Hot answers tagged shelving
19
I'd use plywood with a thicker piece of hardwood glued onto the front edge. This gives you very good strength. Here is an online calculator I use to find what kind of materials you can use and the amount of sag you will have. Here's a good quote from the author of the site.
“The eye will notice a deflection of 1/32″ per running foot.”
The sagulator
15
"Not square" can mean two different things: not a right-angle, or rounded.
If the walls are not at right angles, you can use a T-bevel to measure the angle between the walls. If you don't have a T-bevel, you can hold a piece of light cardboard against one wall and fold it so the crease is against the other, which you can use as a template for cutting the ...
12
Strong and light and cheap? Take a look at torsion box construction.
Granted it's not exactly thin but as @Joe mentioned, getting all four of those qualities is a tall order.
12
You could use a keyhole router bit to cut keyhole slots in the back to hang it.
Another option would be to use a french cleat. Either buy a metal one that could attach to the back of the shelf or integrate one into the wood back. Here is a discussion of french cleat techniques.
8
I just had another random thought on this ...
hollow door blanks.
Yes, it's thicker, and you'd have to get them just the right length, as you can't trim 'em down too much, but the construction would make it quite stiff ... it's actually similar to the honeycomb idea ... the honeycomb isn't to give strength, it's to make sure that the top and bottom layer ...
8
You could try a plywood shelf with a run of EMT or other rigid pipe underneath. Hang the pipe with some closet flanges, and then lay the shelf on top of those.
To cover it up, you could paint the pipe, and cover the front of the shelf with a face frame.
8
There are jigs available at woodwork supply stores to do just what you need, along with special drill bits that will go the proper depth, since you're dealing with existing holes, you might need to find one that will line up with those.
8
Do you need more shelves, or do you just need one of the existing shelves to be at a different height?
If it's the latter, it may be easier for you to add some supports underneath one of the existing shelves like this:
The supports should run the depth of the cabinet, and you can attach them with command strips or double-sided tape. Be careful removing ...
8
You want strong and cheap and light and thin? You're asking for a lot.
You can get lighter by making a laminated shelf with honeycomb in between ... but it won't be that cheap, or all that thin.
You can get cheap and light by adding a couple of stringers along the bottom as stiffeners, but it won't be all that thin. You could use something other than ...
7
Several different factors weigh in to what size of board you need.
Weight - Definitely the major factor.
Stud spacing - I'm assuming you've got standard 16" OC studs, and that you're attaching the support board to every one it spans.
Location of Mounting Points - The closer the mounts for the shelving are to centered between studs, the higher the bending ...
7
Unsupported 1x12 over a 5' span will sag (even under its own weight). As an alternative you could get some of these shelf tracks (~$2.25/track)
and some 12" brackets (~$1.30/brace)
and then lay your 1x12's on top to make the shelves. This option also allows you to easily adjust the shelves up and down, to suit your needs.
If you want to make the ...
7
Echoing Steven's answer, I wouldn't do kitchen cabinets either. I would get/build a real workbench that can hold 100's of lbs on the surface.
If you aren't up to building your own, you can buy some nice-looking kits from Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, or Sam's Club. Maybe start with a ready-made workbench as the core of your workshop, and build the remaining ...
7
Depending upon how large the grout lines are I would carefully drill through those with a masonry bit, and then use plastic anchors and fasten shelf brackets with screws. Use enough brackets to support the size shelf you need. Then, if the shelf ever needs to come down the holes in the grout lines can be repaired easily.
7
Shelf construction
If the shelf has its front open edge positioned such that at each four feet the cable would go up to a separate roof truss than I think that you have a workable system. Make sure that your 2x3's under the outer shelf edges are placed to that the nominal "3" inch dimension is vertical.
Hardware
Note that the lowest cost eyebolts, known ...
7
If the shelf is thick and deep enough, you could use a "concealed floating support bracket". I purchased some from eBay here. My picture of it below.
This particular one needs a 12mm diameter hole drilled in the shelf, about 100mm deep, to accept the long supporting pin. You'd also need to cut out some of the back of the shelf to embed the mounting ...
6
Put shelf boards on horizontal rods of steel which are set into drilled holes in the wall, with the rods perpendicular to the length of the shelf. Grooves may be cut in the bottom of the boards to fixate them on the rods. Depending on the thickness of the boards, you may even be able to hide the rods. Yay! Magic Shelf!
This will only work if your wall is ...
6
150 lbs is a very heavy set of shelves, unless the bottom sits on the floor and you only need to secure it to the wall so it won't tip forward. In any case, there is no written limit on weight, but a lot of common sense has to be used in this case. You will want to know what the rating of the "L" brackets are and if strong enough to hold your load. They ...
6
The limit is effectively defined by brackets and fixings you use and the type of wall you are fixing it to.
Make sure you get brackets and screws that can take the expected weight (plus a little bit more).
If you've got a brick/breeze block wall then (generally) the longer and fatter (size) the screw the more load it can bear - as long as you've used the ...
6
Brick-and-board shelves are more of a makeshift, anything-goes project. However:
Securing the shelving to the wall is a good idea, especially in an earthquake-prone area.
Putting the bricks all in vertical lines will stop the boards from bending as much.
Cinder blocks are a good choice, as the stacks for bricks can topple.
6
55 inches is a rather long span for a 12 inch wide shelf that is supported on the ends and back side by the wall. One way that you could provide some more support for the shelves would be to add some center front supports for the shelves working up from the floor to the top shelf.
5
You could try some "No Nails" or equivalent, though as you say it shouldn't be necessary.
The size of screw you are using will determine the size of the anchor you use. This in turn will determine the size of hole you drill.
The anchor should fit snugly into the hole and even require a light tap with a small hammer to ensure it fits flush with the surface. ...
5
I would make my own jig to do this.
Take a small piece of wood. Drill two holes of the same diameter as the hole for the support in the wood. Make the distance between these holes to be exactly the desired distance between your holes.
Now, buy a small piece of round metal rod from your local hardware store, the same diameter as the hold to be drilled. (My ...
5
Bamboo is not as straight & controlled as traditional lumber, but its strength is outstanding over large spans.
In the town I used to live (Redmond WA), there was a bamboo farm where they sold bamboo just like lumber at a lumber store. Out of curiosity I used it in place of traditional wood in many projects, and I have to say, I am amazed.
For example ...
5
Check out this site : http://www.msrlumber.org or http://www.msrlumber.org/spantables.pdf it has all the answers to spans for most applications. There are several good sites that have tables, just google "lumber strengths".
5
A wooden shelf that is cantilevered 3 inches or so out from the end of a bracket will probably survive some load. But stack too much of a load on it (a pantry, canned food is heavy!) and even wood will crack. Particle board is very likely to fail of course as it has very little real strength.
A shorter bracket will often be designed for a smaller load. ...
4
I don't believe the thickness of the cleat is as critical as the type of wall anchor being used. The cleat holds the cabinet in place, but it's the anchors which are really bearing the weight. I would make my decision based on the type of wall material holding the cabinet and use an anchor rated for the expected weight of the cabinet for that particular ...
4
Cheap, super strong, and hidden...that's going to be tough.
Given that equation, you'll have to sacrifice somewhere and I'd suggest investing in a lot of time and labor.
I'd look into taking down all the sheetrock/plaster. Then reinforce the studs with custom metal places that have welded-in-place i-beam brackets. The plates would then be bolted to the ...
4
Go to the hardware store and pick up a miter box and; if it doesn't come with one, a back saw. While your there pick up a set of chisels, that's really all you need to make the shelves.
Here is a good description of how to cut the rabbet by hand using a back saw.
Warning: You may want to practice on some scrap wood until you feel comfortable.
If you ...
4
Don't use brackets. use two by threes to make shelves of the size you want. frame with them edge up and screw 1/2' or 3/4" plywood on top. bolt the back edge into every stud. every five or six feet on the edge furthest from the wall bolt in another 2 by three that is oriented vertically and goes all the way to the floor. I support a very large amount of ...
4
Ply is good in shear, helping the door from racking.
I would use euro style hinges, meant for frameless cabinets. They will transfer the door weight better than simple butt hinges. They also have 3 way adjustments for compensating for sagging over time. Just be sure to start out with a good gap and room for the hinge to adjust up.
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
