Hanging Microwave Shelf

My little kitchen doesn't have a lot of counter space so I came up with this cheap, easy, and sturdy shelf to hang my microwave under a countertop or cabinet. This shelf could also easily be adapted for other appliances or storage.

The materials cost about $25 total, including having the plywood cut to size. Putting it all together took less than an hour.

Feel free to ask me questions and if you like my instructable please vote for me in the small spaces contest. :)

Tools
Drill w/ drill bits
Adjustable wrench
Tape measure
Pencil

Materials
1/2" plywood board cut about 4" wider than your microwave
4 eyelet bolts that are 2-4" longer than the height of your microwave
4 heavy duty screw hooks*
4 lock nuts to fit the eyelet bolts
4 regular nuts if your eyelet bolts didn't come with some already (mine did so I didn't need to buy more)
8 washers to fit the eyelet bolts
1 Microwave

*The under side of the counter where I hung the shelf was solid wood, which is why I could use simple screw hooks. If you're going to hang your shelf from a softer material (like drywall), you may want to get put in some sort of anchors first.

Now you need to measure the underside of your counter/cabinet where you're going to hang the shelf so that you can figure out the proper placement of the holes for the hanging support assemblies (hook, bolt, washers) on the plywood board. I estimated that I wanted my holes to be centered at 1" and 9.5" from the wall.

Now, lay down your plywood board and put your microwave on it in the same position that it will be in when it's all hung up. Then use your tape measure to mark the hole placements on board with a pencil. Repeat for the other side. I put my holes about an inch from the edge, but in hindsight, I would have placed my holes a bit closer in. You'll see why in the last step.

Choose a drill bit the same exact size as the thickness of your eyelet bolts and drill all the way through the board in all four corners.

First, mark the underside of the counter or cabinet where you're hanging the shelf with the location for the screws. I did this by just putting the board in place up against the underside of the counter and sticking a pencil through the holes I drilled in the last step.

Next, screw in the hooks. You can use brute force or drill starter holes first, which is what I did. Make sure to use a drill bit slightly smaller than the hooks. Twist the hooks so that they open towards the outside.

For this step you'll need the eyelet bolts, washers, and nuts. You're going to tightly sandwich your board between the washers and nuts to make sure it doesn't wiggle around too much.

Attach the whole assembly to the board in this order from the top of the shelf (see photo):

Eyelet bolt
Regular nut
Washer
Plywood board
Washer
Lock nut

Once you've got all the hanging supports assembled to the board, tighten the nuts using your adjustable wrench. Now it's ready to be hung!

Hang the shelf by attaching the eyelet holes to the hooks. Notice how mine is a bit crooked in the first photo? Well all I needed to do was use my wrench to tighten or loosen the nuts to move the corners of the shelf up and down. You can also see in the first photo that the washers hang off the edge of the shelf a bit. This is why I would have placed the holes a bit farther in. Ah, hindsight.

Now stick in your microwave and you're ready to start nuking those leftovers! (or, have you ever tried zapping Peeps?)