NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
This tower stands on its own base rather than hanging from a wall cleat, and it's dressed up with a header, base trim, and edge-banded shelf edges rather than left as a plain plywood box. Build the basic carcass with pocket holes on the outsides — top and bottom of the top and bottom panels — then decide between fixed shelves at any height, or adjustable shelves on shelf pins, which need trimming down about 1/4" in width and depth to clear the pins and allow easy placement.
If you go with adjustable shelves, the tower needs a back panel — without fixed shelves tying the sides together, nothing else stops the carcass from splaying out in the middle. Build the face frame as its own flat assembly, then attach it to the front with glue and finish nails, which also finishes off every exposed plywood edge on the front.
The base gets trimmed out in baseboard matching the room's existing trim, mitered at the corners, and the optional decorative header — cut with a jigsaw for a shaped detail plus a small inside-corner moulding — is purely cosmetic, not structural.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-3/4" strips, full sheet | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywood, full sheet (back) | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 1x4, 2 ft | 1 each |
| 2x2, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Inside corner moulding, 3/4" x 3/4" (optional header trim) | 1 each |
| Base moulding, 6 ft | 1 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 60 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 3/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Shelf pins | 1 set |
| Edge banding, matching wood veneer | 1 each |
| Primer and paint, or stain and poly | 1 set |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Sides3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-3/4" strips, full sheet | 2 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 72" |
| Shelves, top and bottom3/4" plywood, ripped to 15-3/4" strips, full sheetTrim 1/4" in width and depth if using adjustable shelf pins. | 6 | 3/4" × 15 3/4" × 22 1/2" |
| Back panel1/4" plywood, full sheet (back) | 1 | 1/4" × 24" × 72" |
| Face frame top rail1x2, 8 ft | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 24" |
| Face frame stiles1x2, 8 ft | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 71 1/4" |
| Face frame bottom rail1x2, 8 ft | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 21" |
| Header1x4, 2 ft | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 21" |
| Base legs2x2, 8 ftCut to the height of your baseboard. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 4 1/2" |
| Base front/back rails2x2, 8 ft | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 21" |
| Base side rails2x2, 8 ftCut to the tower's outside depth minus the baseboard depth. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 15" |
| Baseboard trimBase moulding, 6 ftCut to fit, mitered at corners. | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 72" |
Buy 9 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
3 boards
Build the basic box with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws, placing pocket holes on the outsides.
For adjustable shelves, drill shelf pin holes with a shelf pin jig and trim the shelves down to clear the pins. For fixed shelves, place at any height and finish the front plywood edges with wood filler or edge banding.
If using adjustable shelves, attach the back panel with nails and glue to keep the tower from splaying.
Build the face frame with pocket holes, then attach to the front with glue and finish nails.
Build the optional base from the legs and rails, then trim it in mitered baseboard matching the room. Add the optional header trim and corner moulding, cutting the header detail with a jigsaw.
Sand all surfaces and apply primer and paint, or stain and poly.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.
1 board
3 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →