Spent 3 hours building a shelf for my shed that should have taken 45 minutes

I wanted a simple shelf in my 6x8 shed to put my garden tools on. I measured the space twice, cut the wood, then realized my shed walls aren't square at all. Took me another 2 hours just shaving down the boards and adjusting brackets. Has anyone else dealt with wonky shed walls messing up their storage builds?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.jason1d ago

72 inches is an odd width for a shelf, but I bet those walls are more like 71 and a half on one side and 72 and a quarter on the other. Shed guys must use a different kind of tape measure or something. You think you're working with square walls but they're never actually square in those prefab sheds. I had the same problem with my 10x12 last spring when I tried to put in a pegboard. Ended up having to scribe each board to the wall with a compass and cut them crooked on purpose just to get the thing to hang right. That shaving down part you mentioned is the worst because you take off a little, test it, take off more, and suddenly you got a gap on the other side. Next time try cutting your shelf boards about a half inch short and use those shims that come in packs at the hardware store. They're cheap and you can stack them to fill those weird gaps without having to recut everything.

keith2741d ago

Ain't that the truth about prefab sheds? I swear those walls are built by drunk elves or something. Last fall I tried to put in a set of cabinets in my 8x10 and the back wall was over an inch out of square from one corner to the other. I spent two whole weekends cutting and recutting the countertop piece before I gave up and just shimmed everything with a stack of old paint stir sticks. That compass trick you mentioned is smart though, never thought of that for scribing. I ended up doing something similar where I traced the wall line onto the wood and just followed it with a jigsaw, came out looking like a drunk person cut it but at least it fit. The shimming method sounds way easier honestly, I'm gonna try that next time I mess with this stupid shed.

thomasgonzalez1d ago

Notice how NOTHING in life is ever truly square or level.