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How to Make an Invisible Bookshelf

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

Your books will appear to be magically floating on the wall when you make this fun, invisible bookshelf.

bookshelf

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • A large hardcover book you will never read again
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Metal ruler or straight edge
  • Hobby knife
  • Screwdriver
  • An L-bracket that is the right size for your book
  • Two short flathead screws that are just long enough to go through the pages of your book, but not through the covers
  • Two flathead screws that will be long enough to go through the L-bracket and into a stud in the wall
  • Level

WHAT YOU’LL DO

bookshelf-1Step 1: Open the back cover of your book. Use the tape measure to find the vertical center of the last page. At the center, draw a horizontal line on the page.

 

bookshelf-2Step 2: Place the L-bracket on the book so you can see the pencil line in the center of the bracket holes. Make sure the back of the bracket is flush with the pages, then trace the bracket.

 

bookshelf-3Step 3: Using the hobby knife and ruler, carefully follow the tracing of the bracket and cut down through enough pages so the bracket will be flush with the top of the last page.

 

Step 4: Turn the bracket over, place it in the cutout and mark where it touches the front cover, and cut out a notch that will allow the book to be closed flat with the bracket in place.

 

bookshelf-4Step 5: Use the short flathead screws to screw through the pages from the back of the book. This is a little tricky and you might need a friend or some clamps to press down on the pages so they don’t rise up while turning the screws. On the edge of a table or workbench, place the bracket into the cutout and apply glue evenly to the back cover and the back page. Make sure you use a liberal amount of glue, but not enough to squeeze out the front and sides.

 

bookshelf-5Step 6: Get some glue into the edges around the bracket and close the back cover of the book.

 

bookshelf-6Step 7: Put enough weight on top of the book to keep it flat while drying. Allow it to dry overnight.

 

bookshelf-7Step 8: After it is completely dry, you will have a solid book and bracket ready to attach to the wall. Make sure the book is level, and screw the book bracket through the wall and into a stud. Stack books on top, and your invisible shelf is complete.

 

bookshelf-550


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57 Comments on How to Make an Invisible Bookshelf

  1. cool! can’t wait to build it!!!!!!

  2. Such a cool interesting idea. I am looking forward to building this.

  3. I think this is very wrong, why deface a good book to make a shelf

  4. OMG GREATEST IDEA EVER MY FRIENDS WILL PASS OUT WHEN THEY SEE THIS

  5. This is a nice project try it !!!

  6. homestudier // August 18, 2015 at 4:07 pm // Reply

    great invention! thanks for the idea. i can just see my friends being in awe when they see!! bye now.

  7. Awesome idea!

  8. What an awesome idea!!
    Can’t wait to try it!!!

  9. You can use a glue stick to glue some of the bottom pages together for added strength. Find a junk book at a garage sale or thrift shop, then make a color copy of a cool book cover and use that to make it look newer. You can add strength by cutting out the middle of the book and adding a rectangle of plywood, using lots of glue, and putting screws through the bracket.

  10. foxtrot 4511 // July 11, 2015 at 7:57 pm // Reply

    awesome dude

  11. wikipediathegreat // June 19, 2015 at 5:01 pm // Reply

    Totally Awesome!!!

  12. billybobjoe // June 7, 2015 at 5:13 pm // Reply

    ok

  13. The commenter // June 6, 2015 at 9:43 am // Reply

    Cool!

  14. Spider Ninja // May 7, 2015 at 2:55 pm // Reply

    cool

  15. Great!

  16. Sweet!!!

  17. good one….

  18. It’s a great idea, but I think it’s only suitable for a few books, considering to many books stacked together will unbalance them.

  19. great

  20. boomonkey56 // August 21, 2014 at 7:14 pm // Reply

    I like it

  21. this would be a good trick to pull on someone

  22. wolf gang // May 20, 2014 at 5:07 pm // Reply

    Its okay… probably not what your thinking.

  23. Robert Robert // January 10, 2014 at 11:27 pm // Reply

    This seems like a cool project i can’t wait to get started

  24. COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!

  25. Shame you have to destroy a book to do it.

  26. Sweet! I SO am going to do this! . . . Someday.

  27. This has got to be one of the coolest things ever! However, which book can I use that NO ONE will want to read or look at?

  28. Great idea for the crafty inclined

  29. Scoutmaster G // November 19, 2013 at 6:17 pm // Reply

    Very cool, but try to find a book with damaged/missing pages that can no longer be read. That way you are not sacrificing a book that could be read again and again!

  30. Creative… But wouldn’t it be a bit tipsy? Do two metal hangers and you would be fine.

  31. Awesome!!!

  32. this is going to be the best way to show people magic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  33. Mistereuos!!!!!!!,.

  34. Cool idea. I like it.

  35. Awesome!!!!

  36. WICKEDLY COOL

  37. the nintendo fan // September 17, 2013 at 10:17 am // Reply

    well finaly invisibility has been invented (^O^)

  38. I think it’s awsome

  39. NICE BUT DIFFICULT

  40. Very creative and nice way to revise books!

  41. Sounds awesome and fun!!

  42. That is so cool! I wan to make one

  43. cool

  44. nice activity

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