Circular Shelf Unit With Integrated Infinity Mirror.
Introduction: Circular Shelf Unit With Integrated Infinity Mirror.
YouTube video of the above in action!
This project started out of interest in LED lighting and the effects using RGB LEDs. Many websites show amazing possibilities that can be achieved by combining these with mirrors and integrating with furniture. So I figured I would give it a go for my living room.
Step 1: Parts Required.
- 76 cm x 1 metre Silver Reflective Window Film e.g. available on Amazon here.
- A large circular mirror, preferably 60 cm diameter with a trim/boarder depth of around 6 cm e.g. Available at Argos here.
- A 3 mm thick and 595 mm diameter circular clear acrylic disc e.g. available at www.plasticsheets.com here.
- RGB LED strip 2 metre length with remote control e.g. available on Amazon here.
- Two sheets of 3 mm hardboard size 2440 mm x 1220 mm e.g.available at Wickes here.
- 32 wood screws e.g. available at Wickes here.
- 1.5 Litres of PVA wood glue e..g. available on Amazon here.
- Double sided adhesive tape (optional) e.g. available on Amazon here.
- Suitable wooden post for the shelf unit to sit on (its heavy!!) e.g. 5 cm x 8 cm x 63 cm
- Eight lengths of wood approx 17 mm x 15 cm x 33 cm
- Screws for post to attach to wall and raw plugs
- Couple of angle brackets to fix to the wall e.g. available on Amazon here.
- 8 screws and raw plugs for angle brackets.
Step 2: Tools Needed:
- A minimum of two G clamps, more the better (i used clothes pegs!)
- Sand paper
- Drill
- 2 mm drill bit + countersink bit (or large drill bit)
- Brush for spreading glue
- Wood file
- Wood plane
- Suitable screwdriver for your screws
- Wood chisel
- Tape measure
- Pencil
Step 3: Cutting the Hardboard.
When you pick up the two hardboard sheets ask the store to cut it up for you according to the two plans shown above. Otherwise you have a lot of awkward cutting to do!
Step 4: Laminating the Outer Circle
The outer circle of the shelf is made from the twelve 3 mm hardboard strips 150 mm x 2140 mm. These strips are glued on top of each other to reach a laminated thickness of 18 mm (six layers of hardboard). Start by making a circle by bending two strips into semicircles that join together to form an almost perfect circle of around 128 cm diameter. Make sure that one of the strips overlaps on the outside of the circle at both ends by 5 cm, the other strip is on the inside at both ends and it’s smooth side is showing inside the circle, rough side is on the outside. Hold in place with plenty of glue and G clamps, lay it on the floor (do not stand it upright or hang it as it will distort) or a large table and allow the glue to set overnight.
Once the glue has set overnight, place a third strip on the inside of the circle, cut it to size so that the inside of the shelf is formed without any 3 mm step. Ensure the smooth side of the hardboard is showing and then use plenty of glue to fix into place. As before, clamp and allow the glue to set overnight.
Now you can continue adding layers to the outside of the circle in a similar fashion.. Remember to glue the final layer so that the smooth side of the hardboard is showing.
I found that when the outer circle was completed some of the laminates were not flush (different heights) around the circumference. So out came the wood plane and sandpaper to smooth out the irregular laminates. It helped make the finished result look like solid wood.
Step 5: Laminating the Inner Circle
The procedure for the inner circle is the same as for the outer circle but use the remaining twelve shorter strips of hardboard. Its a good idea to have the 60 cm mirror handy at this point so that you can bend the first two strips around it. Try to make the inside of the inner circle approx 61 cm diameter so that there is a small gap between it and the circumference of the mirror. You will need this gap to allow for any slight distortion of the inner circle whilst laminating it and for the next step of fixing the eight shelves around it (i made the mistake of hanging the partially laminated inner circle on a door handle whilst the glue was not fully set..the result was no longer a perfect circle!).
Finish laminating the six layers and as with the outer circle, smooth out any irregular laminates around the circumference with a wood plane and/or sandpaper.
Step 6: Attach the Eight Shelves
For the shelves I used what i had laying around in the shed and hence cut eight lengths of 17 mm x 150 mm redwood (i guess you could laminate more hardboard to make these if you do not have any wood/ply/chipboard etc… laying around) to fit around the circles at 45 degree intervals. See image above. They were all approx 33 cm long – lengths varied due to a slightly imperfect inner circle. If your inner and outer circles are perfect then great:-) I am jealous..lol..However, before you go ahead and cut the eight shelves all exactly the same length, place the inner circle into the center of the outer circle and measure up the lengths for all eight shelves; take note of which shelf goes where and exactly how long it should be. Mark with a pencil where they will be fitted on the inner and outer circle too.
The shelves can be fixed by drilling countersunk 2 mm pilot holes through the outer and inner circles, two screws at each joint (32 screws in total).
Step 7: Sanding and Paint
Once constructed it can be sanded and painted with three or four coats of wood paint. The photo above shows the end result, whilst waiting for the paint to dry, with a support in the centre since i was worried that the weight of the whole unit might cause some distortion. It was fine:-)
At the bottom left of the photo is the painted wood post that takes the weight of the shelf once fixed to the wall – its really heavy!