Readymade is my favorite magazine and in each issue there are fun DIY projects that I always want to try for myself. This project reuses Ikea's Mackis magazine files to create a periodical table. So cute!
Todd Oldham
There are a lot of different magazines out there, and they come in as many shapes and sizes as they do topics. Whether you tend to hoard your issues forever, or just give them a quick flip, here’s a great way to store them.
THE INSPIRATION Artists Jeff Carter and Clay Ketter have been reimagining Ikea’s ubiquitous materials for quite some time. Today, more and more people are using bits and pieces they find at the Swedish retailer as raw material for creative projects (see ReadyMade’s Expedit Challenge on page 40). I followed suit and found the key ingredients for this filing system.
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION First I painted 11 Mackis magazine files in a fun palette and set them aside to dry. Next I cut the base and back out of ¾” plywood. The back measures 25 ½” x 25 ½”, and the base is 25 ½” x 9 ¾”. If you don’t have a table saw, your local lumberyard can make the cuts for you. I attached the back to the base by screwing up through the base with 2 ¼” drywall screws. For extra reinforcement, you could use angle brackets with ½” screws. I thought the Sigfrid shelving brackets would make nice legs, so I attached them to the underside of the base. The front legs face forward and the back legs face out to the sides so the unit can sit flush against a wall. With the unit on its back, I arranged the 11 magazine files in a grid and affixed seven of them to the back piece with wood glue and ½” screws with finishing washers. I left the four bottom ones loose so they can be pulled in and out, which is great for those magazines you return to over and over.
There are a lot of different magazines out there, and they come in as many shapes and sizes as they do topics. Whether you tend to hoard your issues forever, or just give them a quick flip, here’s a great way to store them.
THE INSPIRATION Artists Jeff Carter and Clay Ketter have been reimagining Ikea’s ubiquitous materials for quite some time. Today, more and more people are using bits and pieces they find at the Swedish retailer as raw material for creative projects (see ReadyMade’s Expedit Challenge on page 40). I followed suit and found the key ingredients for this filing system.
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION First I painted 11 Mackis magazine files in a fun palette and set them aside to dry. Next I cut the base and back out of ¾” plywood. The back measures 25 ½” x 25 ½”, and the base is 25 ½” x 9 ¾”. If you don’t have a table saw, your local lumberyard can make the cuts for you. I attached the back to the base by screwing up through the base with 2 ¼” drywall screws. For extra reinforcement, you could use angle brackets with ½” screws. I thought the Sigfrid shelving brackets would make nice legs, so I attached them to the underside of the base. The front legs face forward and the back legs face out to the sides so the unit can sit flush against a wall. With the unit on its back, I arranged the 11 magazine files in a grid and affixed seven of them to the back piece with wood glue and ½” screws with finishing washers. I left the four bottom ones loose so they can be pulled in and out, which is great for those magazines you return to over and over.
