I've got a bit of a pedal collection, but it was sorely lacking in any kind of organization. Actually the whole music room was a bit disorganized and cluttered, and I'm working on getting this under control. I decided to have a wall dedicated to all of my pedals and amps. The pedals would need to be on shelves, easy to see and retreive, while allowing enough space on the lower part of the wall for all my amps - this would be the toughest part of the project.
I wanted this wall to be like a mix of the backdrops to the JHS Show and That Pedal Show, but with my own take on it. I've been sketching like a madman for months and using software to help me visualize what I needed. Watched a ton of YT videos. Did more online window shopping than I care to admit. In the end I decided to make the shelves myself. I found some paneling that looked like distressed pallet wood to serve as a backdrop, then I envisioned the shelves as random pieces of wood - different ages, different colors, sizes, all sticking out from the pallet.
While I am pretty far from what I would consider a handyman, I've been learning a ton from the contractor who remodeled our living room. He's a good friend of mine who is a carpenter and a hell of a guitar player. He was super helpful with his ideas, advice, and knowledge. He also allowed me to use his shop if I promised not to hurt myself, and having the right tools is really the secret to getting a project done right.
So we bought some wood.
About 50 ft of poplar, 1.25" thick, and at least 5" wide, as this was the depth of my shelves to accomodate most pedal sizes both lying flat (lower shelves), or angled against the wall (higher shelves). I decided I needed to do "floating" shelves based on the vision, if the boards were protruding, they shouldn't have any brackets or shit in the way. I would achieve this by cutting the shelf into two pieces, one piece to anchor into the wall, and then fitting into the other piece with 5/8" pine dowels.
Next we cut the wood to some random lengths ranging from 2-4' long and a hair over 5" wide.
We used a joiner to smooth out the sides.
Then we ran them thru a drum sander. I felt like Lucy trying to keep up with the chocolates as these planks were coming out at me on the conveyer belt.
Then I used a drill press to make the 5/8" x 3" holes for the dowels. I could have used a hand held drill but I think the press was a way better idea, to ensure perfectly centered, even holes on every shelf and ensure I didn't drill through the top / bottom on a wacky angle. I drilled holes 4" from each side, then every 10-12" to ensure total support of the shelf when loaded with pedals. The dowels themselves were cut down to 3"
We then cut the pieces lengthwise to end up with a 1" wide strip and a 4" wide strip. From there I took the wood home for a bunch of sanding from 120 down to 220 grit.
I then used a series of stains on a scrap piece to see how many different shades I could create from 3 base colors. I thought they turned out great. The poplar had some really unique grain and color features that looked funky when the wood was raw, but they really look cool after staining.
I used a matte finish wax to seal em up so they retain the old worn look but are easy to dust down the road. From there I was ready to start mounting shelves. I wanted to have a random scattered appearance, but the fact that I had to fit 15 shelves, and accomodate some uniquely shaped and sized pedals made it a bit of a puzzle. I went with at least one 3" wood screw into a stud, then up to three drywall anchors / screws depending on the length of the shelf and how many studs I had access to. They're kinda overkill, but it was worth the extra peace of mind. So here's a shot of a "cleat" from a one of the 24" shelves. Countersunk screws to allow the shelf pieces to seamlessly join together. Perfectly level, of course.
And here's the other piece slid onto the dowels.
Did that another 14 times, test fitting random pedals and making slight adjustments to my layout along the way to account for those "hmm, that looks different in real life" moments.
And here's the finished project. I still have a bit of room for incoming pedals, and a limit on real estate to help keep the collection about this size, which is more than enough. In the end, I want this room to be a place where you can walk in grab a cool guitar, pick out some cool pedals, plug into your favorite kinda amp, and rock the F out. Not just me, but the hommies too. This is a great step in that direction.
but seriously so freakin awesome. Nice work mang