thought on more shelving for imperial sized metal cabinet?

[The Night Tripper]

Hi all I've recently acquired an old metal storage cabinet for use in my garage. It's similar to the ones used in offices for storing files etc. - grey metal, around 2m H x 1m w x 0.5m deep. Except, this is older and stronger, and in imperial sizes (6ft by 3ft by 18 inches).

The metal shelves are fitted in the way usual to these cabinets - little metal lugs fitting into a slotted plate in each corner, and them the shelves seated over the lugs.

I would like to get a few more shelves fitted inside this thing. It only comes with a couple, but ideally I'd like five or six.

Obviously, being imperial sizes there is likely to be shortage of old shelves around. I have a few ideas for making some, but wondered if anyone out there has done something similar and have any design ideas to spare? (low) cost is of the essence, & I don't mind drilling some holes if necessary...

Thanks a lot Jon N

[Kevin]

Do they have to be steel?

If not, kitchen worktops are plentiful in skips and on freecycle - even new offcuts. Or your local timber merchant may give you offcuts with damaged laminate for a quid in the tea tin. Or poverty corner at Ikea.

[Phil Addison]

I think you will find that new ones are actually the same size as the 'old imperial' ones, just that the dimensions are quoted in metric.

Google for office furniture.

[NT]

I wasnt that clear what the OP was asking, you can do it anyway you like after all. I do think wood wood be easier, though it may not look as good in a steel cabinet.

NT

[Nightjar]

I suspect you will find that second hand office furniture suppliers have more than you think. I rather doubt that Triumph retooled all their presses simply to make their office equipment come out in nice round metric sized, so even fairly recent cabinets are likely to be metric equivalents of imperial sizes.

Colin Bignell

[Owain]

The metal shelves used in garages etc are about that size. (They come in packs of 3 with some angle iron to act as upright.)

Owain

[The Night Tripper]

Actually, you're right, they don't have to be steel, even though I was thinking of that. That's a great idea, thanks. I could easily add a bit of bracing if required - and could also drill holes in the shelves easier than with metal (*)

[...]

Nightjar [and others] suggested:

OK that's a useful thought, thanks. I guessed that this was originally the case but that over time it would have changed. I measured one of the shelves just now as something like 45mm x 907mm.

I will take a better measurement and trawl a few S/H office equipment suppliers.

Thanks again J^n

(*) I'm going to run a small home server from there, and also use the heat to keep some tools from rusting. So a bit of easy airflow between the shelves would be a good thing. Appearance is hardly of any import!)

[Bob Minchin]

Just take a shelf with you.....

Bob

[fred]

There are many different (by only a few mm) sized steel shelves for stationery cupboards. Getting the right size for an old one could be a p.i.t.a. The unforseen problem might be the clips to hold the shelves up. Some of these are unique to the manufacturer.

Your easy answer is 25mm mdf and you can fix 1" square steel bracket to the cabinet sides with either rivets or self tappers if you can't get the brackets.

Paul Mc Cann

[The Night Tripper]

Hi Fred/Paul

I take your point about the sizes, and the clips ... I haven't yet counted how many clips I have ended up with. More than enough for two shelves I think, less than enough for three (or the five or so I probably want). I haven't yet found an online source listing any of these clips at all ... strange.

Good plan about using square steel brackets ... I'm not at all averse to bashing this thing about.

Thanks J^n

[Newshound]

or 18 mm ply for heavier stuff, 12 mm for lighter, perhaps with a stiffener batten. Last time I did this I fixed bits of batten to each side by putting screws through from the outside, then rested the shelves on that.