Neat Little Project: Build a Mail and Message Center

Even with fewer and fewer pieces coming in the mail nowadays, there are still enough to warrant a special place to hold the bills and magazines that arrive. Add the need for a centralized location for family notes, the occasional coupon and a paint swatch or two, and you've got a reason to make a message center shelf.

Measuring 27½ inches long, 12¾ inches high and 3½ inches deep, this shelf will fit on a small section of wall near the kitchen or front door.

The left side, with cork backing, measures 12 inches wide and 11¼ inches high. The right side measures 11¼ inches wide, 11¼ inches high and 1½ inches deep.

The top is 3½ inches deep and 27½ inches long, giving you enough room for several supplies and a few small decor items.


Tools


You'll need a handsaw, miter saw or circular saw for cutting the parts, a pair of 24-inch or larger clamps and a hammer. Also make sure you have a drill for attaching hanging hardware on the back and a utility knife for cutting the cork tile.

Materials1-by-2-by-2 board 1-by-3-by-2 board1-by-4-by-6 board1-by-12-by-2 board¼-inch by ¾-inch screen molding 12-inch-square cork tile with self-adhesive backing (1)4d finish nails (23)#18 by ¾-inch brads (4)Keyhole hangers (2)
For a painted version, use something like poplar or alder. For a stained version, go with something like oak. You can use #16 by 1½-inch brads instead of the ones listed above. You'll also need some wood glue, primer and paint (or stain and polyurethane). And, of course, paintbrushes and rags.


The back of this project is the 1-by-12 board, so you do not need to cut it. Cut the shelf's ends from the 1-by-3, making each piece 11¼ inches long. Apply glue to the ends of the back, position the end pieces as shown in Figure 1 and attach them using 4d nails. Clamping the assembly here and in subsequent steps will help.


Cut the stiles from the 1-by-2. Apply glue to one edge of one of the stiles, position it 12 inches from one end as shown in Figure 2 and attach it using 4d nails.

Apply glue to one edge and one face of the other stile and position it flush against the back and end as shown in Figure 2. Attach it using 4d nails.


Cut the top and bottom from the 1-by-4 using Figure 3 as a guide. Be sure to cut the mitered corners as well (you can skip this if you want to keep the corners intact).


Apply glue to the edges of the back and ends of the stiles and the end pieces, and position the top and bottom parts as shown in Figure 4. Attach the top and bottom to these parts using 4d nails.


Cut two rails from the screen molding to 12 inches long. Position them 2 inches apart as shown in Figure 5 and mark where the rails touch the stiles. Remove the rails, apply glue to the marked areas, replace the rails and attach them using ¾-inch brads.


Prime and paint the assembly and allow it to dry.

Use a utility knife and a straight edge to cut the cork tile to 12 inches by 11¼ inches. Depending on your cork tile, you may have to simply remove a paper backing to reveal the self-adhesive side, or you may need to apply self-adhesive padding included in the packaging. Make sure to test fit the tile prior to removing the self-adhesive backing.


While this project is shown with the cork tile on the left, you can easily switch the side during assembly by shifting the rails and flipping it over. To make the entire piece vertical, you could add stiles adjacent to the top and bottom and attach rails to them.

Customize it by adding cup hooks to the bottom or ends for holding keys etc.

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