How to Make an Invisible Bookshelf

Your books will appear to be magically floating on the wall when you make this fun, invisible bookshelf.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• A large hardcover book you will never read again
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Metal ruler or straight edge
• Hobby knife
• Screwdriver
• An L-bracket that is the right size for your book
• Two short flathead screws that are just long enough to go through the pages of your book, but not through the covers
• Two flathead screws that will be long enough to go through the L-bracket and into a stud in the wall
• Level

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Step 1: Open the back cover of your book. Use the tape measure to find the vertical center of the last page. At the center, draw a horizontal line on the page.

Step 2: Place the L-bracket on the book so you can see the pencil line in the center of the bracket holes. Make sure the back of the bracket is flush with the pages, then trace the bracket.

Step 3: Using the hobby knife and ruler, carefully follow the tracing of the bracket and cut down through enough pages so the bracket will be flush with the top of the last page.

Step 4: Turn the bracket over, place it in the cutout and mark where it touches the front cover, and cut out a notch that will allow the book to be closed flat with the bracket in place.

Step 5: Use the short flathead screws to screw through the pages from the back of the book. This is a little tricky and you might need a friend or some clamps to press down on the pages so they don’t rise up while turning the screws. On the edge of a table or workbench, place the bracket into the cutout and apply glue evenly to the back cover and the back page. Make sure you use a liberal amount of glue, but not enough to squeeze out the front and sides.

Step 6: Get some glue into the edges around the bracket and close the back cover of the book.

Step 7: Put enough weight on top of the book to keep it flat while drying. Allow it to dry overnight.

Step 8: After it is completely dry, you will have a solid book and bracket ready to attach to the wall. Make sure the book is level, and screw the book bracket through the wall and into a stud. Stack books on top, and your invisible shelf is complete.