Exceed / Guilty Gear Board Game Kallax Shelf Organiser

Print settings:

Project file provided as reference for the settings I have used. You can toggle object visibility and arrange on plate to print the project bit by bit.

Designed for printing with 0.6mm nozzle to speed up the process, but 0.4mm should work just fine. Recommended with PLA for extra rigidity, though should be sturdy enough for PETG too. As most of the print is solid walls, 10% infill should be enough. A single full kallax cube will use approximately 1.3kg of filament. 

A few elements need supports (indicated in file names). The shelves only need supports for a small raised corner in the bottom when placed facing up on the plate. For the bases, snug supports are a good fit, but organic should work too. A thin prying tool makes removing these very easy as they have a long and flat interface with the print, so you can just jam something in the middle and they split clean.

Additional notes:

Individual section measures just under 165x87mm and can fit 6 decks. Shelves stack really well, so they could be used outside of a kallax in different configurations, or only fill part of a kallax cube if desired. The assembly guide will assume a single full kallax cube is built.

There are several extra steps you can take to ensure the shelves are fixed to the kallax and to each other, removing any wobbling. However, if you are not too bothered, you can skip these and save yourself some assembly. 

If you are using any solution with screws/nuts/bolts be gentle. Finger tight is definitely tight enough, any more is likely to damage the print. 

Options from simplest to most complex:

1. Shelves only (not recommended): The shelves slot into each other and that's it. Might become unstable if unevenly filled and will slide around.
-No extra fasteners required
-Print Shelf x8
-A single connecting plate could be added to stop the two stacks of shelves from moving apart, but requires 4 bolts and 4 nuts, more details below. 

2. Shelves and fixed base (recommended simple solution): The base is attached to the kallax either using medium command strips, or screwed directly into the wood. The shelves slide onto the bases. This and below solutions require a size 3 hex key that has at least 65mm reach (thin hex screwdriver is ideal).
-Print Shelf x8, Base x2, Alignment Jig x2, Jig Connector x1
-4x medium command strip pairs OR 8x M3x6mm countersunk flat-head screws (length can be different depending how thick of a base you are drilling them into, but 6mm is good for kallax)
-4x M3x8mm socket head bolts, 4x M3 hex nuts

3. Shelves bolted to a fixed base and fixed top: The top of the shelves is attached to the top of the kallax, limiting the shelf wobble when placing or removing decks from top shelf.
-Print Shelf x8, Base x2, Alignment Jig x2, Jig Connector x1, Top Bracket x1
-4x medium command strip pairs OR 8x M3x6mm countersunk flat-head screws (as above)
-6x M3x8mm socket head bolts, 6x M3 hex nuts, 2x M3x6mm countersunk flat head screws, piece of sticky tape

4. Full assembly: All shelves are attached to their neighbours and cannot be disconnected without undoing bolts.
-Print Shelf x8, Base x2, Alignment Jig x2, Jig Connector x1, Top Bracket x1, Connecting Plate x3
-4x medium command strip pairs OR 8x M3x6mm countersunk flat-head screws (as above)
-18x M3x8mm socket head bolts, 18x M3 hex nuts, 2x M3x6mm countersunk flat head screws, piece of sticky tape

Examples of fasteners used:
Medium Command Strips https://amzn.eu/d/6oB65QM
M3x8mm socket head bolts https://amzn.eu/d/bqbZHdu
M3 hex nuts https://amzn.eu/d/eSipKby
M3x8mm countersunk flat-head screws https://amzn.eu/d/1M3uSWX

Assembly instructions:
Full instructions provided below. If going with option 1, you don't need instructions, the shelves should just slide into each other and that's you done. For other options skip over parts of instructions that are not relevant to your build.

1. Bases:
If planning to bolt the shelves to the base, insert x2 hex nuts per base at this stage. Push them in with flat screwdriver or a hex key until they align with the hole.

If using command strips, pair them up, making sure they are as flush as possible and glue them into the base slots (x2 per base)

Connect the two parts of the fitting jig by snapping the connector over the middle. The left and right edges of the jig show you where the edges of the assembled shelf will be. The small lip at the front marks the spot the decks stick out to (red arrows). Meaning when its hooked on the edge of the kallax it should give you the right position for the decks to be flush with the kallax. The jig also lets you make sure your bases are centred in the cube by looking at the gap between the jig and the kallax on both sides (blue arrows).

If using command strips you might want to practice placing the base into the jig before you remove the film from the bottom. Once happy to proceed, remove the film, push down the jig to stop it from moving and place the base in the jig, beginning with the edge closest to you. After the first base is glued down, do the same with the second. It should be easier as the first base will now hold the horizontal position of the jig. 

If using screws, you can simply place the bases into the jig, make sure everything is aligned, and mark the spots for pilot holes. Be careful when drilling into kallax shelves, as they are thin and it's easy to drill all the way through. Removing games on the other side will prevent any damage to them in case you go to far. Afterwards, you can screw down the bases. Keep them in the jig to help them stay aligned in case the pilot holes are not perfectly centred. 

Both bases should now be fixed. This is a good time to make sure they are fitted correctly and don't need adjustment. You can slide the first level of shelves onto them to ensure everything is aligned and fits. You can place a few decks on to check if they are flush with the shelves.


 

2. Top bracket:

The top bracket has wide channels for the hex nut to account for height variation in kallax cubes. As such, the nuts are not fixed to the plate and tape is used to hold them in place. 

Bolt the bracket to the top of one of the shelf modules. Don't tighten it fully, as the nut still needs to be able to move so it can be positioned in a correct spot for the bracket to reach the top of the kallax. Place a single full height stack of the shelves with the bracket attached at the top onto the base plate. The second image here uses the right hand side stack, but the other bracket fitting images assume you start with the left. Sorry for the confusion.

You can now push the bracket up so it touches the kallax in its intended fixing position. It's a good idea to verify the fit by placing a few decks in the shelf and checking if they are flush with the rest of the kallax. Once happy with placement, mark where you need to drill the bracket hole that is not currently blocked by the shelf. A screw can be used for this by pressing it in hard enough to leave a little indent. 

You can now remove the shelves and drill a small pilot hole for the screw in the marked spot. Unscrew the bracket from the shelves. At this point you will probably see that the hex nuts are misaligned. Using a hex key, you can slide the nut that wasn't used to be roughly at the same height as the other. This will help with attaching the other side of the shelving once the bracket is fitted to the kallax. Finally, you can screw the bracket into the pilot hole.

The final step is to get the correct position for the other hole. You can place a full stack of shelves on the side of the bracket that is screwed in and press the bracket against the back of the shelf to make sure it is flat against it. This should give you the correct placement to mark the second hole. You can remove the shelves, rotate the bracket out of the way to drill the second hole, then rotate it back into position and screw it in.

You should now double check that the hex nuts correctly align with the holes in the shelves. If they are not, now is the time to slightly slide them up or down with a small hex key. 

If you are planning to use connecting plates, they will be attached next, before you fix the shelves to the top bracket. Otherwise, you are done and can attach it now. Be gentle when putting the bolts in, as it is easy to push them out of their slots if the tape is not very sticky.
 

3. Connecting Plates

The connecting plates add extra rigidity to the shelving by providing a strong connection between four adjacent shelves. They can be especially handy if not using the top bracket. They will keep neighbouring stacks from moving apart, or independently wobbling. They will also stop the shelves from being able to slide off of each other without removing the bolts.

You will need 4 bolts and nuts per plate used.

The plates can be bolted to the shelves from either side, as both sides have slots that fit either a hex nut or a bolt head. This guide covers how to do it with bolts being inserted from the plate side. This requires more dexterity when inserting the nuts, but will be a lot easier to bolt in. You might find it easier to place the nuts in the plates and just bolt them down from the front. 

Whichever way you choose, an important tip when inserting the nuts is to use bolts to help with placing them in straight and pulling them in tight. You can place a bolt in the hole and use it to keep the nut from going into the slot at an angle. 

Once the nut is in the slot, you can tighten the bolt to pull the nut all the way in. Do not use too much force, they just need to be tight and the plastic can break easily. You can now remove the bolt and move on to the next nut.
 

Once all the nuts are in, you can line up the shelves, place the plates connecting the corners and bolt them in. You can now slide the whole shelving unit onto the bases. The last step is to place bolts into the bottom slots to fix the bottom shelves to the bases and to the top centre slots to fix the top shelves to the bracket if used.