apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Our (Montreal) Home Depot cuts wood to size. Does yours? That's by far the easiest way to build in shelves.

leslie--

I had the same predicament with a closet that I converted into a shelf only closet -- odd angles and all. I actually ended up going to a small family run lumber yard in the city (chicago but there might be something similar in SF) to get the shelves cut -- they were really fantastic.

Home Depot is going to be worthless to you. Just put your request on craigslist under skilled labor with "HELP WANTED -- CARPENTER" in the title. SOmeone should do it for around $25 bucks and you mihgt get a nice ol woodworker to do it for free. I hire lots of people that way

I would measure out precisely what you want and bring it to Sierra Point Lumber or Beronio. They should be able to cut wood anyway you want. You might call first to check as well.

i'm assuming that the two angles are in the back, no? sort of like the top 1/2 of a stop sign (with uneven angles, of course). as a base, the elfa system is great -- it'll hold a ton of weight and has lots of accessories, so that would indeed make a good support. as for the top... with a sharp blade on your circular saw and tape on the seams (the tape helps to prevent chipping in laminate and splinters in veneer), you can cut laminate easily without damage -- and if it's on the back and sides, it won't matter as much. you can also easily re-face these edges if you want with hot-melt edge banding. you might also look to some of ikea's solid wood tabletops and countertops which might also serve as a good top for the desk, if that's your style (the pronomen looks like butcher block and is relatively cheap). since this is in the SF section, i'm assuming you're bay-area. if you'd want to venture out to concord, i'd be happy to cut it for you. you can also get a fairly inexpensive circular saw at the big box stores for under $50. hd.com has one for $40 free shipping (get a corded one -- you'll need the power and torque... cordless saws don't pack enough power)... bottom line is that you won't likely find a retail shop to do more than rough cuts and only at right angles -- nothing as custom as you need.

Discount Builders Supply at 1695 Mission St. sells and cuts wood. Great customer service, good prices, just try to go on a weekday -- it can be insane there on weekends.

I wouldn't have it cut offsite unless you create an exact template of your space at the level of the worktop because walls are never straight or on exact angles. If you do, the cuts will be off and you'll have gaps or worse, it simply won't fit.

(Home Improvement shows never show the carpenter making trips back and forth from the saw to the room making cuts for shelves and countertops...)

Hire a handyman to come in and do it onsite.

Discount Builders is one of my favorite homegrown San Francisco businesses. I believe they charge .50 per cut. I'd definitely spend some time on templates beforehand.

I agree with bepsf that an on-site saw and carpenter might work best for your situation, but if that's not an option, head over to Discount Builders on a weekday (avoid the weekday contractor rush from opening 'til about 10am too, if you can).

I'd agree with greeps.
Your best bet is to go on craigslist and post under Gigs.

Describe what you need done and ask for bids.
You may want to consider materials as well. A solid piece of plywood with a coat of stain will look great but also consider plyboo (bamboo plywood) - light, sturdy and gorgeous. MDF will work and is light but is cheap and shoddy looking.

Home depot will will also rent a table saw or circular saw for reasonable amount.