Custom-Made Shelves Can't Be Beat!

[Goodwill Hunter]

My favorite vacation of the year is the week of July 4th. My family and I stay home, enjoy our house, backyard pool (sized up to 12' this year!), and go to Summerfest and a few parades. I also take the opportunity to make any furniture or shelving we need in the house. This year I made 2 shelving units for my gameroom. I'm starting to run out of space, but the units pictured below have given me at least a few months of breathing space.

 

The first is a replacement for the ancient cabinet I had holding some systems next to my entertainment center. As you can see, it couldn't hold a 5200, and left a lot of wasted wall space above it:

 

 

I actually built 2 parts, a set of NES shelves out of 1" x 6" pine and a console rack out of plywood, and bolted them together to make the unit. In addition to the scads of NES games I was able to unbox and display...there's now room for my 5200, Gamecube, TG-16 w/ CD expansion and a system to be named later.

 

The second unit was needed to house my growing Genesis collection. It had long since outgrown the custom unit (on the left) I had built 2 years ago, and also had (awkwardly) filled a pressboard bookshelf as well. The games had to be stacked vertically to fit in the bookshelf, and were a pain to get to. So I duplicated the spacing of the first unit, and extended some shelves to hold the other junk in my room (most notably the custom-made neon I picked up at a rummage last month for $5.00!)

 

 

I'm now storing my PS2 & GC games in the bottom of the original unit, with room to further expand my Genesis collection. Some of my McFarlane figures will soon be joining Mr. Moon (Buzz Lightyear's days may be numbered though).

 

Using stain, hardware and backing boards I already had around the house, both projects cost about $80.00 total in new wood, and took about 16 hours of total construction time over 4 days. In terms of efficiently using available space, it's hard to beat shelving you make to your own specifications. That makes 8 custom units in my gameroom now (if you count the closet I converted to shelving), the ceiling may be next!

 

Measuring twice and cutting once (Thanks, Dad!),

Rich

[Mendon]

I'm envious as hell... nice room and nice collection!!!

 

Mendon

[RMila75]

Very nice job indeed! There's nothing like custom wood work.

I've got plans to try something similar when we get around to finishing the basement...someday....

But the wife will insist I put in something with cabinet doors on the front to hide the clutter.

[Ze_ro]

Nice! I've been thinking off and on about doing something like this too, although I'm not much of a carpenter. Normal bookcases seem thoroughly inadequate for video games since they're just too deep to work well.

 

What I'd REALLY like to do is make a cabinet with swing-out doors. The swing out doors would be deep enough that both the outside and inside could be used as shelves. Due to their size, they'd probably have to have wheels on the bottom to move properly. In the image I attached, the circles are where the swing-outs are hinged. This is just a quick drawing of course. You'd need quite a bit of space to account for the swing-radius of the doors, but since it would only be holding video games, they wouldn't have to be overly deep.

 

--Zero

[Gregory DG]

What I'd REALLY like to do is make a cabinet with swing-out doors. The swing out doors would be deep enough that both the outside and inside could be used as shelves.

 

I have something like that I got (I think) at Wal*Mart...

 

 

The only thing I don't like is that there aren't enough shelves.

[Sanriostar]

I've always found Chest of drawers and LP Record shelves to be my best storage solution. Drawers can hold many carts label up, and Record shelves display systems nicley.

[justice_is_blind]

Odd-Job's.

[Brian R.]

^Hey, that's the same CD storage unit I have! And I've got it sitting in the middle of the top of my entertainment center, too, also flanked by my stereo speakers!! I've never seen anyone else with one. I got that thing so long ago. I remember you were supposed to have been able to buy more "levels" to make it bigger, but I could never find any.

 

Ah, the age-old problem of video game storage. I had some custom wood storage crates made for my 2600 games - I have two that hold 50 carts each, one holds 25. Two I had made by a ladder company that had a side business making wood crates for college kids. With these, each cart fits in a slot.

 

Only other real storage units I use are the Videomatics you used to be able to find at WalMart. They hold carts for multiple systems. I use 'em for my Jaguar carts, although that's the one system they weren't advertised to be used with - go figure! But since they're about the size of Genesis carts, they fit.

 

No, wait, that's not the only storage I've got. I've got several of those 8-cart Atari binders... they're holding my 7800 carts. I've also got one of those padded brief-case like things for my Lynx, and it has space for the game cards.

[MegaManFan]

May I officially say, those cabinets are SWEET. I hope I can get something nice in our home for the rec room like that - all I've got now is storage boxes and cheap self-assembly bookshelves that barely hold everything.

[Jasoco]

I'd take some pics of what little I have, but most of the systems are in my brothers room right now. I have to rip it all out and start over anyway.

[Defiance131]

Nice shelves!!!

 

I just moved bigferret's Atari collection into a new bookshelf since he scored big at the Trading Post today (naturally, I was there when a guy brought in 165 carts, an Atari Jr. and what looked to be a Heavy Sixer). Our new computer room is dedicated to games, our Macs and my extensive toy collection.

 

Even after we finish setting up our new room I have a feeling it won't be worthy next to Rich's shrine to gaming goodness. Then again, we might have a fighting chance if I'd get off my butt and do some more unpacking...