Design Idea for Shelving System That Can be Broken Down

[Larry Bud]

A friend of mine asked me if I could build her some cheap shelves in her basement to hold stuff like her old china, etc.

She's cool with construction 2x4s and some of those white shelves from the borg, but we're thinking that I should build these so they could be broken down easily.

Any ideas from you folks?

Thanks.

[David Babcock]

You might want to try something like these. I know they are used on most of the U-Assemble furniture nowadays, like Sauder etc.

Dave

[Jay]

Well, as I am using google to read and reply to the wreck (Damned firewall!) I'm sure you will have gotten several responses and this thread will be dead by the time you read this :) Incidentally, does anyone know of a better (and free) newsgroup reader and poster that runs entirely off of port 80?

If she is truly okay with 2X4 construction, you could make something very stable with no fasteners that could be broken down and reassembled with a mallet and even give you some adjustability. My grandfather had these, although I never saw that they were ever broken down and reassembled. They also weren't that bad looking and probably would have been prettier if they were finished.

I'm sure there is a fancy name for this kind of construction, but I'm just a newbie so I'll call it lincoln log construction :)

Start by cutting a pair of 2X4's to a length equivalent to the height of your top shelf. These will serve as the posts. Make as many pairs of these that you need for the length of shelving you need. Every 12 inches or so (or whatever height you like your shelves) put a 2 1/2" tall by 3/4" wide through mortise into the face of the 2X4. THe top mortise should be 3/4 inches from the top.

Next, cut a single 2X4 to the depth you want your shelves, plus 2". These will be your shelf supports. Cut a 2 1/2" long tenon into both ends of the board (Note that the tenons are longer than the mortices, this is because you will be drilling a hole to accept a wood peg or cauter (SP?) pin.

For the shelves, use more 2X4's or 2X8's or whatever. Cut 1 1/2" wide by 3/4" deep dadoes in them to make your lincoln logs that will fit over the shelf supports. They will also provide the lateral support you need for the vertical supports. The assembly and disassembly should be pretty obvious by now. Feel free to expand on this design ;)

Jay