Shelving strength

[mjmwallace]

Got a "non-typical" shelving question, I think.

Want to build pantry shelves with some maple I got from a local manufacturer. The maple pieces are roughly 4 - 5 feet long and about 3 - 4 inches in width, they are 1" in thickness. I was thinking of making individual shelves with this. The choices are to lay the pieces like slates, anchored into something and about 4 feet long. The slates - would have to be about 7" wide, as that's all I have to make them. So the would across the face of the wood, that would mean 2 or 3 boards across, depending on final milling. Underneath I'd strengthen the planks with some cross pieces.

The other alternative, would be set them on edge and group them via a dowel every so foot. There probably would be 5 to 6 to a shelf. They would be slightly apart, held by dowels or other rods.

Given this is a pantry, I was wondering which would be stronger? Mostly dry goods (packages of rice, flour, the assorted canned olives, salsa, salad dressing. Nothing super heavy or a lot of canned items.

Any thoughts of which would be stronger?

MJ Wallace

[J T]

Sun, Dec 16, 2007, 10:25pm (EST-3) [e-mail] doth quary: Given this is a pantry, Any thoughts

My thoughts are, save the maple for something nice, or send it to me as a sacrifice for the Woodworking Gods, and use pine or plywood for the pantry shelves, bracing about every 12-18", depending on how heavy the shelves will be loaded.

I've got some floor to ceiling book shelves in the back room. Used

1/2X1" pine or poplar. Used peces as uprights every 16", which spaced the norizontal slats 1". Been supporting books and such since about 1982 or so, no prob.

JOAT I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do them.

- Picasso

[Stephen M]

If I understand you correctly, you want to make a 7 inch deep by 5 foot long shelf out of 1" thick maple boards. Your question is "how to join the boards for greatest strength? The answer is: it doesn't matter. If you edge glue, dowel with spaces, or screw a cleat to the underside with spaces, all will be perfectly adequate

The potential for problem in your design will be shelf sag. To be safe you should probably support a shelf of that length in three places. The alternative would be adding a 1" lip to the front of the shelf effectively making it 2" thick.

-Steve

[Twayne]

1x4 on edge, under backmost part of shelf, against wall. 1x2 on edge, front, routed to fit onto shelf, makes a lip to keep stuff from rolling off. Slats between the two.

No pantry shelf will EVER see nothing but light loads over time

Want to trade that maple for some common pine? I'd love to trade

Pop`

[Phisherman]

There are other materials you can use for shelving. You could use ply and put a 1.5" lip on the front and back for strength. Use a bracket support for anything longer than 30".

[mjmwallace]

Thanks to JT, Phiserman and Twayne for the response.

The maple, I got at $.50 a bf from this guy who gets a train car load every so often. He makes the holders for rubber stamps. These are mill ends from Canadian wood mills. They are milled to 3/4" and are cut from 3 - 4 in in width and 4 - 6ft in length. There's always more coming. I got a load for $40 (is that a gloat?). So not sure I just want to use up what I got and get more later or get the pine that JT recommended. I see someone on Craigslist is selling a bunch for cheap as well.

Still debating this.

Thanks much all.

MJ Wallace

[J T]

Mon, Dec 17, 2007, 2:44pm (EST-3) [e-mail] sorh query: I got a load for $40 (is that a gloat?).

Dunno if it's a gloat or not, but definitely a major warm fuzzy at inimum.

About the time you use the maple for it you'll come up with some use for it and wish you hadn't done it. I usually restrict myself to using wood that's either free or grows in NC (personal preference). Not sure if maple grows here, but at prices like that I could probably be talked into buying some anyway. If it doesn't grow here you'll have to send me a free batch. LOL

JOAT I do things I don't know how to do, so that I might learn how to do them.

- Picasso

[Ron Hock]