply a slightly larger 1/4 inch plywood piece to fit over the pine top and bottom. It adds a bit of dimension, however it's such a simple concept.

Step 7: Shelf Covers

To cover the edge of the plywood on the shelves we cut up some thin strips of pine that were glued and stapled in place.

Step 8: Finishing

Finally some sanding to get everything nice and smooth, and for a finish I ended up using a whitewash on the entire piece and then shellac for some extra protection.