cheap bookshelf; 4 LOOSE plastic supports per shelf; glue?

[David Combs]

The plastic "fit in hole" shelf-supports come out too easily, with the result that if someone bumps it,the shelf falls out, along with everything on it.

Each support works by pushing (inserting) its 1/3-inch-long cylinder part into the predrilled hole; four such holes, each with one of these plastic inserts, support the four corners of a shelf.

One way to keep a support from slipping out of its hole would be to glue the cylinder part into the hole.

Disadvantage: you can never get it out again, should you want to change the spacing between the shelves.

Question: is there some kind of a WEAK glue that will hold up to a point, but then will break its bond, allowing you to remove the plastic support?

Thanks!

David

[hrhofmann]

Just use a pinhead-sized drop of glue!!!

[Norminn]

I've used wood dowels in place of the plastic supports and they worked fine....they would have to shear in order to break. Wood dowel, tight enough and long enough, will support a shelf full of books without problems. If the sides of the bookshelf shift, that's a separate problem.....has it got a solidly fastened back? If not, put in some sort of back or brace.

[Nate Nagel]

There are actually made metal "shelf pins" for just this purpose. If you have a good hardware store they ought to have them. However if they fit loosely maybe a little contact cement or something might be in order.

nate

[David L. Martel]

David,

Wrap the barrels of the support pins with tape.

Dave M.

[dadiOH]

If the supports are the kind that have a metal or plastic "L" on the pin then your shelves are too short. They should be long enough so that the support pins *cannot* come out.

If they are just cylindical pins you can make the hole smaller - think "flat toothpick" - or the pin larger. You could make it larger by putting on a dab of cyanoacrylate (instant glue) and letting it dry before inserting. When you can't smell it, it is dry.

[micky]

Yes. Ambroid Cement is what I use when I want a glue I can break later. It also has a lot of other advantages. It sticks to most things and dries quickly. A tube will last until you've finished it. If you put the cap on firmly, it will not harden in the tube. I boughgt two large tubes once, because they were all beat up and were for sale cheap, and the second one was 20 years old when I finally used the last of it.

But it's not sold in hardware stores or HD. You have to go to a hobby store, and at the hobby store, it seemed expensive, so I only bought the small tube. But I use it for lots of things so I should have bought the big one.

Even with this stuff, I would try one pin first, although I don't know why. I'm sure it will break from the plastic. It may not break from the particle board, or worse yet, it may take too much board with it when it does, if the cohesion of the board is less than the adhesion of the glue to the board and the glue to the plastic.

You can also buy some rectangular (not round) tooth picks and use slivers from the picks to get the supports to go in more tightly.

[Don Phillipson]

Or you could shim the joint by finding a plastic straw of the appropriate diameter, then snipping off a sleeve for each of the shelf supports, so that it fits finger-right. This avoids messing with glue.

[David Combs]

In article , Nate Nagel wrote: ... ...

Thanks!

In case a hardware store has no idea what I mean by "shelf pins", any workable synonyms?

Thanks! (And thanks to everyone else too -- for some very good ideas thus far!)

David

[David Combs]

Thanks to one and all for some VERY good ideas!

David

[dadiOH]

If they don't know what "shelf pins" are, you are in the wrong store...it is a standard, generic term.

Basically, two types: a) round with a flat at one end b) round with an "L", "L" supports the shelf

[krw]

Home Depot and Lowes carry them. Look in the hardware section in the drawers that hold specialty stuff like automotive parts and stainless. There should be a few drawers marked "furniture parts", or some such. Take a peek through there. There're some interesting widgets that may be useful for future tasks.

They're in small quantities and therefore expensive, so if there is a woodworking store in the area you can always find them there. If you want to order online there's Woodcraft or Rockler.

[sbwithers]

Tape worked great. I just cut thin strips - crossways, same with as the length of the pin - off the end of a roll of masking tape. I then wrapped 3 or 4 around the pin, one at time. The pins fit snuggly into the holes.

Simple, good idea. All done in a few minutes.

Thanks!

[Stormin Mormon]

Two year old post, finally gets a thank you. In two years, tell us what kind of tape.

[DerbyDad03]

Or you could wait two years and read the post again, considering that he *did* tell us what kind of tape.

[janehicks1942]

I had the same problem and fixed it with heat shrink. It's little straw like plastic tubing that you can cut the length of the nob and then I used a lighter to stink it to fit, it just took a few seconds and worked great. TJ