I have been salvaging random things since we moved into this home a year ago and realized that the previous owner had left heaps of junk. Two tattered iron wagon wheels were among the hoard. I’ve wanted to repurpose the pair since their discovery, but was having trouble finding motivation. With warmer Spring weather creeping in, I’ve had time to stare and ponder, and finally decided that I needed to use one wheel for a circle shelf DIY project.
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Before
You don’t have to go hunting for an old wagon wheel to follow this circle shelf DIY tutorial. These steps would work for any circular piece of salvage you can get your hands on.
This is the condition that I found the wheel in. The wooden inner wheel was falling apart, so it couldn’t be used in its original state. I easily gutted it by using wire cutters to snip the wires holding the wood to the outer iron ring.
Bath Time
My outer iron ring needed a good cleaning before it could even consider moving into my home. Using dish soap and warm water, I gave it a scrub.
Also, I ended up giving it a coat of stain blocking spray paint. Black chalk paint was used as a topcoat. I used the chalk paint only because I already had it, and I like that matte black finish. I chose to paint for a less rustic look.
Measure
I measured out roughly how long my boards needed to be based on where I wanted my shelves. Then I measured and marked exactly where I wanted the top of my shelves to be.
To make it easier to measure accurately, I scooted my wheel against a wall and used that to find equal points on my wheel. For my lower shelf, I measured and marked 11 inches from the wall on either side of my wheel.
Fitting the DIY Circle Shelves
For the shelving, I used a couple wood pieces I cut off of a salvaged pallet. I’m just sticking with the salvage/free theme through and through.
First, I trimmed my boards using the rough measurement from the wheel. I made sure my boards were slightly longer than they needed to be.
Next, I laid the boards on top of the wheel, lining them up with the marks I made earlier. With my pencil under the boards, I traced a line along the board using the edge of the wheel as a guide. This will give you the angle at which the boards need to be trimmed.
Make sure the boards are level and lined up correctly before you trace your line. The boards are cut to size using the traced line as a guide.
Sand, Stain & Glue
The shelves were given a quick sand and a wipe down with some golden oak stain. The rough, rustic look of the wood is what I was going for. Spend more time sanding if you want your wood to have a smoother finish.
After recently being converted to a believer in the strength of glue, I decided to attach my shelves using E6000 commercial grade glue. I would highly recommend having a container of this around as a DIY staple.
Once the glue was liberally applied to the ends of my shelves, I put them into place. The shelves need to be pretty snug inside the wheel. Tapping with them with a hammer seemed to help jam them down, but ultimately, I cut some scrap wood and wedged it between the shelves to hold them firmly in place as the glue dried.
Give the glue several hours to dry before moving your project. After about four hours, I was able to set my wheel up against the wall, where I added even more glue around the ends of the shelves, into any slight crack and around the seems.
A Hefty DIY Hanger
I went out of my way to assure that this giant iron wheel shelf would no fall off the wall and kill or maim one of my precious babes.
Some tips for safely hanging a circle shelf are to make sure you have a hanger that can bear the appropriate weight load, and find a stud to attach it to.
I went to my local hardware store and picked up a five inch lag bolt. The 50-60 pounds of iron wagon wheel will be nothing for this puppy.
To find studs in the wall, you will need a stud finder. These are a great tool to have around, and I use mine all the time. Using a wrench, I drove my lag bolt into the stud behind my wall.
Thank goodness I have been lifting weights, heaving this beast onto the wall was no easy task. And no, of coarse I couldn’t wait until my husband got home, because patience is not a virtue…………….. that I have mastered.
Fill Your Circle
This circle shelf DIY ended up being easy, and I was happy to put at least one wagon wheel to good use. Because this circle shelf will likely end up being the home to mostly candles and plants, it works perfectly here in this bright corner of our living room.
Find more DIY home decor inspiration HERE!
