How to Build an Adjustable Plywood Garage Shelf

Plan the size of your shelves and measure your space. Measure the height and width of the area where the shelf unit will stand. Draw a diagram with measurements to show height, width and depth. An example: use 8 feet as your height since standard 2-by-4s are that long. Making the shelves 32 by 24 inches means you can cut six from a standard 4-by-8 sheet of plywood. With these size shelves, a unit with two vertical sections will be a few inches wider than 5 feet. Use these measurements as a guide and adjust them to your space.

Cut the vertical components, if necessary. If you are leaving them 8 feet tall, you won't need to cut them. Each support will be two 2-by-4s attached together. The inside 2-by-4s will have notches cut out with a router to hold the shelves. How far apart you make these notches is up to you and how many adjustment options you want to make. They could be every 6 inches, or every foot. Another option is to space the bottom ones further apart to fit the height of bins you plan to store there, and leave more adjustability near the top by spacing them closer together. Measure and make marks for the router cuts and then cut them.

Glue the vertical supports together and secure them with wood screws.

Cut the shelves. Measure the plywood and mark it with a pencil and then draw lines with the straight edge of the level. Cut the shelves on those lines.

Cut the 2-by-4s that will be the horizontal braces at the top and bottom. These will measure just a bit shorter than your shelves. The shelves will fit into the notches in the vertical supports, so cut the horizontal pieces the right width to hold the vertical pieces together and still allow for the width of the shelves. Use a framing square to make sure the angles are square and attach the horizontal pieces to the vertical supports with wood screws.

If you want shelves on top of the horizontal braces, attach them now. These shelves will not be adjustable. The rest of the shelves will attach by sliding into the notches in the desired locations.