DIY Wall Hanging Book Bin / Magazine rack

My wife and I home school our children.  Our main reason for choosing to do so was our belief that as parents, our children's education remains largely our responsibility. 
Education not just in terms of book knowledge but also life knowledge.  Being the director of another human beings education is a huge undertaking.



  Sometimes you feel like you are in over your head.  Certainly the path of least resistance would be to turn it over to the public school system and let someone else do my job for me.  However, I have learned in my 30 something years of life that often times the path of least resistance offers little reward.

I have learned to look for teaching moments through out the day.  Getting up in a timely fashion in the morning every morning has little to do with the act of just getting out of bed.  It teaches discipline and responsibility. Sitting at the table properly and chewing with your mouth closed teaches courtesy and respect for those around you. 

The library has become a tool my wife and I use for several reasons.  Yes the library is free, has a play ground, puppet shows, story time, and an endless supply of Scooby Doo dvd's, (or so it seems).  The library is also something more.  It is an opportunity to teach our children an age old timeless lesson that I have found many people have either forgotten or never learned in the first place.

When you borrow something from someone, you have to take care of it.  Sometimes that means caring for it better than you would if it were your own.  

Materials:

My choice of lumber was limited to the materials I had in my workshop.  All pine and most of it came from dimensional lumber left over from previous projects that I cut into 3/4" strips.  I then edge glued them together and sent them through my planer to true the boards.  You can get a lot of mileage out of scrap lumber if you just take a little extra time and process it right.

 I used biscuit joints in this project which required a few 000 size biscuits.  These are completely optional as I only used them to increase the surface area for the structural glue joints.  Pocket holes with some glue in the butt joint would be a perfectly fine and a quick alternative.

Cut list:

2 Back slats
1x4's @ 18"

1 Shelf
1x4's @ 18"

2 Side panels
1x4's @ 12"

3 Front Rail pieces
1/2"D x 3/4"W x 18-3/4"L

 3 - Shaker Pegs

I think it goes without saying that this could also be used as a magazine rack as well.  Paint is a very appropriate finish for children's rooms but stain could be used to preserve the wood grain.  A word of caution about trying to stain pine.  If not done properly your piece that you spent so much time building can end up looking blotchy and unappealing.  It is beyond the scope of this post to go into finishing technique.

If you do build this project be sure to send  a pic of your finished project.  It is a great joy and inspiration to see the different perspectives that each person adds.

Be sure to check out my Youtube Channel.  You can find me here.

Happy DIY'ing