No Products in Your Cart
Floating Mantel Shelf[8/4 Wide · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 floating shelves
Build This Project
Pack
8/4 Wide · 4ft · 5-Pack (6–8" wide)
Uses
1 pack, all 5 boardsOne pack + hardware
Also buy
Heavy-duty hidden floating-shelf brackets (not included)
Shown in
Black WalnutON SALE
Also in
Hard Maple, Cherry, White Oak, Red Oak, Ash, Hickory, Ambrosia Maple, Sapele, Padauk, Purpleheart
Shipping
Free shipping
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A chunky floating shelf with no visible brackets — over a fireplace, a console or a bed. Two wide 8/4 boards edge-glue into an 11"-deep top, and a strip glued under the front edge makes it look a full 3½" thick. Hidden rod brackets screw into the studs. One pack makes two shelves.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelf boards | 4 | Boards 1–4 (2 per shelf) | 46" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Fascia strips | 2 | Board 5, ripped in half | 46" × 2 11/16" × 1¾" |
Top: two 5½" boards edge-glued to 11" × 46" × 1¾", long grain to long grain.
Fascia: board 5 ripped in half; one strip face-glued flat under the front edge of each shelf for a 3½" front.
Mounting: hidden rod-type floating-shelf brackets (2 rods per shelf, ¾" or thicker, 6" or longer, rated for the load) into studs, rods in holes drilled in the back edge.
Finished size: Each shelf 46" W × 11" D × 1¾" thick, with a 3½" deep-looking front edge (front strip 2 11/16" deep).
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 4ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- Heavy-duty hidden floating-shelf brackets, rod type: 2 rods per shelf, ¾" or thicker × 6" or longer, rated for the load — with lag screws for studs
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Track saw, or circular saw and straightedge
- Jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
- 6 bar clamps, 18" or longer
- Cauls (straight scrap strips)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, bit to suit the bracket rods, drill guide block
- Stud finder, level
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Pair the boards. Boards 1 + 2 make Shelf A and boards 3 + 4 make Shelf B. Match colour and grain, and put the best faces up. Board 5 becomes the two fascia strips.
- 3 Joint the mating edges. The two edges that meet in each shelf must be dead straight. Dry-fit the pair: no light should show along the 46" seam.
- 4 Glue up the shelves. Edge-glue boards 1 + 2 into a 11" × 46" panel, long grain to long grain. Clamp every 8–10", alternating over and under, with cauls at the ends to keep the faces level. Leave overnight. Repeat with boards 3 + 4.
- 5 Rip the fascia. Rip board 5 down the middle into two strips, 2 11/16" × 1¾".
- 6 Flatten the tops. Scrape off the dried glue, then sand or hand-plane the seam flush. If your planer takes an 11" wide board, a few light passes do the job.
- 7 Square the ends. Trim both ends of each shelf square at 46", with a track saw or a circular saw and a straightedge. Trim the fascia strips to the same length.
- 8 Glue on the fascia. Lay a fascia strip flat under the front edge of each shelf, flush with the front and both ends. Face glue, clamps every 6". The grain runs the same way in both parts, so the joint is long grain to long grain. The front now reads 3½" thick.
- 9 Drill for the brackets. Find the studs and transfer their spacing to the shelf's back edge. Drill the rod holes centred in the 1¾" shelf thickness, square to the back edge, to the bracket maker's size and rod length plus ¼". Use a drill guide block so the holes stay straight.
- 10 Sand and finish. Ease the edges, sand 120 → 180 → 220, and finish the top, bottom and back equally. An even finish keeps a wide shelf from cupping.
- 11 Mount it. Screw the bracket plates to the studs with the supplied lag screws and check them with a level. Slide the shelf onto the rods and tighten any set screws.
Why a fascia strip? A 3½" solid top would need four boards per shelf. Gluing one strip under the front gives the same chunky look from the room for half the wood, and the shelf stays lighter on the brackets.
Does wood movement matter? Yes. An 11" deep shelf grows and shrinks about ⅛" across its depth through the seasons. The rods slide in their holes, so the shelf moves freely. Finish all faces equally so it doesn't cup.
Why studs? A floating shelf levers on the wall every time something is set on its front edge. Brackets lagged into studs take that load; drywall anchors pull out.
Make It Yours
- Live edge look: leave the front edge of the wide boards rough-sawn and glue the fascia flush behind it.
- Charred finish: lightly torch and brush oak or ash for a rustic mantel (not near a working fireplace).
- Single long shelf: glue all four boards into one 22"-deep floating bench top — use bench-rated brackets.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Mount into wall studs (or rated anchors sized for the load). Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
- Fireplace mantel: check your fireplace manual and local building code for the minimum clearance from the firebox to combustibles, and keep the shelf at least that far above the opening.
- Don't load the shelf past the bracket rating, and never use it as a step or a seat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
Yes, if it meets the clearance to combustibles in your fireplace manual and local code. That rule sets how high above the opening the shelf must be. If in doubt, ask a WETT inspector.
As much as the brackets are rated for, as long as they are lagged into studs. Books, plants, candles and frames are all fine.
Most rod brackets are a single long plate with several rod positions. Pick a plate that spans at least two studs, or hang a 2×4 cleat across the studs first.
Planned offcuts only: about 1" off the end of each board. Any width over 5½" stays on the shelf as extra depth, or rips off as a strip for coasters. All 5 boards go into the shelves.
Yes. A 2ft wide pack makes two 22" shelves the same way — good for a bathroom or above a bedside table. 22" spans two studs at 16" centres.
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Next build with this pack
More free plans for the 8/4 Wide · 4ft pack.
