Hello everyone, I am planning to assemble several Billy shelves from IKEA soon and want to prepare well in advance. Which tools do you think are best suited for assembling these shelves? I am interested in both the tools for the actual assembly (such as screwdrivers, cordless drills, etc.) and accessories that can make the work easier, like angle guides or special aids. Are there any tools that can be skipped or that aren’t really necessary? Thanks in advance for your helpful advice!
For assembling BILLY shelves, a cordless screwdriver with a Phillips bit has proven to be essential. The cordless screwdriver allows for significantly faster and less tiring work compared to a traditional screwdriver. Additionally, a Phillips screwdriver should be used for fine adjustments or tightening, as the cordless screwdriver can sometimes apply too much torque and damage the material. A small hammer can be useful for gently tapping in the small dowels. Squares or similar tools are not strictly necessary, as the shelves are usually pre-assembled and quite self-explanatory.
I agree with RENMA but would like to add that it is useful to also have a spirit level and possibly a tape measure on hand. Especially when mounting shelves on the wall, accurate alignment is important to prevent them from being crooked. For wall mounting, a drill and suitable wall anchors are necessary, depending on the wall material. For assembly only, without wall mounting, a cordless screwdriver and the included tools are usually sufficient.
A few tips from my experience: The included Allen key is usually only needed for specific screws, but assembly goes much faster with a good cordless drill/driver that has adjustable torque settings. This helps prevent damage to particle boards or edges. When drilling for wall mounting, using the correct drill bit size for the anchors is crucial; otherwise, the shelf won’t be securely fixed. It’s also recommended to check the position of the shelves with a square before final tightening. In summary: the main tools are a cordless drill/driver, hammer, spirit level, drill, and tape measure; the rest are optional helpers.
For assembly of the BILLY shelves, a cordless screwdriver with adjustable torque control is recommended, along with a medium-quality Phillips screwdriver bit (PH2), a hammer for plugs and light tapping tasks, as well as a spirit level and measuring tape. The torque control should not be underestimated to avoid damage to the relatively thin particleboard panels. When drilling for wall brackets, selecting the appropriate drill bits and plugs according to the wall type is important.
Similar topics