How strong are shelf brackets (London Brackets)

A google image search for London Brackets got me this:

I'd reinforce your shed walls if I were you.

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I wouldn't sit anything heavier than a three year old on it.

a three year old what ? squirrel ? elephant ? apple ?

They are "ok" but not in the same league as the perforated rail type adjustable shelving that screwfix et al will do you. I use quite a few of them in my shed for small shelves and also directly as hanging hooks for some things (the ends of them can be bent up to form a hooked end which makes them good for hanging workmates etc from the wall for storage).

I would guess that you don't want more than say 30kg on a shelf supported by two of them.

adequate for general purpose, but definitely not for heavy duty work. Heavy duty brackets are costly though.

NT

Yes i know. the heavy duty brackets were between 6-10 a piece, compared to =A31 for these.

Wickes do one that is like a London bracket but with a more subsantial rectangular-section channel down the middle - I don't remember how much they cost but if they'd been expensive I probably wouldn't have bought any.

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Get the cheap ones and weld a diagonal brace to it.

i think i know what you mean. they were called hi-load brackets and they were the ones at about =A36. The industrial brackets were closer to a tenner.

Just on this topic. It would be usefel to be able to weld things together. Is there a cheap way out there. What is used for heating the welding. will a blow torch do? and what is the name of the metal that needs to be melted? or is welding done a different way?

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Personally I use a MIG welder - about the size of a thick mdium sized suitcase. Takes a spool of steel wire 0.6 or 0.8mm thick and a bottle of shield gas - CO2, argon or a mix of the two. Wire leads up a long thick flex to a handset with a triger and a nozzle.

When you pull the trigger the current (variable by a knob on the machine) is connected to the wire, gas flows and the wire is pushed out at a steady rate (variable by a knob on the machine). Current flows through the wire which melts and spatters onto the object being welded - the current returns via a clamp on lead - bit like a jump lead - to the machine. The molten wire and white hot pool of molten metal on the workpiece don't burn away because of the shield gas which is pouring out of the shroud round the wire-feed tip.

There - simple! Except it takes a steady hand, an iron nerve[1] and a wooden leg[2] to master it[3].

not sure where you're buying, take a look at screwfix. Quarter ton brackets around =A32 iirc. Thats for ones with no diagonal support bar, ones with a diagonal are generally a fair bit cheaper.

DIY wood brackets are quite workable in many cases, but arent slimline like steel, and do need the diagonal. And its wise to stand on them to strength check if youre going to load them heavily.

NT

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Ikea do some rather nice chunky laminated shelf brackets.

I suppose it would be quite possible to cut lots of brackets out of a sheet of 18mm ply. If theyre a hollow right angle triangle shape, with

Thats 8 serious brackets per sq ft of ply, or 128 brackets per 8x4 of ply (plus a lot of not very useful 2" ones)

NT

replying to lavenders19, Neil wrote: Why re they called London Brackets???

Because they are made in india.

Tsch. All you need to do is put them closer together (ie more of them.) You can make the shelf as strong as you like.

Or Ontario

I tried that once, ended up using about 6 in place of one. Londons just aren't very strong, and the larger sizes have lower load rating than the smaller.

NT