The Easiest DIY Furniture Projects to Make With Leftover Wood

If you have leftover boards from a previous home-improvement project — or you’re just looking for a simple carpentry project to tackle — there are several things you can make that will add budget-friendly storage and function to your home. Try these DIY projects, each of which only requires three or four tools and materials and are perfect for beginners.

Hexagon shelves

With just a board, a saw, and some wood glue, you can make a fun — and functional — hexagon shelf. You’ll need a saw that can cut at a 30-degree angle, and some blue painter’s tape for the joints. We’ve got full, detailed instructions for you here.

Ledge shelves

Simple floating shelves are easy to make, as long as you’e got wood glue, a finish nailer, a miter saw, and some sand paper. To make the ledge, you’ll nail together two wider boards and one narrow board. Brittany Goldwyn has complete instructions here.

Blanket ladder

For stylish blanket storage, try making a blanket ladder. This is easy project requires only glue, screws, a saw, and some square-cut boards. Cut your pieces to length, square them up, and screw in the sides. Designer Corey Willis walks you through the project here.

Shoe rack

Build a simple shoe rack with a few boards, screws, and glue. Cut your side pieces, drill holes for your screws, and attach your shelves to the sides. “The Poor Swiss” shows you how here.

Coat rack

You can build a simple coat rack using just some 2 by 2 pine, a miter saw, and screws. Cut your angled legs first, and then cut the branches for the top. Screw in the feet, making sure they’re level, and then screw in the branches for the top and you’ve got a simple, low-cost coat tree. I Like to Make Stuff has the full instructions here for how to make one for just $US10 ($14).