These are the 1x4 pallet boards that I picked up from a local farmer for 30 cents each. They are roughly 3/4" thick but some boards where a little thinner so I had to be a little picky when making the panels.

This is a picture of my trunk that I made out of the same lumber which inspired me to build the shelf.

Each of the shelf panels (top, bottom and sides) are all 8" wide and required 3 boards glued together to get the width needed. When picking the boards to make the panel, choose the flattest boards with the straightest edges. 

With the ends flush, I strike a line at 26" with my combination square.

I use a stop block jig at my miter saw to ensure that I will get the same length when I cut the boards for the top and bottom panels.

This is how I use the stop block. I push the board up against it and cut.

For the side panels I move the stop block in for 10" cuts.

This is the first doweling jig that I used in this project. It's really easy to use, mark a reference line across 2 boards and then line that line up with the white line on the doweling jig and drill.

I use a stop collar on my drill bit to make sure I don't drill too deep. The top/bottom panels get 3 dowels in each board and the side panels get 2. This is better explained in the video.

With the dowels drilled I put glue on the edges and in the dowel holes and clamp them up.

For the 90 degree joints I switch doweling jigs. I wanted to mention that you don't need 2 doweling jigs. I just used the other jig because it's faster for edge joining boards to make panels but when it comes to drilling holes on the faces of boards, it can't, so I switch to the milescraft doweling jig(http://amzn.to/2gpMAtr).

I use the self centering pins on the doweling jig to drill holes on the edge of the top/bottom panels.

I then place the jig over one of the dowels and slide the fence forward until it touches the board.

With the side board laying under the top panel, I drill the holes for the dowels on the face of the board, referencing the dowel holes in the bottom panel.

All 4 corners have dowels now.

Next I build the little "L" shaped bracket that will house the drawer. I cut the pieces to size at the table saw.

And just like before, I use the doweling jig to first drill holes in the edge of the smaller board and then reference those dowels for drilling on the larger bracket piece.

Time to glue up the bracket. I used titebond hide glue on the whole project.

And finally, to mount this bracket to the shelf, I drill 2 dowel holes on the bottom.

And the top.

To determine where I need to drill holes in the shelf panels, I use these little metal dowel alignment pins that slide into the dowel hole and have a centered point on the other end.

I put the bracket where I want it to go and give it a good tap.

These are the indentations that the alignment pins leave.

With the depth collar adjusted on my drill bit, I drill the holes for the dowels in the shelf.

Before gluing the shelf up, I sand everything with 180 grit sandpaper. This removes any lose dirt or grime, but leaves the rustic appearance.

The glue up on this case will need to be done in a certain order. I started by gluing the dowels in the ends of the top/bottom panels, then I glued on the right wall, then the L shaped bracket, top was next and then the left wall.

Threw a few clamps on to make sure everything came together.

While the glue was drying on the shelf, I cut 3 boards to length at the table saw for the top.

I didn't use dowels to reinforce the top because i'm going to glue the top to the shelf which doesn't need any support.

While everything was drying, I went ahead and cut my french cleat. I tilted my table saw blade to 45 degrees and rip a board in half.

To attach the cleat to the shelf, I first glued it in place and then used a few screws to reinforce it. Don't worry about the screws showing because the top gets glued on the shelf sub top which will hide the screw holes.

With everything dried, I go ahead and glue the top on just using the same hide glue.

With the top evenly spaced, I put a few clamps on to keep it in place until the glue dries.

I move on to the drawer and cut the boards to width at the table saw.

The drawer front has a groove on the ends that the drawer sides will be glued to, so to cut that, I use my miter gauge at the table saw and slowly remove the waste with multiple passes.

To cut the groove in the bottom of the drawer parts for the drawer bottom, I set my table saw fence to 1/4" and raise the saw blade to 1/8" and make a pass. I then move my fence over 1/8" and make another pass. This gave me a 1/4" groove 1/8" deep for the drawer bottom. Next I cut the drawer bottom to size at the table saw.

I apply glue to the grooves for the drawer sides

And clamp them up. When the glue dried, I cut the drawer back panel and glued it between the left and right drawer sides.

To reinforce the drawer joinery, I drilled an 1/8" hole and glued in brass pins. This not only makes it stronger, but the brass looks great with the cherry lumber.

I used a semi-gloss spar urethane from minwax on this project.

I brushed on 2 coats, without sanding in between.

And finally, I installed a brass knob on the drawer front.

To hang the shelf, I hung the french cleat on the wall, making sure to drill in to the studs.

And then slid the shelf over the french cleat. This is a great way to hang things like this. Thanks for checking my shelf out, I really appreciate it! Check out my YouTube channel where I post build videos like this.