Making a Corner Shelf for Plants
Tools & Materials
Project Description
How could we design and make corner shelves for plants with a Glowforge Laser Cutter?
An artist that I’ve admired for a long time is Donald Judd who has a collection of sculptures in museums around the world featuring a series of cubes spaced apart and mounted vertically on a wall. In some cases, there’s water cascading down. In others, there are various colors that reflect light onto the wall and focus on our visual perception of light in relation to depth.
Using this as a starting point for the design of the corner shelf project, the goal was to create a simple volumetric form capable of holding the weight of small planters. For my purposes, there would be a series of 4 cubes mounted to the corner of the wall in my bedroom that’s currently underutilized. These cubes would be anchored to the drywall using self-drilling drywall anchors and screws.
This project will utilize the corner of my bedroom and add a beautiful natural aesthetic with all the health benefits that plants provide.
Process
This project was designed using a software called Rhinoceros with simple commands. I started by drawing polylines of a 10.5 inch square followed by the total of 4 sides that are 3 inches tall. Using the same command, I drew the associated slots and finger joints for ease of construction. I extruded the shape to the corresponding thickness of the 1/4 inch plywood (.220in actual) and built a 3D mockup by rotating and moving each piece into place.
Once I verified that the pieces would fit together, I imported it into the laser cutting interface and cut every piece. I applied wood glue to the joints, aligned the pieces, and joined the pieces with their associated slots using a rubber hammer. Using a lint free cloth, I applied a natural oil finish to the surface of the plywood and wiped off any excess oil.
After bringing the shelves to my bedroom, I measured and marked the screw locations on my wall. Using a screwdriver and self-drilling drywall anchors, I installed each shelf and placed my plants in their new location.
